The Legislative Gazette
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The Legislative Gazette is a student-run, online news site covering the politics, policies, and people of the New York State government.
The Legislative Gazette
4h ago
Photo courtesy of the Governor’s Office
Gov. Kathy Hochul today initiated an assessment of the Office of Cannabis Management to identify opportunities for improvement and begin implementation of a strategic plan for the long-term success of the legal cannabis rollout. Commissioner for the Office of General Services Jeanette Moy will serve as lead and executive sponsor of the effort, supported by experienced state government leaders.
Moy will embed in the Office of Cannabis Management for at least 30 days to assess the agency’s organization. As part of the plan, several goals have been identifi ..read more
The Legislative Gazette
2d ago
Legislative Gazette photo by Dylan Murphy
New York state legislators and members of the Labor Religion Coalition held a rally in the Capitol building’s War Room on March 4 to push for investments prioritizing low-income New Yorkers as the Legislature begins to turn their attention to finalizing the budget.
Speakers at the event included Assembly members, senators, clergy members and advocates protesting the rising rates of poverty amongst New Yorkers while demanding a “moral” budget that will hold New York’s wealthiest accountable and provide relief to poor and working-class constituents.
“New ..read more
The Legislative Gazette
2w ago
Legislative Gazette photo by Jeremy Sodergren
Assemblymember Deborah Glick, chair of the Assembly Environmental Conservation Committee, discusses a set of bills that would track, regulate and begin to eliminate per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, in many common household products. These “forever chemicals” are found in water supplies, and can cause neurological development issues, cancer and other health issues.
On Tuesday Feb. 6 legislators and the PFAS-free New York coalition held a press conference at the Million Dollar Staircase advocating for a package of bills that work to elimi ..read more
The Legislative Gazette
1M ago
Photo courtesy of Tom Suozzi, via facebook.com/tom.suozzi
Tom Suozzi casts his ballot during early voting on February 9. He defeated Mazi Pilip by 8 points in a special election held to replace disgraced Congressman George Santos.
Democrat Tom Suozzi defeated Republican candidate Mazi Pilip on Tuesday, Feb. 13 in a special election triggered by George Santos’s ouster, narrowing an already-thin GOP House majority.
Voters in New York’s Third Congressional District, which encompasses parts of Queens and Nassau County, braved a snowstorm to cast their ballots that gave the former congressman the e ..read more
The Legislative Gazette
1M ago
Legislative Gazette file photo
A new bill (S.8357/A.8866) that would ban the use of carbon dioxide for fracking and gas extraction has been introduced in the Legislature following reports that homeowners in New York’s Southern Tier are being asked to lease their land by a fracking company.
Southern Tier CO2 to Clean Energy Solutions, or Southern Tier Solutions, a Texas-based natural gas production company, started sending letters to residents last summer according to Assemblywoman Lupardo, D–Endwell, one of the bill’s co-sponsors. After learning that more than 6,000 residents received let ..read more
The Legislative Gazette
1M ago
Photos courtesy of the Governor’s Office and Queens College Civil Rights Archives
During Black History Month, an exhibit commemorating the 60th anniversary of the Civil Rights Act — and the New Yorkers who helped lead the Civil Rights Movement — will be open to the public in the State Capitol in Albany.
The exhibit, titled “1964: New Yorkers Who Shaped History,” is featured prominently in the Governor’s Reception Room in the New York State Capitol. Sixty years after the passing of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, this exhibit emphasizes some of the honorable New Yorkers who fought to give equal r ..read more
The Legislative Gazette
1M ago
Courtesy of Tom Suozzi, via facebook.com/tom.suozzi
Voters in Queens and Nassau County will head to the polls Tuesday, Feb. 13 to elect a replacement for disgraced Congressman George Santos in the Third Congressional District on Long Island.
In December, Gov. Kathy Hochul declared a special election to fill the vacancy in the Third Congressional District created by Santos’s expulsion from the U.S. House of Representatives.
Tom Suozzi, a former congressman, Nassau County executive and mayor of Glen Cove is facing political newcomer Mazi Pilip, a Nassau County legislator first elected to office ..read more
The Legislative Gazette
1M ago
Images courtesy of the Siena College Research Institute
In one of the busiest weeks for bookmakers and bettors, the Siena College Research Institute released a poll that finds 39 percent of Americans bet on sports, and 19 percent use an online betting app.
The poll reveals the vast majority of online sports bettors say it’s fun and exciting (93 percent); makes the games more interesting (85 percent); and they believe they can make money (80 percent). More than two-thirds of online gamblers (71 percent) signed up with a promotion with “free money” offered by betting apps.
However, the poll also ..read more
The Legislative Gazette
1M ago
Photo by Mike Groll, Courtesy of the Governor’s Office
Gov. Kathy Hochul signs legislation redefining rape to better protect sexual assault survivors. The bill expands upon what is legally considered rape to include forms of nonconsensual sexual contact other than vaginal penetration.
On Tuesday, Jan. 30, Gov. Kathy Hochul signed a bill into law expanding the legal definition of rape to include a number of different types of nonconsensual sexual contact in New York state.
Prior to the signing of Legislation S.3161/A.3340, the law described rape as only vaginal penetration by a penis. Thi ..read more
The Legislative Gazette
3M ago
The watchdog groups Reinvent Albany and Scrutinize recently released a report that estimates a meager 6 percent of all New York state criminal court decisions are actually published annually.
These findings have prompted Senate Deputy Majority Leader Michael Gianaris, D-Queens, to call for legislation that would emphasize judicial transparency.
Senator Michael Gianaris
The report, “Open Criminal Courts: New York Criminal Reports Decisions Should be Public,” shows an overwhelming majority of all criminal court decisions are not made available to the public, year after year. In New ..read more