Yancey Roy

3 weeks ago | newsday.com | Yancey Roy

ALBANY — Issues are starting to fall in place, but New York lawmakers will have to push into at least next week before approving a state budget. The State Senate and Assembly on Thursday approved another round of short-term spending extensions to keep government operating and payrolls flowing through next week. After a short Easter break, they plan on returning to the State Capitol on Tuesday. Key lawmakers have said both houses and Gov.

4 weeks ago | newsday.com | Yancey Roy

ALBANY — Gov. Kathy Hochul said Wednesday that lawmakers were "on the verge" of reaching a deal on "discovery," the sharing of evidence in criminal trials that has been holding up a larger agreement on a state budget. "I believe we’re on the verge of a very important deal," Hochul told reporters. Using a football analogy, she said lawmakers were "on the 5-yard line" but not in the end zone yet.

4 weeks ago | newsday.com | Yancey Roy

ALBANY — Five years after COVID-19 hit, a majority of New Yorkers say they feel more isolated than ever, according to a poll released Wednesday. The Siena College poll found also 43% of those surveyed try to act as if the pandemic never happened and try to never talk about it. Those were numbers higher than expected and reflects a "collective trauma" that probably still is ongoing, Siena pollster Don Levy told Newsday in an interview Tuesday.

1 month ago | newsday.com | Yancey Roy

ALBANY – It’s not strictly a dollars and cents issue, but the debate over “discovery” – an element of criminal trials – is one of the main stumbling blocks for New York lawmakers trying to settle the state budget for the year. It’s also tied to an increase in criminal cases being dismissed – overwhelmingly driven by the five boroughs of New York City, statistics show  – because prosecutors could not meet speedy trial requirements.

1 month ago | newsday.com | Yancey Roy

ALBANY — As part of state budget talks, lawmakers are discussing new rules for publicly financed campaigns, making it slightly harder for candidates to qualify for public matching funds, according to sources with knowledge of the negotiations. Gov. Kathy Hochul, the State Senate and Assembly are considering raising the threshold a candidate has to raise before qualifying for public funds. They also are considering a pay-back-what-money-you-did-not-use provision, the sources said.