March 27, 2025 - State Senator Lea Webb, a Binghamton Democrat, discusses steps New York could take to address its poor maternal health outcomes. She also identifies some of her priorities for inclusion in the state budget.Af WCNY

March 27, 2025 - New York State Attorney General Letitia James is pushing legislation updating New York's laws governing unfair and deceptive practices. We explore what these consumer protections would do with Ariana Lindermayer, a senior staff attorney with Mobilization for Justice.Af WCNY

March 27, 2025 - Assemblymember Carrie Woerner, a Capital Region Democrat, makes the case for establishing a labor board responsible for recommending rules and regulations to create safer working conditions for prison guards.Af WCNY

March 27, 2025 - State Senate Children & Families Committee Chair Jabari Brisport, a Brooklyn Democrat, calls for the state to step in and fund a popular child care voucher program that is in jeopardy of dropping thousands of enrolled families.Af WCNY

March 26, 2025 - State environmental regulators could do more to oversee the conditions at thousands of dams in New York, according to an audit by the state comptroller's office. We discuss the findings with Tina Kim, deputy comptroller for the Division of State Government Accountability.Af WCNY

March 26, 2025 - Small claims courts are supposed to be a forum to quickly and cheaply resolve legal matters, but in some of New York's most populated counties justice can be a lengthy wait. New York Public Interest Research Group staff attorney Kyle Giller explains why there are delays and how they could be addressed.…

March 26, 2025 - Assemblymember Jon Rivera, a Buffalo Democrat, makes the case for the state to spend millions on refugee settlement services in light of the Trump administration's attempt to cut funding for nonprofits doing this work.Af WCNY

March 25, 2025 - Fresh off a big victory at the state's top court, we check in with Sandy Berland, executive director of the State Commission on Ethics and Lobbying in Government. We discuss the court ruling and its aftermath, a request for additional state funds, and new data releases.Af WCNY

March 25, 2025 - A group of mobile home park residents in Western New York have taken their property manager to court arguing a 2023 rent increase violates the guidelines written into state law in 2019. Our guests are Maribeth Sheedy, a resident of Akron Mobile Home Park and lawsuit plaintiff, and Robert Friedman, the plaintiff attorney.…

March 25, 2025 - The Metropolitan Transportation Authority is hoping that Gov. Kathy Hochul and Democrats in the state legislature can reach a consensus in budget negotiations on billions in additional capital funding for the downstate transit system. Our guest is Jamie Torres-Springer, president of construction and development for the MTA.…

March 25, 2025 - Vito Grasso, executive vice president of the New York State Academy of Family Physicians, whose daughter suffers from a rare genetic disease, makes the case for the state to launch a rare disease advisory council.Af WCNY

March 24, 2025 - A pilot program in Buffalo is trying to address the underlying problems that lead young people to frequently flee their homes. We talk about the coordinated response with David Mann, who works in the Special Victims Unit of the Buffalo Police Department and is a board member with BestSelf Behavioral Health.…

March 24, 2025 - The Alliance for a Hunger Free New York Executive Director Natasha Pernicka discusses the demand on food pantries, makes the case for spending more on state programs combatting hunger, and explains how Medicaid dollars might address food insecurity.Af WCNY

March 14, 2025 - Construction unions and their allies in the state legislature are hoping to rewrite the laws governing the application of prevailing wage, pushing language that would expand when it applies and eliminating an obscure review board. We discuss this legislative campaign with Gary LaBarbera, president of the Building and Construction T…

March 21, 2025 - New York Focus Albany Bureau Chief Chris Bragg shares that political patronage is alive and well in the court system, despite a reform effort two decades ago to prevent connected New Yorkers from profiting off their relationships with judges.Af WCNY

March 20, 2025 - We break down the ruling from the state's top court that upheld the constitutionality of the Commission on Ethics and Lobbying in Government with Richard Rifkin, legal director for the Government Law Center at Albany Law School.Af WCNY

March 20, 2025 - Businesses paying credit card fees are hoping the state will prohibit tacking these costs on to sales taxes and gratuities. We explore these concerns with Ashley Ranslow, state director in New York for NFIB, and Mike Durant, president & CEO of the Food Industry Alliance of New York State.…

March 20, 2025 - New York State Comptroller Tom DiNapoli calls for more fiscally prudent budgeting from the state Legislature and addresses a campaign to divest the pension fund of its Tesla holdings.Af WCNY

March 20, 2025 - We examine the governor's proposals to target drugged driving and crackdown on fentanyl analogs with Toni Smith, state director in New York for the Drug Policy Alliance.Af WCNY

March 19, 2025 - The administration transition of the state Consumer Directed Personal Assistance Program is scheduled to be done at the end of March, but most stakeholders say the process won't be completed on time. We explore why and what that could mean with Ilana Berger, New York political director for Caring Majority Rising.…

March 19, 2025 - New York State Labor Commissioner Roberta Reardon explains the effort to place former federal workers into state government jobs. We also examine why the governor thinks it's necessary to study how to fund universal child care in New York.Af WCNY

March 19, 2025 - New York State Association for Affordable Housing President & CEO Jolie Milstein discusses efforts to promote the growth of affordable housing and calls for more government subsidies for developers.Af WCNY

March 19, 2025 - New York Birth Control Access Project and Action Fund co-Executive Director Jenna Bimbi makes the case for legislation ensuring pharmacists can administer a birth control shot and get reimbursed by private insurance plans for doling out hormonal birth control.Af WCNY

March 18, 2025 - Coalition of Medication-Assisted Treatment Providers and Advocates President Allegra Schorr discusses regulatory changes in New York to make medication assisted treatment more accessible and outlines the funding needs of her providers.Af WCNY

March 18, 2025 - The state's domestic violence services could be thrown into disarray by funding cuts at the federal level. We explore how the state should boost its services to survivors of domestic violence with Joan Gerhardt, director of public policy and advocacy for the New York State Coalition Against Domestic Violence.…

March 18, 2025 - The state's commercial ambulance providers want a multi-million dollar investment in Medicaid rates to keep up with the growing costs of providing their life-saving services. We discuss this campaign with Bryan Brauner, CEO of Twin City Ambulance in Western New York and head of the legislative committee for the United New York Ambu…

March 17, 2025 - Northern Rivers Family of Services Executive Director Bill Gettman discusses the rising insurance costs facing voluntary foster care agencies, which could hinder their ability to find homes and services for foster kids across the state.Af WCNY

March 14, 2025 - State Sen. Patricia Fahy, an Albany Democrat, explains why New Yorkers in powered wheelchairs need more options for getting their vehicles repaired and discusses the broader "right to repair" campaign.Af WCNY

March 14, 2025 - State Health Commissioner Jim McDonald talks about access to obesity medication and dental services, while also providing an update the transition of the Consumer Directed Personal Assistance Program.Af WCNY

March 14, 2025 - New York State Office of General Services Commissioner Jeanette Moy discusses her mandate to improve state government efficiency and promote innovation.Af WCNY

March 13, 2025 - We discuss the governor's spending plan and the possibility of unemployment insurance cost relief for businesses with Assemblymember Ed Ra, a Long Island Republican.Af WCNY

March 13, 2025 - Warmer weather means a possible encounter with a coyote, so we get some tips on how to avoid conflicts with these wild animals from Mandy Watson, a wildlife biologist with the New York Department of Environmental Conservation.Af WCNY

March 13, 2025 - New York Agriculture & Markets Commissioner Richard Ball talks about the governor's budget and provides an update on eligibility for the state's farmworkers tax credit.Af WCNY

March 13, 2025 - New York State Committee on Open Government Executive Director Shoshanah Bewlay unpacks rulings from the state's top court that ensure the public has access to police disciplinary records from before 2020, including records about unsubstantiated complaints.Af WCNY

March 12, 2025 - We talk about the security needs of private, religious schools, state oversight of yeshivas, expanding the state's child tax credit, and overseeing vaccine records with Yeruchim Silber, director of New York government relations for Agudath Israel of America.Af WCNY

March 12, 2025 - The 2-1-1 hotline helps connect New Yorkers with services in their communities, but the network needs additional investment, according to Therese Daly, president and CEO of the United Way of New York State.Af WCNY

March 12, 2025 - The largest public safety net hospital on Long Island, the Nassau University Medical Center, is warning that they might have to shut their doors without additional millions from the state. The center's CEO, Megan Ryan, joins the program to discuss the institution's financial conditions and the path forward.…

March 12, 2025 - Progressive tenant advocates and state lawmakers want to expand the pathways for municipalities to demonstrate a housing emergency that would let them participate in rent stabilization regulations. We hear concerns about this proposal from Richard Lanzarone, executive director of the Hudson Valley Property Owners Association.…

March 10, 2025 - Adirondack Explorer reporter Gwen Craig highlights the stalled campaign to develop an official gateway to the Adirondacks, which has been slowed in part by state land title practices.Af WCNY

March 10, 2025 - State Sen. Andrew Gounardes, a Brooklyn Democrat, wants to codify an effort to reduce vehicle miles traveled in New York and is pushing legislation ensuring future capital funds for roads aren't tailored solely to passenger vehicles.Af WCNY

March 10, 2025 - Members of the Graduate Student Employees Union have descended on the Capitol to make the case for a new contract with the State University of New York, arguing for better compensation, more flexibility, and other benefits.Af WCNY

March 7, 2025 - State Commission on Judicial Conduct Administrator Robert Tembeckjian looks back at the commission's work in 2024 and discusses their ability to weigh in on certain complaints, like compliance with New York's pre-trial detention laws.Af WCNY

March 7, 2025 - State Senate Racing, Gaming and Wagering Committee Chair, Joe Addabbo, a Queens Democrat, discusses the evolving world of gambling in New York, including expanding and restricting sports gambling bets, regulating betting markets on non-sports, and increasing aid for gambling addiction services.…

March 7, 2025 - What would Micron get? That's the question that Ken Girardin, research director at the Empire Center for Public Policy, thinks smalls businesses should ask when they're looking for incentives to grow, in light of the local and state sweeteners deployed to attract the high-tech manufacturing company to central New York.…

March 6, 2025 - In an excerpt from this week's Dispatches from Planet Albany episode, Chris Gelardi, a reporter for New York Focus, discusses the ongoing correction officer strikes in New York.Af WCNY

March 6, 2025 - Ever wonder why New York's health care system is so expensive? Well we've got answers for you, courtesy of Elisabeth Benjamin, vice president of health initiatives for the Community Service Society of New York, which recently studied the issue.Af WCNY

March 6, 2025 - Bronx Chamber of Commerce President Lisa Sorin discusses the local Bronx economy and weighs in on the governor's budget proposal, including what could help and what is missing.Af WCNY

March 6, 2025 - Assemblymember Emily Gallagher, a Brooklyn Democrat, discusses the implementation of restrictions on the availability of gas appliances in most new homes starting in 2026.Af WCNY

March 5, 2025 - Legislation advanced by Democratic state lawmakers would put new guardrails on the collection and use of New Yorkers' electronic health data. We explore this digital privacy issue with Allie Bohm, senior policy counsel for the New York Civil Liberties Union.Af WCNY

March 5, 2025 - Assembly Banks Committee Chair Clyde Vanel, a Queens Democrat, discusses balancing competing interests in the financial sector, legislation allowing public banking, and the state regulatory approach to cryptocurrency.Af WCNY