New York State

Politics

Which counties just say “no” to marijuana?

Local New York lawmakers are not quite sure of whether or not they want to allow legalized recreational marijuana use in their counties.

New York State

Policy

Cash bail still in judges’ tool belts after major reforms

Despite Governor Andrew Cuomo and Democratic legislators agreeing that they wanted to eliminate the use of cash bail in New York state, it will remain as an option available to judges in limited circumstances.

New York State

Policy

What we know about New York City’s congestion pricing plan

As a part of the new state budget Governor Andrew Cuomo and the state Legislature agreed to enact congestion pricing to help raise revenue for the MTA and reduce traffic in New York City.

New York State

Policy

New York gets an internet sales tax

A marketplace provider tax made it into New York's $175.5 billion budget.

New York State

Politics

The budget crunch and Serrano to retire

Rep. Jose E. Serrano announced that he will not seek re-election in 2020, New York will be adopting a state-wide ban on plastic bags, NYC First Lady Chirlane McCray dismissed her ThriveNYC "haters," and more of this week’s most important political news stories.

New York State

Policy

Erie wants to lead in 5G

Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz, fed up with the lack of high-speed internet access in rural and other underserved parts of his county, wants to borrow $20 million to install 360 miles of proprietary fiber lines in an effort to ensure that Erie is ready for 5G.

New York State

Policy

Transferring to a real estate transfer tax

Details about the proposed new transfer tax are scarce, but lawmakers have said it will apply to the sale of real estate that is valued at $5 million or more on top of the existing transfer tax.

Campaigns & Elections

Politics

March Madness: The presidential tournament, round 2

City & State is creating its own Sweet 16 March Madness bracket, now we're down to our Elite Eight matchups of Democratic presidential contenders to see who our readers think will come out on top in 2020. Maybe.

Andrew Cuomo

Politics

The high-profile bills stuck in legislative limbo

Despite the amount of celebrated legislation passed this month, several high-profile bills have yet to be signed into law by New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo.

New York State

Politics

The downstate-upstate divide – budget edition

It's unclear whether or not upstate and downstate Democrats are going to agree on these five key budget issues.

New York State

Opinion

Replace JCOPE with an independent body

Ross Barkan makes the case for replacing JCOPE with a new independent commission to better combat corruption.

New York State

Politics

3 horrifying harassment cases the courts did nothing about

Three examples of real cases in which judges ruled certain modes of conduct could not be considered harassment in New York.

New York State

Politics

New York law lets sexual harassers off the hook

Despite attempts to curtail harassment in the work place proving that you work in a hostile work environment can be difficult and as a result lets a lot of sexual harassers off the hook. But young lawmakers like state Senator Alessandra Biaggi are trying to change that.

New York State

Policy

Putting #MeToo into policy

State lawmakers like state Sen. Alessandra Biaggi are trying to pass multiple bills that will hopefully address and curb sexual harassment in New York.

New York State

Opinion

Want to run for president? Quit your day job

City & State publisher Tom Allon makes the case for a new law applicable to anyone interested in a run for any political office: "You have to vacate your current position so a successor can be appointed or voted in who is willing to put in 50-70 hour weeks."

Donald Trump

Policy

Trump’s potential New York legal woes

The president is the subject of several investigations in the Empire State

New York State

Politics

Crossing Andrew Cuomo’s red lines

Democrats have had their strongest hold on the state Legislature in a century, spurring Governor Andrew Cuomo to propose a litany of progressive policies in his state budget plan, including criminal justice reforms, marijuana legalization, easier access to voting, protections for transgender people and expanded abortion rights.

New York City

Politics

Speed cameras zoom ahead, marijuana on hold, SHSAT scrutinized

This week New York City approved the installation of more speed cameras around schools, marijuana legalization was officially removed from the budget, questions were raised about New York's Specialized High School Test, and that's just the tip of the iceberg.