New York City

Policy

Why don’t owners of super-luxury apartments pay their fair share of taxes?

There’s a systematic, widespread under-assessment of New York City’s most expensive homes. Forcing the owners to pay their fair share of the city’s property-tax burden seems like a political no-brainer, but here’s why it can’t be fixed without a larger reform.

New York State

Policy

Tech bills left in limbo in Albany

Sen. Kevin Thomas’s New York Privacy Act and state Sen. Diane Savino’s Dependent Worker Act are among the bills stalled until next session.

New York State

Policy

School facial recognition pause passed in Assembly

The legislation, introduced by New York Assemblywoman Monica Wallace in March, would prohibit elementary and secondary schools from purchasing biometric technology – like facial recognition – until July 1, 2022.

New York State

Policy

What do the new rent regulations mean, literally?

New Yorkers are getting accustomed to a whole new set of rules after a slew of reforms to protect tenants passed in Albany last week. To make the transition easier, City & State defined a list of key terms to gain a better understanding of what the future holds for the state’s tenants and landlords.

New York City

Policy

New York City goes after illegal hotels again

New York City’s Office of Special Enforcement is going after illegal home-sharing again, filing a suit in Queens County Supreme Court on Wednesday against 13 people and entities that the city says turned housing units in 36 buildings into illegal rentals.

New York State

Policy

How could Georgia’s 'heartbeat' bill apply to New York?

New York is encouraging women from out of state to come here to get abortions if they are unable to at home. But will a recently passed law in Georgia subject them to prosecution for murder?

New York State

Policy

What’s going on with marijuana legalization?

Full legalization of recreational marijuana this year may go up in smoke, but the state could still pass some blunted reforms in the meantime, as bills to decriminalize smoking in public and expanding the medical marijuana program were just introduced.

New York State

Policy

Why everyone wants to slam the brakes on this gig workers bill

State Sen. Diane Savino and Assemblyman Marcos Crespo introduced a bill on Friday that would allow gig economy workers and other independent contractors to unionize and collectively bargain with their employers.

New York State

Policy

What you need to know about the Legislature’s e-bike agreement

The debate over legalizing electric bikes and scooters on New York streets may soon come to a close. With a vote on the amended bill expected to come Wednesday, here are the most important provisions and the bill’s prospects for passing.

New York State

Policy

NY lawmakers near deal on climate change

The state Legislature and Gov. Andrew Cuomo are on the brink of finalizing a deal on landmark climate change legislation that aims to effectively eliminate climate change pollution statewide by 2050. Here’s how the updated bill compares to the original version.

New York City

Policy

Saini leaves DoITT amidst controversy

Samir Saini stepped down as head of New York City’s Department of Information Technology and Telecommunications on Friday.

New York State

Policy

Will New York halt for 5G health concerns?

New York is supposedly in a race with other localities to deploy next-generation 5G wireless networks, but activists raising concerns about potential health effects of cellphone and wireless radiation – and they are gaining some political traction.

New York City

Policy

Brooklyn rising as tech destination

A new report reveals that Brooklyn has been second only to San Francisco in the growth of startups in the past decade.

New York City

Policy

New York isn’t letting up on ride-hail

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio announced a plan for the Taxi and Limousine Commission to make permanent the cap on for-hire vehicle licenses and institute a limit on the time app-based companies like Uber and Lyft can allow their vehicles to cruise without passengers in the core of Manhattan.

Policy

Everyone supports climate change legislation, so why can’t it pass?

Even though Governor Andrew Cuomo says he wants to pass a bill to mitigate climate change, and even though both chambers of the Legislature appear to have majority support for the Climate and Community Protection Act, the bill may not pass in this session.

New York City

Policy

Accident puts helicopter safety under microscope

New York lawmakers are calling for a ban on all non-essential helicopters over Manhattan in the wake of this week’s accident.

New York City

Policy

Lawmakers strike sweeping deal on rent regulations

New York state lawmaker announced a sweeping deal on rent regulations that strengthen tenant protections in New York City and neighboring areas, make the laws permanent and expand them upstate.

New York City

Policy

What’s pushing prevailing wage into the 'Big Ugly'

Three ways lawmakers are trying to bridge their differences on a proposed expansion of the prevailing wage.

New York City

Policy

New York’s burgeoning array of tech training programs

New York City’s range of technology education offerings has expanded to keep pace with the city’s growing tech sector.

Immigration

Policy

How driver’s licenses for undocumented immigrants would work

The Assembly is expected to vote this week on one of the most controversial legislative issues of the year – a proposal to allow undocumented immigrants to obtain driver’s licenses.