The Capitol Pressroom

March 11, 2026 - Capitol Confidential author Dan Clark assesses some of the budget priorities of the legislative majorities, including their commitment to raising taxes.

March 10, 2026- A board controlling funds for civil legal services is being undermined by Gov. Kathy Hochul. We discuss the holdup and what it could mean for low-income families with Kristin Brown, president and CEO of the Empire Justice Center.

March 10, 2026- We dive into Gov. Kathy Hochul's plan to address car insurance costs, including utilizing the state's excess profit law, with the help of Kaitlin Asrow, acting superintendent for the state Department of Financial Services.

March 10, 2026- New York Charter Schools Association CEO Anna Hall provides an explainer on the role public charter schools play in the Empire State and makes the case for updating how the state funds their operations.

March 9, 2026- We learn about the role community schools play in integrating a variety of services into academic settings. Our guest is Kelly Sperduto, director community schools for the Greece Central School District.

March 9, 2026- The acting head of the state Office of Cannabis Management, John Kagia, talks about his short-term goals and addresses the new seed-to-sale tracking system and the struggling medical marijuana landscape.

March 9, 2026- We chat about the lack of wheelchair accessible rides provided by services like Uber and Lyft. Our guests are Justin Wood and Eman Rimawi-Doster, from New York Lawyers for the Public Interest.

March 6, 2026 - Agudath Israel of America Director of New York Government Relations Yeruchim Silber speaks out against efforts to change how parents of kids with disabilities in private school access special services.

March 6, 2026 - We examine the Hochul administration's effort to regulate the "buy now, pay later" industry with Winston Berkman-Breen, legal director at Protect Borrowers.

March 6, 2026 - Assembly Energy Committee Chair Didi Barrett, a Hudson Valley Democrat and Assemblymember John McDonald, a Capital Region Democrat, share a plan for lowering energy costs and consider whether the state's emission goals need to be relaxed.

March 5, 2026- Senate Crime Victims, Crime and Correction Committee Chair Julia Salazar, a Brooklyn Democrat, talks about the prison landscape a year after an illegal strike rocked the system and continues to have ramifications for people living and working in correction facilities.

March 5, 2026- Assemblymember Emérita Torres, a Bronx Democrat, makes the case for prohibiting companies from setting online prices based on a shopper's personal data and wants to require disclosure for other forms of automated pricing.

March 5, 2026 - New York State United Teachers President Melinda Person and United Federation of Teachers President Michael Mulgrew makes the case for sweetening retirement benefits for teachers in order to address recruitment and retention challenges at schools.

March 4, 2026- Adirondack Explorer reporter Gwen Craig explains how the state made it difficult for a nonprofit in the Adirondacks to utilize a grant for a land purchase and four years later they're looking to unload the property as a result.

March 4, 2026- We consider what the governor's budget does (and doesn't do) to address food insecurity with the help of Natasha Pernicka, executive director of The Alliance for a Hunger Free New York. We also consider the fallout from federal changes to SNAP eligibility.

March 4, 2026- We talk about tariff ambiguity, emissions restrictions and energy demands with Randy Wolken, president and CEO of MACNY, the Manufacturers Association.

March 3, 2026- Gov. Kathy Hochul's budget proposal slashes state support for programs and resources designed to help New Yorkers with disabilities remain independent. We discuss the proposed budget cuts and accessible transportation with Tyler Whitney, president and CEO of Southern Adirondack Independent Living, and Lindsay Miller, executive director for New York Association on Independent Living.

March 3, 2026- The state's volunteer firefighter numbers are about two-thirds of what they were two decades ago, so we talked with Firefighters Association of the State of New York Secretary John D’Alessandro about ideas to boost those numbers.

March 2, 2026- New York policymakers have until the end of the year to enroll in a federal tax credit program incentivizing contributions to scholarship-giving organizations. We consider this proposal, which is being championed by private schools, with Dennis Poust, executive director of the New York State Catholic Conference.

Feb. 27, 2026- State Senate Transportation Committee Chair Jeremy Cooney, a Rochester-area Democrat, laments the governor abandoning an expansion of for-hire autonomous vehicles and calls for a new car registration fee to fund public transit.

Feb. 27, 2026- We consider the implications of changing a Medicaid payout to emergency medical service providers with Thomas Coyle, president of Monroe Ambulance transportation and chair of the United New York Ambulance Network, and Bryan Brauner, CEO of Twin City Ambulance.

Feb. 27, 2026- Assembly Children and Families Committee Chair Andrew Hevesi, a Queens Democrat, talks about investing in child care workers, addressing foster care liability costs, looking out for young people in juvenile detention, and support for domestic violence services.

Feb. 27, 2026 - State Senate Environmental Conservation Committee Chair Pete Harckham, a Westchester County Democrat, argues against curtailing the state's green energy and emissions goals adopted as part of the Climate Leadership & Community Protection Act. Gov. Kathy Hochul is making the case that the law is driving up costs and needs to be amended.

Feb. 26, 2026- Assemblymember Robert Carroll, a Brooklyn Democrat, lays out his pitch for New York to host a future winter Olympics, with Lake Placid and New York City hosting various games.

Feb. 26, 2026- SUNY Chancellor John King discusses the campus upkeep funding needs at public colleges and universities, the expansion of free community college for adults, and holding the line on SUNY tuition.