The head of the state's cannabis regulating board said Thursday she will not leave her post after Gov. Kathy Hochul made the decision to eliminate her $229,000 annual salary in the budget.

Cannabis Control Board chair Tremaine Wright exclusively told Spectrum News 1 she knew her salary was under negotiation.

New York state Comptroller Tom DiNapoli on Thursday delivered a major announcement in Kingston on the city’s finances.

DiNapoli delivered good news: Kingston is fiscally stable and making major investments in infrastructure, institutions and tourism. He also praised what the city has already done with climate change resilience, especially with the increased uncertainty on the federal level.

Health officials in New York state confirmed four more cases of measles outside of New York City on Thursday.

The state Department of Health said that three patients, who are residents of Orange County, are less than 5 years of age and who recently traveled internationally all have tested positive. The DOH is monitoring the cases in coordination with the Orange County Health Department.

New York is set to lower the minimum hiring age for prison guards from 21 to 18, seeking to boost the ranks of corrections officers during a shortage that was exacerbated by the firing of more than 2,000 guards after a weekslong strike crippled the state’s prison system.

State lawmakers approved the measure on Wednesday and Gov. Kathy Hochul, a Democrat, is expected to sign it into law.

Tim Custer, a fourth-generation maple producer in Cuyler, taps about 15,000 trees each year – and he’s looking to grow.

Knowing New York has a process for leasing trees on state land for tapping, he went on a quest last year to get permission to tap trees on state land that abuts his property.

A Palestinian student arrested during an interview about finalizing his U.S. citizenship helped launch a $1 million fundraising campaign to strengthen the legal safety net for immigrants in Vermont on Thursday, a week after a federal judge freed him from custody.

Mohsen Mahdawi, 34, who led protests against Israel’s war in Gaza at Columbia University, spent 16 days in a state prison before a judge ordered him released on April 30.

A New York state appeals court has ruled the new state law that will move many local elections to line up with state and federal elections in even-numbered years is constitutional, reversing a lower court judge's decision last fall.

The court on Wednesday ruled against Republican-led challenges to the law in that it conflicts individual county charters. Twenty New York counties are chartered, meaning they have locally drafted and approved laws outlining the structure and authority of county government, and there have been three separate amendments in the state Constitution allowing for and protecting counties' abilities to govern through charters.

With the June primary quickly approaching, Michael Blake, the former assemblyman and vice chair of the Democratic National Committee, sat down with NY1’s Errol Louis for the second installment of his mayoral candidate interview series.

Blake highlighted his multifaceted governmental experience and emphasized the need for a mayor with managerial skills and empathy, particularly in the current political climate. He also shared personal insights on his family, background and faith, and explained how these elements shape his vision for the five boroughs. He also talked about his views on managing immigration enforcement in the city, ensuring timely reimbursements to nonprofits, and the importance of addressing poverty as a moral issue.

BUFFALO — Amid attacks on federal judges who have slowed President Donald Trump's agenda, Chief Justice John Roberts on Wednesday defended judicial independence as necessary to “check the excesses of the Congress or the executive.”

“Judicial independence is crucial,” Roberts, the leader of the Supreme Court and the entire federal judiciary, said at a gathering of judges and lawyers in his hometown.

Thirty-seven days past the state budget deadline, the legislature passed two budget bills as of Wednesday afternoon — for a total of three out of 10 with more on the way in the coming hours.

Gov. Kathy Hochul made clear early in the process that she had no intention of signing a budget that didn’t include her policy proposals the way she wanted them. “Summers are nice here,” she said in early April.

New York lawmakers have their sights set on legislation before session ends to counter President Donald Trump's agenda after the pending budget over $254 billion will not address potentially sweeping federal cuts.

Hochul and legislative leaders have plans to call the Legislature back to Albany later this year if billions of dollars in proposed cuts come into fruition. But lawmakers are focused on several bills, including new immigration, labor and election policies, they said could undercut the effects that Trump's administration's policies could have on the state.

Gov. Kathy Hochul announced last week that the 2025-26 budget would include $400 million for child care assistance over what she included in her executive budget.

Dede Hill, director of policy at the Schuyler Center for Analysis and Advocacy, explained why she considers the investment a “partial victory," and why future investments in the child care workforce are so critical.

New York state budget bills are being passed a full week and a half after Gov. Kathy Hochul announced a deal on the spending plan, which has now grown to around $263 billion.

While the drawn-out process is finally coming to an end, it’s clear from remarks made on the state Senate floor this afternoon by Sen. James Skoufis that some lawmakers are deeply unhappy with how the governor handled the negotiations.

New York state is no stranger to Hollywood magic.

“We make it very easy to film here,” Albany County Film Commissioner Debby Goedeke said.

Political town hall meetings are increasingly becoming hotly contested affairs, as some constituents voice their displeasure with representatives. The exchanges have led some Republican lawmakers to avoid them altogether.

The disagreements were on display at a recent town hall held by Rep. Mike Lawler in Somers, Westchester County, located in the Hudson Valley swing district that elected the Republican to Congress in 2022.

School districts across New York are preparing for critical budget votes on May 20. But without hard data on state funding, districts that are facing rising costs and deficits will have to make difficult decisions.

Leaders are encouraging families to get involved and brace for potential cuts.

Farmer Jeremy Brown taps the nose of a young calf. “I love the ones with the pink noses,” he says.

This pink-nosed animal is just one of about 3,200 cattle at Twin Birch Dairy in Skaneateles, New York. In Brown’s eyes, the cows on the farm aren’t just workers: “They’re the boss, they’re the queen of the barn.”

The 2024-25 influenza season was a challenging one for young children, New York state Department of Health Commissioner Dr. James McDonald said Wednesday, with 25 influenza-associated pediatric deaths in the state, the highest amount ever.

Nationwide, 216 pediatric deaths related to the flu were reported during the season, according to the Centers For Disease Control and Prevention, which was the highest in 15 years.

State lawmakers said sentencing reform will be a top priority in the final weeks of session as a deal to expand earned time credits for incarcerated New Yorkers fell out of the final budget.

Democrats in Albany expressed frustration Tuesday that a proposal to make more people in prison eligible to earn time off their sentence for educational programs, job training or good behavior, was likely removed from the annual spending plan — now over five weeks late.

Former Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced this week that he will run as an independent in the November general election for New York City mayor, even as he continues his campaign for the Democratic nomination.

In a statement released by his campaign Tuesday, Cuomo said he will appear on the newly created Fight and Deliver Party ballot line regardless of the outcome of the June 24 Democratic primary.

As the first budget bill – transportation, economic development and environmental conservation – went to print Tuesday evening, state lawmakers prepared to kick off what is expected to be a marathon day of voting on Wednesday.

When lawmakers do vote, they will be considering the $254 billion in state spending that Gov. Kathy Hochul announced more than a week ago, plus an additional $6.2 billion from the state’s reserves to pay off New York’s unemployment insurance debt. Sources say to expect a few billion more on top of that in other additional funding for a total price tag north of $260 billion— easily the highest ever.

It’s been over a month since Randy Mastro made his return to City Hall as Eric Adams’ first deputy mayor.

“It’s been one of the most productive and rewarding months of my entire career,” Mastro said.

Republicans in New York state are eyeing the 2026 governor’s race with some newfound hope, and a deeper-than-usual bench.

So far, U.S. Reps. Elise Stefanik and Mike Lawler both say they are considering a run against incumbent Kathy Hochul.

A decent amount of rain was falling across New York state on Tuesday, and according to Gov. Kathy Hochul, it was also a rainy day to use some of the state’s reserve funds.

The governor said on Monday that the state budget will now pay off all of the $6.2 billion in unemployment insurance debt that ballooned in New York during the COVID-19 pandemic. The funding for that will come from the state’s reserves, which Hochul at the beginning of her tenure as governor labeled the state’s rainy day fund.

The NHL is planning an international event at UBS Arena next February in lieu of the previously announced All-Star Weekend at the home of the New York Islanders, a person with knowledge of the situation said Monday.

The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the league has not announced its plans for the weekend before the 2026 Milan-Cortina Olympics.

Taking care of loved ones can be costly. According to a 2023 study by AARP, the average caregiver spends more than $7,000 out of pocket every year. Support groups, transportation and home modifications are expenses that can add up. Relief for unpaid caregivers could come in the form of a tax credit after bills were introduced at both a national and state level.

Five years ago, Mark Charboneau was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s and his wife Pat Charboneau became his caregiver.

New York City will open seven new public schools across four boroughs in September, Mayor Eric Adams and Schools Chancellor Melissa Aviles-Ramos announced Monday.

By this fall, a total of 28 new schools will have opened or will be opening under the Adams administration, bringing more than 13,000 new seats to schools in the five boroughs.

On Friday morning, there seemed to be hope that voting on the state budget could finally commence on Monday. As Friday wore on, that hope dimmed while policy battles continued behind the scenes. By Monday morning, a complete lack of budget bills printed over the weekend meant no votes, but as a consolation, there was a shift in tone toward one of finality.

“We’re 99.9% done,” Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie told reporters in an afternoon news conference.

Top New York lawmakers and advocates are sounding the alarm about the future of a federally funded program providing health care and support to more than 130,000 9/11 victims and first responders.

Over the weekend, 16 workers at the World Trade Center Health Program were reportedly fired, despite assurances the program’s staff would be spared cuts.

Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie says the final state budget will include approval for a Buffalo hotel bed tax and a new parking authority to manage parking ramps as the city's budget becomes a focal point of a Democratic mayoral primary.

Buffalo Acting Mayor Chris Scanlon requested the 3% hotel occupancy tax and parking authority as ways to close a roughly $70 million budget gap. His budget proposal includes an 8% tax levy increase, but says he has already cut about $30 million in spending for next year. The creation of the Buffalo Parking and Mobility Authority would involve selling four city parking garages to the state, which Scanlon's office says would generate $40-$50 million in immediate revenue.

Lacking state funding, city officials announced they will be closing enrollment and wait listing families for a child care voucher program.

“Sadly, the state’s proposed budget provides insufficient funding for its own program. So we are unable to enroll any new applicants seeking such vouchers beginning today,” First Deputy Mayor Randy Mastro said Monday morning.

In Albany, state legislative leaders have been busy finalizing the $254 billion deal, while Gov. Kathy Hochul was on Long Island touting more of some of the wins she secured.

The budget includes reforms to discovery law, rules to make it easier to involuntarily commit an individual who has severe mental illness and a ban on cellphone during school hours.

New York state Attorney General Letitia James announced the filing of a new lawsuit along with 19 other states Monday, an effort to block further cuts at the Department of Health and Human Services.

The White House released a budget proposal Friday, which includes $163 billion in cuts, with some of the steepest rollbacks planned for the Department of Health and Human Services.

Last week, after over a decade of trying, advocates rejoiced when the New York state Assembly passed a bill allowing for medically assisted suicide. After an emotional debate, the so-called Medical Aid in Dying Act passed by an 81-67 vote.

The legislation faces an uphill battle in the state Senate, but if passed into law, it would allow mentally competent, terminally ill patients over the age of 18 to self-administer physician-prescribed life-ending medication.

Gov. Kathy Hochul says the state budget will now pay off all of the more than $6 billion in unemployment insurance debt that ballooned during the COVID-19 pandemic.

A week ago, the governor said the state would only pay off the interest on that debt.

State Education Department officials late Monday said they were troubled by a potential budget deal to change department regulations for religious and nonpublic schools after weeks of closed-door debate.

In a victory for the Hasidic Jewish community, sources and lawmakers said the budget will roll back the state Education Department's stricter substantial equivalency standards for nonpublic schools the Board of Regents adopted in 2022.

ROCHESTER, N.Y. — County jail inmates who are supposed to be behind bars in New York state facilities are now going to be transferred, but not all at once.

The New York State Department of Corrections is now resuming intake of state-ready individuals from the county-run jails to the male state prisons.

A coalition of state attorneys general filed a lawsuit Monday against President Donald Trump's attempt to stop the development of wind energy.

Attorneys general from 17 states and Washington, D.C., are challenging an executive order Trump signed during his first day in office, pausing approvals, permits and loans for all wind energy projects both onshore and offshore. They say Trump doesn't have the authority to unilaterally shut down the permitting process, and he's jeopardizing development of a power source critical to the states’ economic vitality, energy mix, public health and climate goals.

Voters in U.S. Rep. Mike Lawler’s suburban New York swing district heaped criticism on the Republican during a raucous town hall Sunday night, peppering him with questions around President Donald Trump’s aggressive agenda before devolving into a chaotic chorus of boos as attendees were removed by law enforcement.

The town hall in Somers, a leafy section of Lawler’s Hudson Valley district, began to teeter off the rails soon after it began.

While Gov. Kathy Hochul announced that there was a state budget agreement last week, bills have not been printed now more than a month after the budget was due.

Nathan Gusdorf, executive director of the Fiscal Policy Institute, joined Capital Tonight on Friday to help make sense of the proposals and New York’s budget health.

Mayoral candidate and former Gov. Andrew Cuomo sharpened his attacks Sunday, not on his fellow Democrats in the race, but on President Donald Trump.

During visits to two churches in Brooklyn and in an exclusive interview with NY1, Cuomo criticized Trump’s proposed federal budget cuts, warning they could significantly impact New York City.

A state senator has introduced a bill in response to New York state bail reform after she and some law enforcement claimed current state law has led to increased crime involving repeat offenders.

Supporters are calling it the "PROTECT Act."

A new bill being introduced in the state Senate would increase the availability of tax incentives for volunteer firefighters and ambulance workers.

Sen. April Baskin is introducing legislation that would allow these groups to get tax credits for both property and state income tax.

Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand warns that President Donald Trump's budget plans for 2026 could impact New York parents.

The president's budget includes $163 billion in spending cuts across the federal government due to what the administration calls "DEI and Woke" policies.

State lawmakers who lead health policy said they will explore legislative action when the budget is done to address ongoing problems with a $9 billion home care program, including pay issues that have caused disabled New Yorkers to lose care.

Challenges have afflicted the transition of the state's Consumer Directed Personal Assistance Program to management company Public Partnerships LLC since it started in January.

In the more than one month that the state budget has been overdue, it’s not uncommon to hear "at least it’s not August" around Albany — a reminder of the chronically late budgets of the early 2000s.

August it is not, but Friday the state budget process took a step closer, with 2025 being the latest since 2010 — "the bad old days" as some around the Capitol call them.

SALT talks remain unresolved on Capitol Hill.

“It was a lively discussion,” Long Island Congressman Nick LaLota said coming out of a meeting with House leaders this week. “But we’re still far away” from a deal, he added.

Just one day after Gov. Kathy Hochul announced she clinched a budget deal, the Democratic-controlled state Assembly spent hours debating — and then passing — a bill that would legalize what’s called “medical aid in dying,” also known as assisted suicide.

But it’s still unclear whether the state Senate or Hochul supports it.

ROCHESTER, N.Y. — There are three candidates facing off in the Democratic primary in the city of Rochester’s mayoral race.

“We want to continue and accelerate on the momentum that we built during the first term,” said Rochester Mayor Malik Evans, the incumbent in his first term.

Immigration detainments have been a big part of President Donald Trump’s first 100 days.

But when it comes to children, the actions against them can draw powerful responses.

New York is expected to create a new criminal charge to levy against people who wear a mask while committing another crime.

The proposal is set to be included in a sweeping state budget bill that will be taken up by lawmakers in the coming days, Gov. Kathy Hochul said Monday.

After the Trump administration's latest move toward dismantling AmeriCorps, the 30-year-old federal agency for volunteer service, and the cancellation of hundreds of millions of dollars in grant funding for state and community projects across the U.S., Sen. Chuck Schumer is highlighting the impacts the moves will have on New York.

In a press release Thursday, Schumer, the Senate minority leader, said the cuts — at least 85% of AmeriCorps staff were put on administrative leave this month, according to a federal lawsuit filed against the president's Department of Government Efficiency — have affected more than 3,600 members. He also called for House Republicans from New York to " stand up to protect this vital public service" and join the effort to reverse the cuts.

Canadian tourism to the U.S. could soon see a major boost through a newly proposed bipartisan bill that would extend how long Canadian citizens could stay south of the border.

The Canadian Snowbird Visa Act, introduced by Reps. Elise Stefanik, Laurel Lee (R-Fla.) and Greg Stanton (D-Ariz.), seeks to increase the length of stay for Canadian citizens older than 50 who own or lease a residence in the U.S. from 182 to 240 days annually.

The U.S. Justice Department filed lawsuits against four states this week, claiming their climate actions conflict with federal authority and President Donald Trump’s energy dominance agenda.

The DOJ on Wednesday filed lawsuits against Hawaii and Michigan over their plans for legal action against fossil fuel companies for harms caused by climate change. On Thursday, the DOJ sued New York and Vermont, challenging their climate superfund laws that would force fossil fuel companies to pay into state-based funds based on previous greenhouse gas emissions.

Mayor Eric Adams and First Deputy Mayor Randy Mastro joined “Mornings On 1” Friday to break down the city’s $115 billion executive budget proposal.

Speaking at his alma mater in Queens Thursday, Adams outlined his priorities, including nearly $25 billion for affordable housing, $650 million to address street homelessness, and $331 million to expand after-school care.

Gov. Kathy Hochul this week announced there’s finally a deal on a state budget — albeit a month late. The $254 billion plan includes much more than fiscal policy, also encompassing everything from criminal justice reforms to a school cellphone ban. Meanwhile, the ballot has been set in the June Democratic mayoral primary race with Zohran Mamdani getting top placement. But does the location of a candidate’s name on the ballot affect election results? NY1 statehouse reporter Bernadette Hogan, investigative reporter Courtney Gross and political reporter Bobby Cuza break this all down.

After that, the “Off Topic” team continues its series of profiles on Democratic mayoral primary candidates. This week, the focus is on Zellnor Myrie, a Brooklyn state senator who’s gotten attention as a legislator but is struggling to gain traction in the race.

New York state senators are gearing up for a fight after Albany's late budget chaos ends to consider bringing a bill to the floor to legalize medically assisted suicide in the state.

The Assembly passed legislation Tuesday, known as the Medical Aid in Dying Act, that would allow terminally ill, mentally capable adults who have six months or fewer to live to take their own lives with a cocktail of lethal pharmaceutical drugs prescribed by their doctor.

On the 10th time this year that the New York state Senate met to pass a budget extender, state Sen. Liz Krueger, typically tasked with explaining why the Senate is not ready to vote on budget bills, decided to try something new.

“I asked everyone if they got Monty Python references, and they said yes,” she recounted after session.

Mayor Eric Adams was celebrating and reminiscing as he delivered his fourth and potentially final executive budget proposal on Thursday.

“Leaving here as a student that was dyslexic and now, I’m returning as a mayor that is elected,” he said.

According to New York state Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins, the leaders are close to wrapping up budget negotiations, but there are at least two outstanding issues to resolve: Foundation Aid and capital funding.

On Foundation Aid, the Senate’s top Democrat reassured school districts that current negotiations are over how much of an increase in Foundation Aid they will receive. She also stated that no district will receive less state aid than they did this year.

Gov. Kathy Hochul rode the 7 train to check out the platform barriers at the 5th Avenue-Bryant Park station Thursday, touting the money she secured to get them installed in 100 stations this year.

“You can’t tell people how to feel. I get that,” she said. “But I want them to know we’re trying. We have cameras on every train. We have police officers there. It’s a brighter experience as you’re standing on the platforms. We’re having barriers to protect people from inadvertently or intentionally pushing someone on the tracks.”

Bronx Congressman Ritchie Torres introduced legislation Thursday aimed at lowering energy costs for residents of Puerto Rico and other noncontiguous parts of the United States.

His bill, shared first with Spectrum News NY1, would create a carve out to the Jones Act, a century old law which mandates that the transport of cargo between U.S. ports only can be done by U.S.-owned, -built, -crewed, and -flagged ships.

With the June 24 Democratic primary fast approaching, Queens state Sen. Jessica Ramos sat down with NY1’s Errol Louis for the first installment of a series of interviews with the mayoral candidates.

Ramos, who hopes to become the city’s first woman and Latina mayor, focused on key issues such as affordability, housing and mental health. She reflected on her journey from growing up in a working-class Colombian family in Queens to her accomplishments in the state Senate, including helping raise the minimum wage and securing relief funds for excluded workers. Throughout the conversation, Ramos highlighted how her Queens upbringing continues to shape her approach to public service and leadership.

New York lawmakers Wednesday said several housing issues remain open in ongoing budget talks as Gov. Kathy Hochul parades around the state touting a tentative spending agreement that isn't finished.

The governor has announced bits and pieces of the final budget this week, which she said will include $50 million for state-sponsored housing vouchers to help low-income households avoid foreclosure or eviction.

New York’s child care assistance program, the primary way the state provides child care assistance, has been thrown a life preserver in the form of a $400 million infusion that forced Gov. Kathy Hochul to dial back one of her signature budget proposals — inflation rebate checks for many New Yorkers.

Child care advocates are now breathing a sigh of relief, but not for long as they say the funding doesn’t address the scope of the problem, nor is its allocation adequate to stave off a worsening crisis upstate.

Brooklyn Congressman Hakeem Jeffries, the top Democrat in the U.S. House, ratcheted up his attacks on President Donald Trump Wednesday, labeling his first 100 days back in the Oval Office a “debacle.”

In a major speech timed to that 100 day mark, Jeffries railed against Trump’s handling of everything from international affairs to consumer prices.

After months of meetings and hearing from the public, the mayor’s Charter Revision Commission has come up with ideas for improving the city, including housing.

“Today, we’re able to share with the city some of the preliminary thoughts that came out of what we heard from New Yorkers about what mattered to them,” Richard Buery Jr, chair for the Charter Revision Commission, said.

ROCHESTER, N.Y. — White House border czar Tom Homan visited Rochester on Tuesday to pledge his support for the city's police officers. Homan stopped at the Police Locust Club following his public criticism of City Hall and its sanctuary city policy.

The visit stems from a traffic stop in the city last month involving Homeland Security Investigations, Border Patrol agents and RPD officers. Mayor Malik Evans and RPD Chief David Smith said days after the incident that RPD officers removed and handcuffed some of the people in the vehicle, which city leaders say is against the city's sanctuary policy.

If the state budget Gov. Kathy Hochul touted on Monday stands, it will be viewed as a major victory for the moderate Democrat: she pushed for an expansion of Kendra’s Law, changes to discovery and an upcharge for masking while committing a crime, and it appears she got it all.

Moreover, according to the latest Siena College poll, Hochul is not being dinged by voters for a late budget.

Taking her state budget victory tour to New York City, Gov. Kathy Hochul talked up her tax cutting plans Wednesday, which include rebate checks to millions of New Yorkers.

Hochul is also using the budget deal as a political talking point to contrast herself with President Donald Trump.

MIDDLETOWN N.Y. -- A key component of President Donald Trump's campaign was decreasing inflation prices for the American people. After serving 100 days of his second presidential term on Tuesday, experts argue his decisions have not reflected that.

"By taking on these tariff policies that’s he’s taken on, he’s actually probably made the situation worse," David Woolner, Marist University professor of history, said.

A judge on Wednesday released a Palestinian student at Columbia University who led protests against Israel's war in Gaza and was arrested by immigration officials during an interview about finalizing his U.S. citizenship.

Immigration authorities have arrested and detained college students from around the country since the first days of the Trump administration, many of whom participated in campus protests over the war in Gaza, which has killed more than 52,000 Palestinians.

New York lawmakers introduced legislation Wednesday that would put a five-year moratorium on the spread of biosolids on farmland, a practice experts and homeowners say is to blame for harmful chemicals leeching into groundwater.

Ryan Dunham, a resident of New Scotland, lives across the street from a farm field that spread manure and other fertilizers for years. However, he says last summer they switched to using biosolids, which the Albany County Health Department confirmed.

ROCHESTER, N.Y. — With her purple-and-pink hair swaying, Reneé Colón stands on a stepladder in the rented corner of a warehouse, pouring Brazilian coffee beans into her groaning old roasting machine. The beans are precious because they survived severe drought in a year when environmental conditions depressed coffee production globally, doubling the price of raw beans in just months.

“Unfortunately, coffee is going to become more scarce,” said Colón, founder and roaster at Fuego Coffee Roasters in Rochester. “Seeing that dramatic loss of the Brazilian crop is a perfect example.”

Gov. Kathy Hochul said the state budget that's nearing a final deal will not pay down $6.2 billion in outstanding federal unemployment insurance debt from the COVID pandemic — forcing New York employers to continue to shoulder the burden.

Instead, the governor said the spending plan will include $165 million to cover the interest payments business owners across the state have absorbed for the last few years.

On Monday evening, 28 days after the state budget deadline and an undetermined number of days before it is passed, Gov. Kathy Hochul declared victory.

“I’m really proud to say that we got it done,” she said of what she described as an across-the-board sweep of her top budget priorities. “The budget is largely complicated and there are members who want to weigh in on their issues. But on the big-ticket items, the middle class tax cut, child tax credit, the entire affordability agenda, the inflation rebate [check], covered school lunches and breakfasts for families...this all took a lot of effort and what I'm here to say is it's accomplished and I'm really proud of it.”

New York state Sen. Pat Fahy (D-Albany) is thrilled by the $400 million for the revitalization of downtown Albany that Gov. Kathy Hochul has said will remain in the enacted state budget, once the state spending plan is passed.

But another development plan remains on Fahy’s to-do list. Only this one hasn’t received the same attention from the governor.

Gov. Kathy Hochul got just about everything she wanted in this year’s state budget, including measures addressing affordability, public safety and mental illness.

The question is whether any of it can lift her sagging poll numbers.

New York state lawmakers could soon be cracking down on reckless drivers.

“I’m here because I lost my son Dariel Rivera,” Samuel Rivera told reporters during a press conference outside the Legislative Office Building in Abany Tuesday.

Planned protests took place around Rochester on Tuesday in response to the visit of U.S. border czar Tom Homan.

Homan stopped at the Rochester Police Locust Club following his public criticism of Rochester City Hall and its sanctuary city policy. It stems from a traffic stop in the city last month involving Homeland Security Investigations, Border Patrol agents and RPD officers. Mayor Malik Evans and RPD Chief David Smith said days after the incident that RPD officers removed and handcuffed some of the people in the vehicle, which city leaders say is against the city's sanctuary policy.

In its first two years of legal sales, New York generated more than $1 billon in retail sales of adult-use cannabis from more than 260 operational dispensaries statewide, with many individuals disproportionally impacted by its former prohibition taking part in the industry, according to a report from the state Office of Cannabis Management released Tuesday.

Those people, through the state’s Social and Economic Equity Plan, hold 55% of licenses, which exceeds the state’s initial targets. Those who qualify for the SEE Plan include a minority-owned business, a women-owned business, distressed farmers and service-disabled veterans.

The New York state Republican Party’s Albany headquarters was vandalized again, party officials announced Tuesday.

This is the second time in two weeks the building has been defaced, once again with Nazi imagery.

Congestion pricing continues to be a money-maker for the MTA.

According to new numbers released by the MTA Monday, the tolling program brought in $45 million in net revenue in March.

President Donald Trump has wasted little time in aggressively flexing the powers of the executive branch since returning to the Oval Office 100 days ago.

Many of his policies — including cracking down on undocumented immigrants, penalizing universities and seeking to end congestion pricing — have affected his native New York in profound ways.

A coalition of business advocacy organizations from across New York is imploring the state’s congressional delegation to oppose any efforts in Washington to weaken or repeal the CHIPS and Science Act.

In a letter sent to the delegation Monday, the president of the Business Council of New York State and the leaders of 10 other New York-based organizations wrote that the Biden-era law is “already creating jobs and driving economic growth across New York, and its impact will only increase in the coming years.”

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul announced a “general agreement” has been made between her and legislative leaders on the state budget, totaling $254 billion and including just about everything the governor had on her legislative wish list outlined in January — a bell-to-bell ban on cellphones in schools, inflation “refund” checks, universal school meals and changes to the state’s discovery and involuntary commitment laws.

Hochul said the cellphone policy would take effect in the new academic year in September.

Gov. Kathy Hochul announced a $254 billion state budget deal, which includes a school cellphone ban, inflation checks and discovery law changes.

State Senate Deputy Majority Leader Michael Gianaris joined NY1 political anchor Errol Louis on “Inside City Hall” to talk about the budget deal.

Last-minute state budget negotiations are always fluid. There are coordinated and well-financed campaigns to both include certain policies in the spending plan, as well as pushes to keep those policies out.

One such issue this year is an effort to change the state’s public campaign finance system, which has been a success according to advocates.

Mayor Eric Adams said he is not in favor of a complete rent freeze on rent-stabilized apartments.

“When we start talking about just across the board rent freeze, we need to talk to those small property owners. How does it impact them? Gas doesn’t freeze, electricity doesn’t freeze, insurance doesn’t freeze, the cost to run a building doesn’t freeze," he said on Monday.

White House border czar Tom Homan will be in Rochester on Tuesday.

Homan said during a White House briefing Monday morning that he'll be in town to visit the Rochester Police Locust Club. His visit follows his public criticism of Rochester City Hall and its sanctuary city policy following a traffic stop last month by the U.S. Border Patrol. RPD Chief David Smith says RPD officers removed and handcuffed some of the people in the vehicle, which city leaders say is against the city's sanctuary policy.

Some members of the City Council are asking Albany to crack down on so-called "super speeders" by using technology to force them to slow down.

Advocates and family members of people killed in traffic crashes rallied outside City Hall on Monday, where a committee held a hearing on a resolution urging Albany to pass the bill.

The number of nonprofit organizations and jobs has declined in New York while growing nationally, according to a report by New York state Comptroller Tom DiNapoli. The comptroller attributes that decline to a number of things – delays in government funding from late contracts, the devastating impacts of the pandemic, and economic uncertainty affecting donations

It’s a problem, the report highlights, because of the vital role nonprofits play in the state’s economy and the critical services they provide New Yorkers in areas like healthcare, food assistance, public safety, and childcare.

As a budget deal nears completion, Gov. Kathy Hochul on Friday would not rule out including changes in the final spending plan to weaken education standards for nonpublic schools in exchange for political gain.

State Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie has led a push to amend state Education Department guidelines for religious and non-public schools as a political bargaining chip — especially amid the contentious New York City's mayoral election.

After days of anticipation that a state budget deal would be announced by the end of the week, Gov. Kathy Hochul paid a visit to the third floor press hall, one floor up from the executive chamber, to tell reporters that it was not to be.

“I just wanted to let you all know that you can go home tonight, you all look a little tired,” she joked.

Monroe County Republican state Assemblyman Josh Jensen is the vice chair of the Minority Joint Conference Committee and the ranking minority member on the Assembly Committee on Health.

He spoke with Capital Tonight’s Susan Arbetter about the minority’s role in the state budget process, as well as why funding early intervention is so important to him.