The Capitol Pressroom

April 17, 2026- In a Dispatches from Planet Albany excerpt, we speak to Democrat Thomas Boomhower about his longshot bid to flip a rural Assembly seat from red to blue.

April 17, 2026- We explore a court ruling invalidating state wetland regulations designed to implement protections adopted into law in 2022. Our guests are Roger Downs, conservation director of the Sierra Club Atlantic Chapter, and Drew Gamils, senior attorney with Riverkeeper.

April 17, 2026- American Fintech Council CEO Phil Goldfeder discusses the operations of "earned wage access" platforms and makes the case that they shouldn't be regulated like payday loans.

April 16, 2026- Mamaroneck High School Students Max Dowell and Mark Lebowitz make the case for an amendment to the state constitution that would make primary voting open to New Yorkers who turn 18 between the primary and general elections.

April 16, 2026- State Sen. Chris Ryan, a Syracuse-area Democrat, wants to delay state rules limiting access to chemicals that are integral for existing cooling systems, but are major greenhouse gas contributors. His legislation was align New York's restrictions with federal guidelines.

April 16, 2026- Times Union Investigative Reporter Ezra Bitterman explains why the developers of clean energy projects are looking for additional funding from the state and how reluctance to pony up additional dollars could kill the initiative.

April 16, 2026- While Gov. Kathy Hochul is looking to backtrack on the implementation of New York's greenhouse gas reduction law from 2019, a former state energy official is calling for New York policymakers to lean into this mission. We talk about implementing the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act with Jamie Dickerson, senior director of Clean Energy and Climate Programs at Acadia Center.

April 15, 2026- We highlight funding requests for state programs designed to maximize utilization of federal anti-hunger programs. We talk about the potential return on investment with Krista Hesdorfer, director of Public Affairs at Hunger Solutions New York.

April 15, 2026- New York Solar Energy Industries Association Executive Director Noah Ginsburg talks about what the state could do to accelerate the deployment of home and community solar projects.

April 15, 2026 - Senate Deputy Majority Leader Mike Gianaris, a Queens Democrat, provides an update on state budget negotiations. He weighs in on a lobbying campaign from Uber and car insurance companies, identifies budget priorities for the Senate Democrats, and explores New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani's influence in the budget process.

April 14, 2026- We get to know State Sen. Erik Bottcher, a Manhattan Democrat, who won a special election earlier this year. We discuss his policy area priorities, adjusting to life outside of the New York City Council and factoring the needs of all New Yorkers.

April 14, 2026- We explore the state budget priorities of students at New York's public colleges and universities with the help of Luca Rallis, president of the SUNY Student Assembly.

April 14, 2026- We talk with Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman's election attorney, Adam Fusco, about his lawsuit against the state Public Campaign Finance Board, which denied matching campaign funds to his bid for governor.

April 13, 2026 - In a Dispatches from Planet Albany excerpt, we explore whether any of the Democratic outsiders challenging state Comptroller Tom DiNapoli in the party primary could be successful this summer. Our guest is Alex Elmasri, vice president of operations and growth for The Parkside Group.

April 13, 2026- In advance of an Albany screening of a documentary about censorship we talk with state Librarian Lauren Moore about efforts to ensure a diverse collection of thoughts and values on the shelves of New York libraries.

April 13, 2026- Just a few years after expanding health insurance coverage for Medicaid patients with cancer to include biomarker screenings, Gov. Kathy Hochul is looking to limit access to the diagnostic tool. We talk about the coverage fight in the state budget negotiations with Michael Davoli, senior director of government relations in New York for the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network.

April 10, 2026- We highlight a proposed amendment to New York's Constitution that would mandate the state take care of the mental health needs of people in the Empire State. We consider what the language would mean with James Norton, government and community affairs manager for the New York State of the National Alliance on Mental Illness.

April 10, 2026- Legislation would empower the state to declare a disaster in the event of hazardous air conditions. We discuss the potential ramifications with Max Micallef, New York advocacy manager on clean air initiatives with the American Lung Association.

April 10, 2026- State Senate Consumer Protection Committee Chair Rachel May, a Syracuse Democrat, wants to empower home camera owners with informed consent about how their footage might be used. We also address a spiraling misconception about her legislation dealing with transmission lines.

April 10, 2026- A federal program providing hospitals and clinics access to discounted prescription medicines to subsidize care for low-income patients is being accused of being wasteful and opaque. We consider this critique with Bill Smith, senior fellow at the conservative Pioneer Institute.

April 9, 2026- A coalition of major business interests in the Big Apple are launching an advertising campaign opposing higher taxes on wealthy New Yorkers and large corporations in the state budget. We talk about the opposition with Steven Fulop, president and CEO of Partnership for New York City.

April 9, 2026- Assemblymember Paula Elaine Kay, a Hudson Valley Democrat, discusses her legislation requiring a prompt response by utilities when they're notified about downed electrical wires.

April 9, 2026- We discuss an increase in veteran suicides in New York during 2023, the latest year with available federal data. Our guest is Derek Coy, senior program officer for the New York Health Foundation.

April 8, 2026 - Assemblymember Ron Kim, a Queens Democrat, makes the case for requiring insurance companies to cover acupuncture services prescribed by a health care providers.

April 8, 2026 - Assemblymember Matt Simpson, an Adirondack Republican, discusses his concerns about solar projects eating up green space and also advocates against land restrictions for oil and gas extraction.

April 8, 2026 - State Senate Aging Committee Chair Cordell Cleare, a Harlem Democrat, and Dan Savitt, president and CEO of VNS Health, call for updating how the state distributes Medicaid dollars for long-term care in order to ensure funding is available for New Yorkers with intense needs.

April 8, 2026 - The Trump administration seems poised to greenlight a major Hollywood merger without much scrutiny, so we consider whether state attorneys general can intervene. We discuss the powers of New York's attorney general with Phillip Berenbroick, senior strategist at the American Economic Liberties Project.

April 7, 2026- Education Trust-New York Executive Director Arlen Benjamin-Gomez makes the case for delaying the implementation of a state law requiring New York City public schools hit classroom size ratios that they won't be able to achieve this fall.

April 7, 2026- Assemblymember Sarah Clark, a Rochester-area Democrat, provides an update on child care negotiations in the state budget.

April 7, 2026- We explore how the Hochul administration is responding to federal changes that will impact how 1.7 million low-income New Yorkers get high-quality affordable health insurance. Our guest is Danielle Holahan, executive director of NY State of Health.

April 6, 2026- Assemblymember Al Stirpe, a Syracuse-area Democrat, talks about updating the alcohol laws in the Empire State, including rules governing licensing and where drinks can be sold.

April 6, 2026- We explore the state of New York's psychiatric care system for children with severe mental health needs. Our guest is Northern Rivers Family of Services CEO Bill Gettman.

April 6, 2026- New York Conference of Mayors Executive Director Barbara Van Epps makes the case for increasing state support for municipalities and responds to a campaign to sweeten pensions for public employees.

April 6, 2026- We explore how the governor's budget proposal might impact New Yorker's with disabilities with Michael Seereiter, president and CEO of the New York Alliance for Inclusion and Innovation.

April 3, 2026- We explore legislation sponsored by Assemblymember Al Stirpe, a Syracuse-area Democrat, that aims to curb the time hospitals have to wait to get paid by insurance companies.

April 3, 2026- State Health Commissioner Dr. James McDonald discusses efforts to ensure that New York's kids have access to vaccines regardless of shifting immunization policies at the federal level.

April 3, 2026- New York's transmission system is in need of a major overhaul, but could efficiencies be implemented in the short term? We discuss the potential of grid upgrades with Kristina Persaud, New York policy lead for the trade association Advanced Energy United.

April 2, 2026- We get to know State Sen. Jeremy Zellner, a Buffalo-area Democrat, who won a special election earlier this year. He discusses his legislative and budget priorities.

April 2, 2026- Assemblymember Patrick Carroll, a Rockland County Democrat, makes the case for ending the state government's blanket liability exemption from vehicle damages caused by potholes during winter months.

April 2, 2026- The Building Trades Employers' Association President and CEO Elizabeth Crowley discusses a report finding that New York's construction liability laws are driving up costs without keeping workers safer.

April 2, 2026- Assemblymember Chris Eachus, a Hudson Valley Democrat, explains his legislation designed to make pepper spray more accessible for New Yorkers looking for a non-lethal defense tool.

April 1, 2026- Assemblymember Landon Dais, a Bronx Democrat, talks about efforts to track the origin of marijuana that ends up on shelves, preventing illegal cannabis products from being sold in New York, and his leadership role on marijuana issues at the Capitol.

April 1, 2026- State Sen. Thomas O'Mara, a Southern Tier Republican, argues that the governor hasn't gone far enough to scale back New York's green energy laws and calls for an aggressive utility relief program using clean energy funds.

April 1, 2026- State Senate Health Committee Chair Gustavo Rivera, a Bronx Democrat, explains a proposal to ensure that more than 400,000 New Yorkers poised to lose their government health insurance this summer will still be covered by the state.

March 31, 2026 - In an excerpt of Dispatches from Planet Albany, Republican Marc Molinaro explains why he is running for the state Assembly more than a decade after he left the chamber and got elected to multiple other offices.

March 31, 2026- Assemblymember Steven Raga, a Queens Democrat, and Katy Lasell, of the New Economy Project, make the case for rewriting New York's consumer protection laws to regulate the latest evolution of payday lenders that are skirting existing restrictions on loans.

March 31, 2026- A report from the state's Rural Ambulance Services Task Force paints a bleak picture on the reliability of emergency medical services in rural communities, while also offering ideas for improving the landscape. Our guests are task force members Aidan O'Connor, executive director of Greenport Rescue Squad, and Michael Benenati, an EMS coordinator with Ulster County.

March 30, 2026- Assemblymember Gabriella Romero, an Albany Democrat, makes the case for requiring a portion of state "Raise the Age" funding to go to community-based organizations providing alternatives to incarceration. We also check on the status of budget negotiations, including the possibility of compromise on outstanding points of disagreement.

March 27, 2026- In 2022, Democratic state policymakers rushed through a gun control law following the mass shooting in Buffalo. Now the state is having to walk back a part of the law requiring the disclosure of social media accounts to apply for a concealed carry permit. We discuss the problems with this defunct initiative with Adam Scott Wandt, an associate professor of public policy at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice.

March 27, 2026- Following a failed attempt to use a drone to deliver prison contraband, we explore what items are forbidden in prisons and the efforts to keep them out. Our guest is Jennifer Scaife, executive director of the Correctional Association of New York.

March 26, 2026- We explore what the Empire State is doing this year to commemorate the founding of America with David Frank, assistant commissioner at the State Education Department, which co-leads the New York State 250th Commemoration Commission.