Dispatches from Planet Albany

Gov. Kathy Hochul voiced the frustration of nearly all the stakeholders in New York's burgeoning marijuana marketplace, when she recently conceded to the Buffalo News editorial board that the rollout (under her watch) had been a "disaster." And it's through this lens that we're examining the marijuana landscape in New York, including why state lawmakers and the governor have been inclined to deleg...

Politico New York's energy and environment reporter at the Capitol, Marie French, schools us on the state's effort to realize its renewable energy goals for 2030, the potential backlash to a proposed overhaul of transmission siting, and Gov. Kathy Hochul's opportunity to shape a key utility regulator. Then we'll talk about a recent Siena College Research Institute poll with Joe Reubens, who leads...

We're back with another recording in front of a raucous audience at the Bull Moose Club down the hill from the Capitol, with Jasmine Gripper, co-director of the New York Working Families Party, and Shontell Smith, head of the New York practice for Tusk Strategies. The show features a discussion about the ideal karaoke partners and road trip companions, as well as a conversation about Gov. Kathy Ho...

Somewhere between a governor vetoing a bill and simply signing legislation that makes it to their desk is the approval message and subsequent chapter amendment, which has become an ever increasingly popular tool for New York's chief executive. We explore how chapter amendments come together, consider why they're being used at comparatively high levels by Gov. Kathy Hochul, and discuss whether stat...

The budget season officially kicked off this week with Gov. Kathy Hochul revealing her $233 billion spending plan for New York, which includes her commitment to address an influx of asylum seekers, slower growth in school aid, and a lot of Medicaid money. We talk about the underrated and overrated aspects of the proposal, as well as the potential stumbling blocks with the state legislature, with F...

Gov. Kathy Hochul shared her vision of New York and priorities for the upcoming legislative session as part of her third State of the State address this past week at the Capitol. The Democratic leader focused on fighting crime, addressing mental health issues, and making the Empire State more affordable. This week's episode, which comes from a webinar hosted by Marathon Strategies, analyzes the co...

Before embarking on the 2024 legislative session, we look back at some of big stories from Planet Albany in 2023 and consider the big news that could come out of the Capitol in the year ahead. We look back and ahead with BerlinRosen Vice President Loren Amor and Citizen Action of New York Deputy Executive Director  Rebecca Garrard .

All the votes have yet to be counted from this year's local elections in New York, but that won't stop us from looking ahead to 2024 with the help of the unofficial results from 2023.  Actum Managing Director  Chapin Fay and BerlinRosen Vice President Loren Amor will consider what this year's races mean for state legislative battles and the upcoming session in Albany. We'll also discuss the potent...

A 2012 report examining the state's care for people with special needs offered a holistic series of recommendations on how to improve the quality of supervision and supports for vulnerable New Yorkers, but the reaction from state policymakers at the time - and since - has largely ignored the broader conversation about the human services system. On the third installment of the "Justice for All" ser...

This summer marks the 10th anniversary of the Justice Center for the Protection of People With Special Needs, the state entity created in response to a 2011 exposé on the inadequate system of care for New Yorkers with developmental disabilities.  On the second installment of the "Justice for All" series, we highlight the work undertaken by the Justice Center over the last decade, including their a...

Nearly 40 years before reporting in 2011 by the New York Times prompted a re-examination of the care for people with special needs, the state underwent a similar phase of introspection and reform. On the first installment of the "Justice for All" series, we highlight this four decades of history, including New York's response to the failings at the Willowbrook school, the creation of an advocate,...

June 28, 2023 - This summer marks 10 years since the Justice Center for the Protection of People with Special Needs took over as the state entity responsible for the safety of around 1 million vulnerable New Yorkers, who receive care from state-run or state-overseen facilities and programs. In light of this milestone, The Capitol Pressroom is examining the work of the Justice Center and its record...

Shontell Smith , the co-head of the New York practice for Tusk Strategies, analyzes the recently concluded legislative session and looks ahead at what's next for Planet Albany, including closing a $9 billion budget gap, addressing housing creation and appointments from the governor. This episode marks the end of the first season of Dispatches from Planet Albany, but we'll be back with a second sea...

The scheduled legislative session came to an end in June, with Governor Kathy Hochul and the legislative leaders unable to agree on substantive policies that would increase the supply of new homes in New York or make housing more affordable in the near future. But why?!?!?!?!?!?!?!? We answer that looming question with  Rebecca Garrard , the deputy director of campaigns and movement politics for C...

With time running out on the legislative session, we convened a live recording of the show at the Bull Moose Club in Albany, with podcast regulars Shontell Smith, of Tusk Strategies, and Rebecca Garrard, from Citizen Action of New York. The event consisted of a fantasy elected official draft and closed with rapid fire debates on the state of two-way deals and what 2024 could look like at the Capit...

The power of state lawmakers from the New York City suburbs has ebbed and flowed at the Capitol in recent decades, but it peaked recently during the budget process when members from the Hudson Valley and Long Island were able to hold significant sway. We put this latest power play into context, examine its origins and consider what the future of the suburban power could look like with Yancey Roy,...

Two things seem to be missing from the Capitol these days: Any sense of ambition from the Democratic majorities in the state Legislature and Lt. Gov. Antonio Delgado. On this week's episode, with Times Union reporter Josh Solomon and Politico New York reporter Bill Mahoney, we consider the role that Gov. Kathy Hochul's #2 has assumed after a year in Albany and what - if any - big ticket policy ite...

For months, Gov. Kathy Hochul was largely able to avoid addressing the influx of asylum seekers in New York City, deferring authority to New York City Mayor Eric Adams. That dynamic is changing, with New York City needing state funds, the expiration of Title 42 and efforts to move asylum seekers - at least temporarily - outside of the five boroughs. To understand the politics driving resettlement...

To explain what state policymakers are doing to prevent unlicensed marijuana sales and promote a legal recreational marketplace, we spoke with New York Cannabis Insider Editor & Publisher Brad Racino and Cannabis Association of New York Director of Government Relations Hal McCabe. The conversation addresses a contentious meeting of state regulators, negotiations over a crackdown on illegal sales a...

With the budget finally in our rear view mirror, we debate whether the final plan is a victory for progressives or moderates in the state legislature, look ahead at the remainder of the legislative session and wrap our heads around who has been quietly advising Gov. Kathy Hochul for the last two years. Our guests are Shontell Smith , co-head of the New York practice for Tusk Strategies, and Josh S...

With a change of leadership in the works at the New York Working Families Party, we examine what the future of the liberal third party could look like in the Empire State. Citizen Action of New York Legislative Director Rebecca Garrard , a member of the WFP, discusses the role of the party, its relationship with the DSA and how it should approach the 2026 gubernatorial election. 

Despite state lawmakers being credibly accused of sexual misconduct for decades, the legislature and individual legislators have failed to settle on a consistent and comprehensive response to these allegations. We consider this problem through the lens of the latest allegations of assault and harassment against members of the Assembly, with  Elizabeth Crothers , a former legislative aide and co-fo...

In her second attempt at remaking the state Court of Appeals, Gov. Kathy Hochul is proposing to elevate Associate Judge Rowan Wilson to the vacant chief judge post and has tapped attorney Caitlin Halligan to join New York's top court. We examine what these nominations mean for the judicial system and consider the possibility of changing how judges are chosen for the top jobs in New York, with Josh...

The public safety conversation at the Capitol is largely happening behind closed doors right now, but progressive criminal justice activists are still trying to inject their priorities into negotiations over changes to pre-trial detention laws and the state budget more broadly.  Katie Schaffer , director of advocacy and organizing at the Center for Community Alternatives, talks about the grassroot...

In advance of the new fiscal year, advocacy groups and lobbyists are making their presence felt at the Capitol, as part of a last push to get their agendas into the final state budget deal (whenever that happens). So that made us wonder, what does it take to get a major policy or funding priority into the budget? To explain the formula for a successful advocacy campaign, we spoke with Seneca Strat...