Blair Horner

As 2021 heads toward its conclusion, Governor Hochul faces a public health decision deadline. Under New York State law, legislation that was approved during the 2021 legislative session must be sent to the governor for her approval by the end of the calendar year. Nearly 900 bills were approved by both houses of the Legislature during the 2021 legislative session and this week many bills moved to the governor’s desk for her consideration.

The expanding investigations into the actions of former Governor Cuomo and his top staff continue to dominate the news. Just when we thought we knew all there was to know, last week’s release of the sworn depositions of the governor and his top staff gave new insights into how the former Administration handled harassment complaints and how the governor and his top aides acted.

New York’s colleges and universities have seen the state slashing support for years. That systematic disinvestment coupled with a declining number of college-aged students has brought colleges and universities to the financial brink. The financial squeeze has left many colleges – both public and independent – forced to reduce student services and hike student costs. The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic has, not surprisingly, made it all worse.

Three months ago, former Governor Cuomo resigned from office after a devastating report issued by the Attorney General. The Attorney General had been asked by the governor to investigate allegations that he, the governor, had harassed women in government.

New York State’s bottle deposit law, also known as the Bottle Bill, has been around for so long, it’s hard to imagine it remains controversial. You buy certain containers, you place a nickel deposit, return it, and get the nickel back. Less junk for the landfill, more recycling of wastes.

Democrats across the nation took it on the chin on Election Day. Republicans crowed that their successes are an important measure of their gathering political strength. And Republicans had much to crow about – they took the governor’s race in Virginia and nearly knocked out New Jersey’s incumbent Democratic governor.

The world’s leaders are meeting at a U.N. conference in Glasgow, Scotland to decide how to respond to the worsening environmental emergency caused by global warming. The burning of fossil fuels has created an existential threat to all living things.

New Yorkers began casting their ballots last Saturday and some of the most important decisions appear on the back of the ballot. There voters will find five proposals to change the New York State Constitution. While important ballot proposals may be on your local village, town, city or county ballot, four of these statewide proposals could have profound impacts on New York’s democracy and its environment.

Ever since former Governor Cuomo resigned in the wake of bombshell investigations that found that his Administration had misled the public about nursing home deaths and that he had harassed his staff, the calls for reform have been growing.

New York’s much maligned state ethics watchdog, the Joint Commission on Public Ethics (JCOPE), agreed last week to launch an investigation – of itself. The reason? The Commissioners want an independent review of the agency’s decision to bless former Governor Cuomo’s $5 million book deal.