This winter, after Gov. Kathy Hochul nominated Hector LaSalle for chief judge of the state’s highest court, lobbyists went into overdrive, spending an unprecedented amount of money to influence the votes of lawmakers.

LaSalle’s nomination was rejected by the state Senate. But because of the unusual lobbying effort around LaSalle, Senate Deputy Majority Leader Michael Gianaris sponsored legislation to close what he considers to be a loophole in the law – one that allows the lobbying of lawmakers who are voting on judicial nominations.

Housing policy to address a spiraling affordability problem and a measure that would seal criminal records after a number of years for potentially millions of New Yorkers have become the top-tier issues ending the legislative session in Albany.

State lawmakers and Gov. Kathy Hochul are weighing agreements on both issues as members of the Legislature seek to conclude their Capitol work for the remainder of the year.

New Yorkers could have an easier time determining whether a lead service line is bringing water to their home under a measure that will head to Gov. Kathy Hochul's desk.

The measure passed by state lawmakers in the final days of the legislative session will also give policymakers a better understanding of how many lead service lines exist in New York.

Last month, state lawmakers and Gov. Kathy Hochul could not reach an agreement in the $229 billion budget to align utility regulations with the sweeping goals of a climate change provision to reduce carbon emissions in the coming decades.

Now, as state lawmakers wrap up the legislative session this week, a final push is being made to pass the bill, known as the NY Heat Act, among its supporters.

New York state officials should take on a more careful accounting of how $1 billion in aid and resources for migrants is being spent, Republicans in the state Assembly on Monday said.

GOP lawmakers in a letter to Hochul administration officials called for clarification on how the money is being spent and allocated, primarily to aid New York City with the influx of people who arrived there in recent weeks.

The state legislative session is scheduled to end this week in Albany and state lawmakers are trying to strike final end-of-session agreements on a range of issues.

At the same time, key nominations are being considered this week as well as the Legislature seeks to gavel out for the remainder of the year. Here are five things to watch this week.

With less than a week to go before state lawmakers adjourn likely for the rest of the year, Gov. Kathy Hochul on Sunday said she is confident an agreement can be reached to seal many criminal records.

The proposal, known as the Clean Slate Act by its supporters, has come close to passing in prior legislative sessions and has been a long-sought goal for supporters of changing New York's criminal justice laws.

New York already has one of the nation's most ambitious climate laws to reduce its carbon emissions, but some lawmakers are pushing to increase the state's offshore wind electricity targets further before session ends next week.

The state's energy will increasingly come from offshore wind over the next few decades, but lawmakers want it done sooner as more planned projects are under contract than expected.

Tobacco usage among middle and high school students in New York is on the decline, with vaping and e-cigarette usage dropping in recent years following a ban on flavored vaping products, a report released this week by the state Department of Health found.

The report was among a trio of surveys and studies on tobacco usage in New York, which is also broadly in decline over the last generation among young people and adults.

After Hurricane Maria destroyed Puerto Rico’s infrastructure in 2017, several high-risk hedge funds bought up much of the country’s assets.

According to reporting by The Intercept, “Not counting pension obligations, Puerto Rico is estimated to be saddled with about $74 billion total in municipal debt.”

SUNSET BAY, N.Y. — There are only four scheduled days left in New York state’s legislative session to authorize the governor's office to approve a new casino gaming compact with the Seneca Nation.

If it doesn't happen, legislators would likely have to come back for a special session prior to Dec. 9 when the current deal expires. Currently, only one such authorization bill exists.

Gov. Kathy Hochul told reporters Friday she is continuing to press the federal government for further assistance in handling the influx of migrants and people seeking asylum into New York over the last several weeks.

Hochul has requested additional aid from President Joe Biden's administration, including support for housing and resources from the Federal Emergency Management Agency. She is also urging the Biden administration to allow asylum seekers to obtain work permits on an expedited process while they are in the U.S.

Twenty-four landbanks in New York will receive nearly $26 million in funding in order to address blight and expand housing in the state, Gov. Kathy Hochul on Friday announced.

The money, part of the broader $229 billion state budget, is meant to address a constrained supply of housing in New York as well as ongoing concerns over affordability.

When it comes to vehicles crashing into low bridges, a state lawmaker wants to take the high road.

A proposal approved this week in the state Assembly would require New York transportation officials to report on the locations of bridge collisions, repairs performed after the crashes and provide recommendations on how to prevent future incidents.

A bill that would put new requirements for flood risk disclosure to homebuyers advanced this week in the state Assembly as New York lawmakers seek to address a growing concern that coincides with a changing climate.

The measure backed by Assemblymember Robert Carrol would create a "right to know" provision for homebuyers when purchasing a property.

A coalition of charter school advocates is making an end-of-session push for a proposed law that would grant priority for licenses to a leadership that is composed of people of color.

The measure comes a month after state lawmakers and Gov. Kathy Hochul approved a $229 billion budget that allowed for the distribution of 14 so-called "zombie" charter school licenses.

State Democrats and Republicans have different ideas about what legislative action should be taken to address New York immigration issues, but for once, chances are neither of them will get what they want.

Lawmakers aren't expected to pass legislation related to immigrants coming to New York before session ends, but many members on both sides of the aisle say they won't leave session without a fight.

BUFFALO, N.Y. — Carrying a message from his Brooklyn home, New York State Conservative Party Chair Jerry Kassar said many people in New York City with wide-ranging political views remain troubled by the migrant situation there.

"I think what people assume is that in New York City many of the residents have come to accept this,” Kassar said. “We have a major homeless problem and it doesn't take much to figure out if you have a major homeless problem, bringing in tens of thousands of migrants is not going to help things out.”

Asylum-seekers have many reasons to leave their home countries. Many of them are fleeing violence so fierce that staying in their home countries could mean death. But arriving in the U.S. is the beginning of another kind of journey – one that will mean navigating a complicated and underfunded U.S. immigration system. And as soon as they arrive, the clock starts ticking.

Susan Arbetter spoke with several migrants about their experiences, as well as Ivy Hest, the co-executive director of the Columbia County Sanctuary Movement, one of the organizations assisting migrants who have been bussed to Albany from New York City.

Fresh off a trip to the Capitol, Murad Awawdeh, executive director of the New York Immigration Coalition, joined Capital Tonight to discuss the New York for All Act, which would prevent local law enforcement in the state from working with federal immigration officials without a judicial warrant.

There are four days left for state lawmakers to reach final agreements on a range of top-tier issues that range from the cost of housing to criminal justice.

But deals may be ultimately elusive over the next week as lawmakers seek to wrap up the legislative session for the year on June 8.

Graduating high school seniors outside of New York City in the coming days will be automatically accepted to their local community college as public higher education officials seek to boost college and university enrollment.

Gov. Kathy Hochul announced Thursday the plan that was initially outlined this week by State University of New York Chancellor John King during his state of the university address this week.

Honorably discharged veterans would have more opportunities for internships under a measure that cleared the state Senate on Thursday.

The bill, yet to pass in the state Assembly, would set aside 10% of the positions in the legislative internship program for the state Senate and Assembly for veterans.

A revised proposal to expand New York's wrongful death statute is poised to gain full passage again in the state Legislature amid ongoing opposition from business organizations and local governments.

The measure would expand who can bring wrongful death claims and cover emotional anguish. The bill was approved Thursday in the state Assembly and Sen. Brad Hoylman-Sigal in an interview said he expects the measure will be taken up in his chamber by June 8, when lawmakers conclude the legislative session.

The agreement to raise the nation's debt ceiling places new work requirements for many of the beneficiaries of the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program.

The Republican-controlled House of Representatives gave approval to the agreement on Wednesday; the measure is expected to be taken up by the Democratic-led U.S. Senate in the coming days and sent to President Joe Biden in order to avoid a default.

New York is set to spend $500 million for childcare programs and the workforce as part of the month-old state budget as state officials seek to further expand programs for families.

The money is meant to encourage more people to Gov. Kathy Hochul this week highlighted the child care funding, which is meant to provide support for 150,000 childcare workers and includes bonus payments of up to $3,000 for staff who are also in caregiving roles and recruit new workers.

A bill that would end the state tax break under the Qualified Opportunity Zone program cleared the state Senate on Wednesday as New York lawmakers seek to unwind a Trump-era tax break.

The bill is meant to address a 2017 federal tax law change that was aimed at providing incentives for economically troubled areas through Census tracts. But critics have contended the Census tracts included affluent areas of the state, including Manhattan and Long Island City.

The ongoing story of migrants being bused to upstate New York is a tale of conflicting welcomes.

Some county leaders have been dead set against hosting migrants and angry that New York City is sending them upstate.

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- Professional wrestlers and promoters in New York state don't want to burst any bubbles but they say facts are facts.

"What we do is entertainment. Simulated combat entertainment," wrestler, coach and trainer Mikey Everynite said.

As he completed his address outlining the state of the State University of New York system, Chancellor John King imagined what the coming decades will bring for the 75-year-old system.

"SUNY will be in its next 75 years, as it is now, a home and a refuge," King said. "I know there’s a place at SUNY for everyone."

Advocates pushing for years to seal New Yorkers' criminal records after they complete their prison sentences could get their wish.

Legislative leaders met with Gov. Kathy Hochul this week and agreed to focus on getting the Clean Slate Act over the finish line before session ends next week.

New York's public higher education system is prepared to assist with the ongoing migrant situation as campuses are being considered as temporary housing sites, State University of New York Chancellor John King told reporters on Wednesday.

Gov. Kathy Hochul is yet to announce which campuses will be used for housing migrants, considered a temporary solution given dormitories will be back in use by students starting in August.

State legislative leaders say they're close to reaching a deal to change state law to seal New Yorkers' criminal records after a certain period of time as the legislative session races toward the finish line.

"We are definitely negotiationg — I think we're pretty close," Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins told reporters in the Capitol on Wednesday.

New York's bipartisan Board of Elections on Wednesday formally launched an online portal for first-time voter registration as well as allowed for updates to registration information.

The creation of the online registration portal comes four years after the passage of a measure that allowed for the creation of an electronic voter registration system. Eligible New Yorkers can register to vote by visiting the website and entering their information, including their name, address and date of birth.

A proposal to allow the sale of wine in New York grocery stores is unlikely to be completed before state lawmakers leave Albany for the rest of the year on June 8, top Democratic lawmakers on Wednesday said.

"It's not likely it's going to happen," said Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie. "I don't think the Legislature is there. I don't think we're close to wine in grocery stores."

Courts in New York state would be required to tell defendants of their right to a non-religious substance abuse treatment option under a measure given final passage in the state Senate this week.

The bill, which has already cleared the state Assembly, heads next to Gov. Kathy Hochul's office for her signature. But the measure faces an uncertain future after Hochul last year vetoed a previous version of the bill.

Liaison officers, including regional and campus contacts, would aid public college and university students in New York who are living with homelessness find housing under a measure being sought in the final days of the legislative session.

The proposal comes as New York lawmakers and Gov. Kathy Hochul this year have debated a range of housing measures meant to drive down costs as well as aid struggling people.

Medicaid would reimburse violence prevention programs in New York under a proposal advanced Tuesday in the state Senate.

The bill was approved in the final days of the legislative session and nearly a month after the budget, which also increased reimbursement rates for hospitals and nursing homes, was approved.

New York's move toward electrification is a massive undertaking, and the timeline to implement it is aggressive. Under the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (CLCPA), the state must reduce emissions to 40% below 1990 levels by 2030. That’s in less than seven years.

“It’s a crunch; it’s 78 months ‘till 2030,” said Bart Franey, the vice president of Clean Energy Development at National Grid. “That’s like tomorrow for us.”

BUFFALO, N.Y. — Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz has said he expects migrants from New York City to be placed in State University of New York housing in the county, most likely Buffalo State University, as soon as this week.

On Tuesday, however, Gov. Kathy Hochul said at the University at Buffalo that there's no decision yet about when or even if the migrants are coming.

Health insurance firms that operate in New York and have out-of-state entities could be in line for a tax increase under a proposal backed by Democratic lawmakers and a powerful health care workers union.

The measure would apply a 9.63% tax on profits generated by insurance companies in New York that are sent out of state.

Top aides to Mayor Eric Adams were in Albany Tuesday to advocate for housing before the legislative session ends next week.

Lawmakers and Gov. Kathy Hochul failed to pass a significant affordable housing package as part of the state budget earlier this year.

As officials in the state Education Department work to update guidance for school districts pertaining to LGBTQ+ issues, state lawmakers are weighing taking the matter into the Legislature's hands.

With only days left of legislative session, lawmakers are considering updating the state education curriculum to mandate the teaching of LGBTQ+ history and awareness in all New York public school districts and charter schools.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation agreed to brief family members of those killed in a 2018 stretch limousine crash on the links the agency had to a man who had previously run a limo rental business, Rep. Elise Stefanik on Tuesday announced

The briefing for the family members comes after questions arose over the agency's ties to Shahed Hussain, who had run a limo rental business and was later revealed to be an undercover informant for the bureau.

Members of the New York state Cannabis Control Board on Tuesday voted to allow the state Office of Cannabis Management to reach a settlement in a federal suit that's prevented the opening of retail dispensaries in half the state — contributing to a sluggish industry rollout.

A preliminary injunction has halted the board from issuing new retail licenses in the Finger Lakes, Central New York, Western New York, the Mid-Hudson region and Brooklyn for nearly seven months.

The Public Authorities Control Board is a little-known entity in New York's state government.

But the board, which includes representatives of the governor's office as well as the state Legislature, holds a lot of influence over major economic development plans in New York.

Democratic state lawmakers in New York want to expand early voting options to include voting by mail, a move meant to further address the state's election laws after voters rejected a more narrowly prescribed constitutional amendment for absentee balloting.

The proposal, backed by Assemblymember Karines Reyes and state Sen. Michael Gianaris, would give all New York voters the option to vote early by mail.

New York state lawmakers on Tuesday are set to hear from a former top official at Signature Bank as well as banking regulators on the causes of the bank's failure earlier this year.

The hearing is scheduled for noon in Albany.

Back in 1967 when the film “The Graduate” came out, “plastics” may have seemed like the future.

Not today.

Undocumented New Yorkers who serve in the military and their families could receive state support to become naturalized citizens if the Legislature adopts a proposed law before the end of session.

State senators passed the measure this week for the first time as part of a legislative package to bolster support for New York veterans ahead of the Memorial Day holiday. Legislation advanced to give New York veterans more support when they return home from the service, and for SUNY and CUNY to study how campuses can provide more resources for veteran students.

How New York should respond to the thousands of migrants coming to the state is highlighting the political divide seen nationally over the issue.

For Democrats, lawmakers this week backed Gov. Kathy Hochul's push to allow migrants who are seeking asylum in the U.S. the opportunity to work on a more expedited basis. Republicans, meanwhile, are criticizing plans to move migrants outside of New York City and, in some cases, potential State University of New York campuses.

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- Under federal law, New York state and the Seneca Nation of Indians need to have a new gaming compact in place by Dec. 9 in order for the Senecas to continue to operate casinos in Western New York.

However, the state's legislative session is scheduled to end in less than two weeks.

Dozens of agricultural organizations and state business leaders are pushing back against a legislative effort to ban the use of neonicotinoid pesticides in New York.

The chemical pest control, more commonly referred to "neonics," is often used to coat treated corn, wheat and soy seeds and is used in insecticides and to maintain decorative vegetation. The measure, dubbed the Birds and Bees Protection Act, would ban the use of seeds treated with the pesticide starting Jan. 1, 2026.

Members of the New York State Black, Puerto Rican, Hispanic and Asian Legislative Caucus are making an end-of-session agenda push that includes proposals meant to support education, health and criminal justice changes.

And the caucus is also focusing on an issue that took up much of the state budget negotiations: housing and tenant protections.

New York lawmakers and advocates for ratepayers are calling for legislation that would create a system of "benefits matching" meant to connect households in the state with help paying their utility bills.

The proposal, backed by state Sen. Kevin Parker and Assemblymember Michaelle Solages, is geared toward automatically enrolling eligible households in utilities' energy assistance programs.

The New York State Thruway Authority is owed $276.3 million in fees and tolls — with nearly half of that money owed by out-of-state drivers, according to an audit released Friday by Comptroller Tom DiNapoli.

Auditors determined the authority needs to improve its work in finding, billing and collecting tolls and fees. Recommendations included ensuring sufficient systems and resources are in place for collecting fees, committing more resources to suspend registrations and improve the use of cameras to identify license plates.

Dozens of child advocacy organizations have signed onto supporting a measure that would seal many criminal records in New York years after a person has completed their sentence.

The measure, known as the Clean Slate Act by supporters, is being weighed in the final weeks of the legislative session by state lawmakers.

The clock is ticking louder by the hour on Capitol Hill, with the chance of default now as little as a week away. While negotiations continue, Democrats from New York are warning about the potential ripple effects from Buffalo to Brooklyn and beyond if the debt ceiling is not raised.

“The Republican Party right now is behaving like economic terrorists, holding the global economy hostage,” said Rep. Jamaal Bowman, who represents The Bronx and Westchester County.

Congressional Republicans and President Biden are in a high-stakes showdown over raising the debt ceiling.

In a letter to Congress, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said “it is highly likely” the government will be unable to pay all the nation’s bills after June 1, one week away.

Lt. Gov. Antonio Delgado says he's learned a great deal after a year as the state's second-in command, jumping into the role last year in the middle of a gubernatorial election campaign. But questions remain about the amount of time he's spent in the shadows, and largely out of public view since winning last year's statewide contest.

Delgado, a Democrat, took the oath of office May 25 after former Lt. Gov. Brian Benjamin resigned last April amid federal wire fraud and bribery charges, which were dismissed in December.

For years, Amy Cohen has tried to make streets in New York safer following the death of her son, Sammy.

"These are simple solutions that cost no money," she said during a trip to Albany this week. "Everyone can be slightly inconvenienced to save a life."

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- As soon as next week, migrants in New York City could be headed to Erie County.

On Thursday, in Buffalo's Niagara Square, they got an early welcome.

New York state will provide free xylazine test strips in order to combat the spread of the potentially lethal sedative that has alarmed public health officials.

Gov. Kathy Hochul's office announced Thursday the test strips will be made available through the Office of Addiction Services and Support and the Office of Mental Health as well as directly to the public.

Forty New York state lawmakers on Thursday released a letter to President Joe Biden urging him to back an expedited process to allow migrants with asylum status to work.

The letter echoes calls from congressional lawmakers who represent New York in Washington as well as Gov. Kathy Hochul amid an influx of migrants to New York.

New York Republicans want whole milk and 2% milk back in school lunches.

State Assembly and Senate Republican lawmakers this week called for the change as a way of aiding both kids and dairy producers in the state.

The top Republican in the New York state Senate on Thursday in a letter to Gov. Kathy Hochul raised concerns with plans to potentially house migrants north of New York City at State University of New York campuses as well as hotels and motels.

Separately, a group of Democratic lawmakers in a different letter to Hochul called on her to consider as many dormitories at SUNY campuses as possible in addressing the housing issue.

New York state lawmakers want the State University of New York and City University of New York systems to conduct a review of the available resources on campuses for veterans under legislation approved this week in the state Senate.

Lawmakers in the Senate advanced a pacakge of measures designed to aid veterans ahead of the Memorial Day weekend.

Courts in New York state would be able to issue orders of protection for immediate family or household members of domestic violence victims and survivors regardless of their age under legislation that has bipartisan backing.

The measure is meant to address the death of a Hudson Valley woman who was killed by her mother's ex-boyfriend. An order of protection had been issued to bar the man from contacting the mother of 29-year-old Melanie Chianese, but had been denied to Melanie herself because she wasn't a minor.

Support is building to reform the state's parole process amid legislators' rush to pass a host of criminal justice measures within the next two weeks.

Lawmakers in the Assembly Correction Committee advanced legislation Wednesday to mandate any person in New York prison aged 55 and older to be eligible for a parole hearing after they've served at least 15 years of their sentence. It would include people serving life sentences.

As the three-year phase-in of a fully funded Foundation Aid enters its final year, New York education advocates are calling for an updating of the formula used to disperse education funds.

Jasmine Gripper, executive director of the Alliance for Quality Education, told Capital Tonight that “we don’t want to keep waiting. Our kids have waited too long. They’ve been in crisis.”

In 2015, 13-year-old Jacobe Taras died by suicide – a death that came after Jacobe was bullied in schools. His parents, Christine and Richard Taras, are urging state lawmakers to take action.

"Where is it going to stop?" Christine Taras said Wednesday at a news conference in Albany. "Where are we going to say enough is enough?"

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- In a conversation with the commissioner of the New York State Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services, Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz said he learned migrants from New York City will likely come to the region.

Poloncarz is told it will happen no sooner than a week from now and while a final number isn't clear, people will likely be placed in SUNY Buffalo State University housing and possibly at the University at Buffalo.

A decision as to where expanded housing for migrants who have come to New York will ultimately be is expected "very soon," Gov. Kathy Hochul said Wednesday.

Hochul once again confirmed SUNY campuses as well as former psychiatric centers are being considered for housing. Hochul has said the state is reviewing virtually every state-owned property as a potential site for housing.

Passing legislation to curb new natural gas hookups before session ends is looking grim.

Lawmakers will not likely pass the measure, coined the NY Home Energy Affordable Transition (NY HEAT) Act, after it was amended and resubmitted Wednesday to the Assembly Corporations, Authorities and Commissions Committee. The committee is not scheduled to meet again before the last day of scheduled legislative session on June 8.

New York state health officials signaled Wednesday a requirement that health care workers receive the COVID-19 vaccination will end as pandemic-era rules more broadly are expiring.

The announcement comes after years of legal challenges to the vaccine requirement, which resulted in health care workers who refused to receive the vaccine losing their jobs as a result.

Proposals that would recognize Lunar New Year and Diwali as formal holidays in New York are taking a step closer to passage.

State Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie on Wednesday announced his chamber plans to pass legislation making both holidays in New York by June 8, when lawmakers conclude the legislative session.

Amendments to a proposed expansion to New York's wrongful death law have done little to persuade opponents on the measure.

State lawmakers this month have re-introduced a version of the measure that is meant to make it easier for a person to claim losses when a loved one dies. If made law, emotional anguish would be covered under the wrongful death provision and a broader set of people would be able to bring claims in wrongful death cases.

A proposal to ban the discharging of radioactive material into the Hudson River has cleared key legislative committees in the state Senate and Assembly as lawmakers eye a final vote in the coming days.

The measure, proposed as a way of further regulating the decommissioning of the Indian Point Energy Center in Westchester County, has advanced through the Environmental Conservation Committees in both chambers.

Changes to New York's victims' compensation law as well as a proposed overhaul of parole are being backed by a founder of the MeToo movement, advocates announced this week.

The proposals, part of an end-of-session push by Democratic state lawmakers and criminal justice advocates, are being supported by Tarana Burke, an activist who started the MeToo movement to aid survivors and victims of sexual assault.

The fight over transferring asylum seekers from New York City to its suburbs was in the national spotlight Tuesday.

The town supervisor for Orangetown Republican Teresa Kenny testified before a congressional committee, blasting New York City Mayor Eric Adams.

Come September, New York smokers will be paying more for their pack of cigarettes. Included in the state budget was a provision that raises the cigarette tax from $4.35 to $5.35 a pack. Sarah Ravenhall, executive director of the New York State Association of County Health Officials, told Capital Tonight that the increase is a “great win for public health.”

According to the state Department of Health, an all-time low rate of New Yorkers are smoking, at 12%, which is about 1.7 million New Yorkers. Nationally, according to Ravenhall, every 10% increase in cigarette taxes reduced youth smoking by 7%, and overall, the rate goes down by 4%.

Beyond all of the political rhetoric about the influx of migrants to New York, there is another vulnerable population that needs help finding housing – veterans. Derek Coy, a veteran who serves as senior program officer at the New York Health Foundation, told Capital Tonight that one in five veterans that are experiencing homelessness will ask for help.

According to a state Division of Veterans Services estimate, about 37,000 veterans are experiencing homelessness with just nearly 23,000 in shelters nationally. In New York, that number is at 990 people, which represents a 21% decrease from 2020 to 2022. Coy says the rates of homelessness have been dropping over the last 15 years but the numbers are still “much too high.”

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- It's been a long road but Buffalo should soon have its first state-licensed cannabis dispensary.

"Hopefully we should be open in the next couple of weeks," dispensary licensee Aaron Van Camp said.

New York state officials are taking additional steps this month that could lead to expanding health care coverage for more undocumented residents living in the state.

It's a long-sought move, and one that could come with tapping into unspent federal money through a Medicaid waiver process. And the proposal comes as the heated debate over immigration has taken center stage as more migrants, many seeking asylum status in the U.S., are coming to New York.

A bill to allow supervised injection sites in New York state advanced in the state Senate on Tuesday as supporters hope for its final approval by the end of the legislative session on June 8.

Supporters of the legislation have argued the measure is a potentially effective way of addressing a sharp rise in opioid use and overdose deaths in New York over the last several years.

New York state transportation officials would be required to develop rules for the installation of heat safety gauges on rail tracks that carry freight trains under legislation being advanced in the Democratic-led state Senate on Tuesday.

The proposal was among a package of measures meant to address train safety in New York after the derailment this year of a train in Ohio that led to the spilling of hazardous materials.

Gov. Kathy Hochul’s administration has identified dorms on three SUNY campuses to use as housing sites for migrants, according to a source.

The source told NY1 the plan includes a total of 1,500 beds at the University at Buffalo, Stony Brook University and the University at Albany.

New York state could soon be providing some tax relief for people who are carrying federal student loan debt.

A bill approved this week in the Democratic-controlled state Senate is meant to ensure student loan forgiveness programs would be exempt from state income taxes.

Public education advocates at the Alliance for Quality Education want to overhaul how New York's schools are funded — addressing a 16-year-old formula that could alter the trajectory for many districts in the state.

The group on Monday released a report that included a list of recommendations for state education officials to take as well as for lawmakers while also addressing the methodology of how schools are funded.

Gov. Kathy Hochul and New York City officials joined forces Monday to ask the federal government to expedite the legal process to allow people seeking asylum to secure employment in the state, but Republican lawmakers are concerned that employing migrants will pose a public safety risk.

Senate Republicans want transparency of the public dollars spent on the ongoing migrant crisis — a figure officials say they won't have until New York City files for reimbursement of expenses next quarter.

The recently passed New York state budget ushered in a new era of electrification: It mandates that new construction in the state is powered by electricity starting in 2026. It also authorizes the New York Power Authority (NYPA) to build renewable energy projects and ensures that the state’s largest buildings and campuses are powered by renewables.

Several of the just-passed proposals were part of the Climate Action Council’s scoping plan, created to ensure that New York meets its goal of reducing carbon emissions 85% by 2050.

Last year, state lawmakers and Gov. Kathy Hochul agreed to expand New York’s law seizing guns of people deemed to be a danger to themselves or others.

Since then, the number of cases for emergency risk protection orders have increased so sharply that it has overwhelmed investigators at the State Police.

Governmental entities would be required to take simple steps to increase their cybersecurity efforts amid a years-long rash of ransomware cases and cyberattacks affecting thousands of municipalities across the country in recent years.

A measure backed state Sen. Kristen Gonzalez would require governments in New York state to use multifactor authentication for local and remote access to networks. The measure would also require public websites to encrypt exchanges and comply with basic privacy standards.

The law for requiring ignition interlock devices could be strengthened in New York under a measure being pushed Monday by advocates who hope the provision will reduce drunken driving in the state.

The measure is meant to address what supporters of the proposal call loopholes in the existing law that have allowed most people convicted of drunken driving from being required to install an ignition interlock device.

Exempting suburban communities from an increase in the payroll mobility tax to bolster the finances of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority is disproportionately affecting workers of color, a report from the Fiscal Policy Institute released Monday found.

The report reviewed the effect of the payroll tax increase as part of the $229 billion budget agreement struck earlier this month, finding non-white New Yorkers will carry a heavier burden as a result.