The Capitol Pressroom

July 30, 2025 - State law required a system restricting pollution from major emitters to be in place by now, but it hasn't been implemented so environmental groups sued the Hochul administration in a case now making its way through the courts. We explore the legal challenge and what's at stake with Collin Kinniburgh, a climate and environment reporter for New York Focus.

July 30, 2025 - New York State Thruway Authority Executive Director Frank Hoare discusses an expanded speed camera program, gives an update on the service plazas, and explains what is being done to target toll evasion.

July 30, 2025 - We explore a new survey of LGBTQ New Yorkers and how it will be used to address health disparities with Kraig Pannell, director of the Office of LGBTQ Services at the state's AIDS Institute, and Dr. Lauren Miller, coordinator for the New York State Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System.

July 29, 2025 - After nearly two decades as a journalist, including serving as news director WAMC public radio, Ian Pickus is taking a communications job in the Hochul administration. In an excerpt from Dispatches from Planet Albany, we reflect on some of the interviews he coordinated with then-Gov. Andrew Cuomo.

July 29, 2025 - The state Department of Health is implementing a legal settlement to resolve a challenge to its controversial transition of the administration of an expensive home care program. We explore the underlying lawsuit and the impact of the settlement with Elizabeth Jois, supervising attorney with New York Legal Assistance Group's Special Litigation Unit and an attorney for the plaintiffs.

July 29, 2025 - New York Democrats want to use mid-decade redistricting as a way to boost their numbers in Congress, but the legal pathways for this gambit are basically non-existent, according to Jeff Wice, a senior fellow and adjunct professor with the New York Law School's Census and Redistricting Institute.

July 28, 2025 - We learn about some of the complaints to the state's gambling regulator received by the state Inspector General's Office in 2024 and consider some of the controversies they're reviewing in 2025. Our guest is Ryan Hayward, chief of staff for the New York IG's Office.

July 28, 2025 - The social safety net in New York will have some holes moving forward as the result of the Big Beautiful Bill adopted this summer by Republicans in Washington D.C., according to Barbara Guinn, commissioner for the state Office of Temporary & Disability Assistance. We explore the future of housing supports, anti-hunger initiatives, and child poverty.

July 25, 2025 - The death of a state assistant forest ranger has renewed calls for state environmental officials to update the system for tracking government personnel deployed into the wilderness. We discuss this tragedy and the campaign for reform with James Odato, a contributing editor for the Adirondack Explorer.

July 25, 2025 - The legislative session in Albany included a few initiatives to avoid wasteful economic development spending and many more measures that will promote unnecessary government subsidies, according to John Kaehny, executive director of Reinvent Albany.

July 25, 2025 - State Public Service Commission Chair Rory Christian highlights new regulations designed to ensure more working families have access to discounted energy bills.

July 24, 2025 - This summer, Gov. Kathy Hochul directed the New York Power Authority to get the ball rolling on the development of new nuclear power. We discussed this mandate and how it might be implemented with Charles Imohiosen, senior vice president for external affairs and communication at NYPA.

July 24, 2025 - New York State Office of Mental Health Chief Fiscal Officer Joe Katagiri explains efforts to boost access to mental health and substance abuse treatments for New Yorkers, including removing insurance barriers for Medicaid patients and requiring prompt access to providers.

July 23, 2025 - Public schools across the state have been forced to make hard decisions about programs funded with federal dollars that the Trump administration is looking to claw back. We talk about these challenges and looming budgetary challenges with Brian Cechnicki, executive director of Association of School Business Officials of New York.

July 23, 2025 - No Kid Hungry New York Director Rachel Sabella discusses the potential fallout in the Empire State from federal cuts and changes to the hunger prevention safety net.

July 23, 2025 - For rural communities, a physician assistant is the first and last source of available medical care. We talk about these important health care providers and expanding their capacity with Katie Compagni, a PA in central New York.

July 23, 2025 - New York State Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services Commissioner Jackie Bray discusses federal cuts to emergency services and considers a future without FEMA.

July 22, 2025 - State Comptroller Tom DiNapoli visits the studio to discuss increasing overtime hours and costs from the state workforce, the distribution of unclaimed funds, and whether state policymakers should be tapping into reserve funds to offset federal cuts.

July 22, 2025 - The "Big Beautiful Bill" adopted in July could have massive ramifications for New York's health care system, according to Paul Francis, chair of the Step Two Policy Project. We explore cuts in federal aid to health care providers, New Yorkers losing their state-provided health insurance, and how state policymakers might respond to this new landscape.

July 21, 2025 - Dan Egan, the outgoing head of Feeding New York State, reflects on the demand for food assistance over the last six years and considers how hungry New Yorkers will be affected by changes in Washington D.C.

July 18, 2025 - We check in with Adam Herbst, a former top health official in the state and now a partner with Sheppard Mullin, who describes the funding demands and other implementation challenges for the state master plan on aging.

July 18, 2025 - State Health Commissioner Jim McDonald and State Aging Director Greg Olsen explain how the state's master plan on aging came together, the process of evaluating proposals, and why federal spending cuts could impact implementation.

July 17, 2025 - On this excerpt from Dispatches from Planet Albany, we talk with Assemblymember Phara Souffrant Forrest, a Brooklyn Democrat, and NYC DSA Co-Chair Grace Mauser about the Democratic Socialists rallying behind Zohran Mamdani's mayoral campaign and how they build support for his agenda in Albany.

July 16, 2025 - Assemblymember Micah Lasher, a Manhattan Democrat, talks about legislation empowering the state attorney general's office to go after unfair business practices and addresses a critique that the measures doesn't go far enough.

July 16, 2025 - We check in with Benjamin Pomerance, deputy counsel at the state Department of Veterans' Services, to discuss services for marginalized veterans, addressing the risk of suicide among veterans, and closing holes in the social safety net.

July 14, 2025 - State Office of Victim Services Director Bea Hanson swings by the studio to explain how the Hochul administration plans on spending record levels of funding for crime victims and discusses the challenges of getting this money to the right people.

July 14, 2025 - Business Council of New York State Vice President Ken Pokalsky reflects on the manufacturing landscape in the Empire State and considers why the industry looks the way it does.

July 14, 2025 - Earlier this year, state Office of General Services Commissioner was tasked with overseeing the improvement of government services. So we're checking in with OGS Commissioner Jeanette Moy on these efforts, including the launch of a new state office.

July 11, 2025 - In response to the demand for more mariners the state has launched a revolving loan fund to help cover the cost of hands-on training needed for U.S. Coast Guard license. We talk about this investment with SUNY Maritime President John Okon.

July 11, 2025 - Politicians on both sides of the aisle talk about their support for low-income families, so why is it so hard to get major policy and spending initiatives enacted in Planet Albany that demonstrably improve their lives? We try to answer that question on Dispatches from Planet Albany with Jenn O'Connor, who has been working on these issues for years and launched her own consulting firm.

July 9, 2025 - Siena College Research Institute Director Don Levy breaks down a recent survey of New Yorkers, who weighed in on the end of the legislative session and their potential gubernatorial choices for 2026.

July 10, 2025 - The federal spending legislation approved by Republicans in Washington D.C. over the July 4th holiday looks to dramatically cut federal support that makes its way to Planned Parenthood chapters. We discuss the ramifications of funding reductions, which are being challenged in court, with Robin Chappelle Golston, president & CEO of Planned Parenthood Empire State Acts.

July 10, 2025 - The State Birding Trail has been updated with 12 locations, so we explore this resource designed for bird watchers of all experience. Our guests are Erin McGrath, New York state policy director for the National Audubon Society, and Laura McCarthy, senior manager of network engagement for the New York and Connecticut offices of the National Audubon Society.

July 10, 2025 - Environmentalists are hoping the governor will sign legislation overwhelmingly approved by the legislature that is designed to expand the proliferation of crossbows. We hear the case for the measure from Paull Gallery, stewardship manager for the Nature Conservancy in New York, and Bill Cooke, a policy advisor with the Nature Conservancy in New York.

July 9, 2025 - We check in with the Randy Simons, commissioner pro tempore at the state Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation, to discuss an updated map of state resources, the planning for a major golf tournament on Long Island, keeping an eye out for sharks, and preparing for the country's 250th birthday.

July 9, 2025 - Assemblymember Jo Anne Simon, a Brooklyn Democrat, makes the case for preventing utilities from spreading out the cost of hooking up new customers who want to connect to a natural gas line within 100 feet of their homes.

July 8, 2025 - Assemblymember Gabriella Romero, an Albany Democrat, makes the case for expanding the authority of the state attorney general's office, including streamlining and defining powers.

July 8, 2025 - Hotels are supposed to be a last resort for housing the homeless in New York, but they're becoming a key solution for upstate communities, according to Spencer Norris, an investigative reporter for New York Focus and ProPublica.

July 8, 2025 - Katherine Haas, a staff attorney with the prisoners' rights project at the Legal Aid Society, provides an update on the court battle to reverse the Hochul administration's suspension of a law governing the use of solitary confinement in prisons.

July 8, 2025 - After months of build up, Gov. Kathy Hochul directed state energy officials to get the ball rolling on developing a new upstate nuclear power project. We consider what the implementation could look like with Gavin Donohue, president and CEO of the Independent Power Producers of New York

July 7, 2025 - We check in with Dr. Andrew Talal, a member of the state's Hepatitis C Elimination Task Force, who provides an update on New York's goal of eliminating the transmission of the virus by 2030. He discusses work being spearheaded by the University of Buffalo and recommendations for state policymakers.

July 7, 2025 - New York is on the cusp of rolling out a state-run retirement program for private sector workers without access to a retirement option at work. New York State Department of Taxation & Finance Strategic Initiatives Deputy Commissioner Alexandra Greene discusses a pilot program being implemented in advance of a full deployment.

July 7, 2025 - New York State Energy Research & Development Authority President & CEO Doreen Harris talks about the state's energy plan and weighs in on the future use of nuclear power and fossil fuels in the Empire State.

July 3, 2025 - Communication 4 ALL founder and Executive Director Elizabeth Bonker makes the case for codifying a communication bill of rights to ensure that New Yorkers with a disability have access to services and tools that help them communicate with the outside world.

July 3, 2025 - The state's top court recently upheld the implementation of state rental regulations in Kingston, which a handful of other communities are trying to utilize. We explore the ruling and making it easier to invoke rental regulations with State Sen. Brian Kavanagh, a Manhattan Democrat.

July 3, 2025 - The medical marijuana industry in New York was launched more than a decade ago, but it has struggled to take off. State Sen. Jeremy Cooney, a Rochester Democrat, discusses the challenges facing the industry and the legislative response to the problem.

July 2, 2025 - New York State Office of Addiction Services and Supports Division of Criminal Justice Associate Commissioner Rabiah Gaynor talks about a recent visit to a Westchester County Jail program serving people behind bars with substance abuse and mental health conditions.

July 2, 2025 - Assemblymember Grace Lee, a Manhattan Democrat, makes the case for tax breaks designed to incentivize companies to grow or relocate to New York City, particularly in lower Manhattan.

July 2, 2025 - State lawmakers voted overwhelmingly to give restaurants and bars the flexibility to purchase wine and liquor from a retail store if they're in a pinch. We discuss the potential update to the state's alcohol laws and consider some other potential changes with Melissa Fleischut, president & CEO of the New York State Restaurant Association, and Scott Wexler, executive director of the Empire State Restaurant and Tavern Association.

July 2, 2025 - NEW Pride Agenda Executive Director Kei Williams reflects on what was included in the state budget and during the legislative session to support LGBTQ+ New Yorkers. We also talk about unfinished business for 2026.

June 30, 2025 - In the second part of our conversation with Lt. Gov. Antonio Delgado, the aspiring Democratic gubernatorial candidate talks about how to fund universal child care and how his approach to federal immigration policies would look different than Gov. Kathy Hochul.