New York State Government

Reporting to New Yorkers on the “State of the State” is a job requirement for every governor. The state Constitution commands that “The governor shall communicate by message to the legislature at every session the condition of the state and recommend such matters to it as he or she shall judge expedient.”

As New Yorkers rang in the New Year, Albany’s budgeteers were developing a fiscal proposal for Governor Hochul. As directed by the state Constitution, the governor must unveil her budget plan within a few weeks and with it her policy priorities for the upcoming legislative session.

Planning is an important component of success in life. The same is true for government. Developing a plan that relies on broad input, is based on the most recent science and best practices, and recommends specific actions is the hallmark of high functioning government.

New York spends billions of dollars on programs to spur economic activities. Yet the spending is hard to track because there is no standard definition of economic-development spending.

We all are familiar with New York’s Bottle Bill. That’s the law that requires a nickel deposit on some beverage containers – soda, beer, and water. It’s been on the books for over 40 years.

The big news last week was the election results. By and large, it was a good election day for Democrats across the nation. Here in New York, Democrats won in many parts of the state. For example, Democrats picked up control of the Onondaga County Legislature, a feat that they have not accomplished in almost half a century.

(Airs 02/28/25 & 03/02/25 @ 6 p.m.) The Media Project is an inside look at media coverage of current events with former Times Union Editor, current Upstate American, Substack columnist Rex Smith, Judy Patrick, former Editor of the Daily Gazette and Vice President for Editorial Development for the New York Press Association, Barbara Lombardo, Adjunct Professor at the University at Albany and former Editor of the Saratogian, and Jimmy Vielkind, a reporter for WNYC and The Gothamist. On this week’s Media Project, Rex, Judy, Barbara, and Jimmy talk about the evolution of media coverage at the state capital, the intimacy of radio news, whether we need more working-class journalists, and much more.

Still far apart on a number of key issues, New York Governor Kathy Hochul and fellow Democrats who control the legislature have until the weekend to hammer out an agreement before the state budget is officially late.

New York Governor Kathy Hochul is confronting one of her first major tests after winning a full term in November. Her pick for the state’s new chief judge, Hector LaSalle, is being opposed by a coalition of progressive groups — and crucially, more than a dozen Democrats in the state Senate.