Tagged: New York State politics

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — Only days after calling for an overhaul of gun control in New York following the Connecticut school shooting, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo says a tough proposal on gun control is ready to become law.

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) —  The first Republican senator to emerge from a five-hour private session says he expects the New York Legislature to vote on a gun control bill by the end of the day.

State Senator Michael Nozzolio from Monroe County says there are a number of concerns remaining, but he expects the vote.

The issue would not be coming to the floor under Albany rules if it wasn't almost sure to pass.

People familiar with closed-door negotiations say a tentative deal was struck over the weekend.

2012 was, by most accounts, a year of challenges for New York, not the least of which was the devastation of Hurricane Sandy as she tore up the Eastern seaboard.

In state politics, the assembly remains firmly Democratic, while this year will usher in a new era of governance in the senate by a controlling coalition of Republicans and the five-member Independent Democratic Conference, the effectiveness of which has yet to be seen.

ALBANY, N.Y. — The New York comptroller says the state government's debt has topped $63 billion, with New York on track to approach its borrowing limit in early 2014.

Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli says Monday the debt burden, averaging $3,253 per resident, is almost three times the national median. New York's debt is second only to California's $96.4 billion in state-funded debt and 80 percent higher than New Jersey, which is in third place.

The outcome of one Capital Region New York State Senate race could be the key to whether the Senate majority remains in the hands of Republicans, or flips to Democrats, giving Democrats full control of both legislative chambers and the governor’s office.