The Capitol Pressroom Podcasts

Jan. 15, 2021 - How are localities across the state holding up fiscally? We asked Peter Baynes, Executive Director of the New York State Conference of Mayors, when he joined the programBy WCNY

Jan. 15, 2021 - One of the proposals included in the Governor’s State of the State addresses would allow commercial properties to convert into residential properties. Rachel Fee, Executive Director of the New York Housing Conference, explained how this proposal would work.By WCNY

Jan. 15, 2021 - Sen. Jabari Brisport (D-Brooklyn), who is one of the self-identified socialists in the state legislature, weighed in on the Governor’s State of the State addresses.By WCNY

Jan. 15, 2021 - The state Education Department has released graduation rate information for the students that entered high school in 2016. Interim State Education Commissioner Betty Rosa helped make sense of the figures and what it means for New York’s students.By WCNY

Jan. 14, 2021 - COVID-19 has highlighted many of the issues impacting New York’s workforce. Sen. Jessica Ramos (D-Queens), chair of the Senate Labor Committee, previewed the session and her legislative goals for 2021.By WCNY

Jan. 14, 2021 - Asm. Karines Reyes (D-Bronx) has worked as a nurse treating oncology patients. Today, the Assemblymember joined the program to discuss why she is supporting the Medical Aid in Dying Act, which would allow mentally capable, terminally ill New Yorkers to end their life with medical assistance.…

Jan. 14, 2021 - We heard from Erica Vladimer, Co-Founder of the Sexual Harassment Working Group and former legislative staffer, on the changes the group would like to see made to the state’s sexual harassment regulations.By WCNY

Jan. 13, 2021 - A lawsuit has been filed against the Cuomo administration and the Department of Corrections and Community Supervision over the conditions for older inmates at an Upstate correctional facility. We heard from Stefan Short, Supervising Attorney for the Legal Aid Society’s Prisoners’ Rights Project, and Rebecca Livengood, Counsel at Rel…

Jan. 13, 2021 - What’s on the docket for good government groups in 2021? Susan Lerner, Executive Director of Common Cause New York, discussed the list when she joins the program.By WCNY

Jan. 13, 2021 - Governor Cuomo expressed support for legalizing mobile sports gambling in his first State of the State installment. Bennett Liebman, Government Lawyer-in-Residence at Albany Law School’s Government Law Center and former Deputy Secretary for Gaming and Racing under Gov. Andrew Cuomo, broke down the next steps for mobile betting in Ne…

Jan. 13, 2021 - With more state services headed online, Omid Ghaffari-Tabrizi, Director of Cloud Policy at the Internet Association, and John Olsen, Director of State Government Affairs in the Northeast Region for the Internet Association, explained why a strong tech infrastructure is needed in New York.…

Jan. 12, 2021 - Restaurants are still struggling to survive as the fight against COVID-19 continues. Melissa Fleischut, President and CEO of the New York State Restaurant Association, and Dominick Purnomo, Owner of dp, an American Brasserie and the Chef-Sommelier & Maitre D'Hotel of Yono’s Restaurant, discussed the state of New York’s eateries.…

Jan. 12, 2021 - In Monday’s installment of the State of the State, Gov. Cuomo expressed support for expanding access to telehealth services. Elisabeth Benjamin, Vice President of Health Initiatives at the Community Service Society, explained how the system works now and the ways to address access hurdles.…

Jan. 12, 2021 - 2021 is setting up to be a busy legislative year in New York. We previewed the session and the effort to legalize adult-use marijuana in the Empire State with the chair of the Senate’s Finance Committee, Sen. Liz Krueger (D-Manhattan).By WCNY

Jan. 21, 2021 - Activists and some lawmakers are calling on the state to raise taxes on the wealthy to help fill the state’s budget gap. Sen. Alessandra Biaggi (D-Bronx) shared what she would like to see in a final package.By WCNY

Jan. 11, 2021 - What is the AFL-CIO working on this legislative session? We asked Mario Cilento, President of the New York State AFL-CIO, what their priorities are when he joined the show.By WCNY

Jan. 11, 2021 - Sen. James Skoufis (D-Cornwall) previewed the legislative session and discussed the work the Senate Investigations and Government Operations Committee has been doing.By WCNY

Jan. 11, 2021 - The Department of Environmental Conservation’s Tree and Shrub seedling sale has kicked off. David Lee, the manager of the state’s tree nursery in Saratoga, explained the work that goes into the nursery and seedling sale.By WCNY

Jan. 8, 2021 - Asm. Colin Schmitt (R-New Windsor) discussed a threat made to his office in Orange County and remarks he made to a group before they headed to Washington for a pro-Trump rally.By WCNY

Jan. 8, 2021 - The race to vaccinate New Yorkers against COVID-19 is on. We heard from Dr. Dennis McKenna, President and CEO of Albany Medical Center, on the role his hospital system is playing to vaccine residents of the Capital Region.By WCNY

Jan. 8, 2021 - Asm. Ken Zebrowski (D-Clarkstown) explained his legislation that could help small businesses across the state find better rates on crucial investments.By WCNY

Jan. 8, 2021 - What’s on the agenda for the chair of the Senate Codes Committee in 2021? We asked Sen. Jamaal Bailey (D-Bronx) when he joined the program.By WCNY

Jan. 7, 2021 - Are you ready for some football? The Buffalo Bills will host a playoff game this weekend with a limited number of spectators in the stands. We heard from Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz (D) on the precautions that the Bills and New York state are taking and get an update on Erie County's COVID fight.…

Jan. 7, 2021 - How can the state ensure people in historically underserved communities have access to the COVID-19 vaccine? We talked with one of the co-chairs of the state’s Vaccine Equity Task Force, Marc Morial, who serves as President and CEO of the National Urban League.By WCNY

Jan. 7, 2021 - A collection of good government groups are urging legislative leaders to enact reforms to increase participation in the remote legislative process. We discussed the call for reform with Blair Horner, Executive Director of NYPIRG.By WCNY

Jan. 6, 2021 - During his presidency, Franklin Roosevelt used his ‘Fireside Chats’ to reach the American people directly through the radio. In 2021, Sen. James Sanders (D-Queens) is hoping to reach his constituents through their phones with a new podcast. We heard from the Senator about this new endeavor.…

Jan. 6, 2021 - The Adirondack Park Agency board has lost one of its members with the resignation of Chad Dawson. The retired professor of recreation resources management at the State University of New York’s College of Environmental Science and Forestry joined the program to explain his decision to resign.…

Jan. 6, 2021 - Last year, the legislature took action to reform a property tax program which had been misused across the state. Tim Knauss, Syracuse Post-Standard reporter, shared his reporting on the issue at the top of the show.By WCNY

Jan. 6, 2021 - What can we except from the 2021 legislative session? Yancey Roy, Newsday’s Albany Bureau Chief, previewed the session which kicked off on Wednesday.By WCNY

Jan. 5, 2021 - Airport workers at LaGuardia and JFK scored a legislative victory at the end of 2020 when the Governor signed legislation that would make healthcare more accessible for them. Rob Hill, Vice President of 32BJ SEIU, discussed the recently signed legislation.By WCNY

Jan. 5, 2021 - Why did New York dump rail cars into the ocean? Carl Lobue, Ocean Program Director for The Nature Conservancy in New York, explained how this unique idea is helping rebuild reefs.By WCNY

Jan. 5, 2021 - What’s in store for environmental advocates this year? We chatted with Anne Reynolds, Executive Director of the Alliance for Clean Energy New York, about her priorities and the work of the Climate Action Council.By WCNY

Jan. 4, 2021 - The new class of state lawmakers are now in office as 2021 kicks off. Today, we met Asm. Jeff Gallahan (R-Manchester) who succeeds former Assembly Minority Leader Brian Kolb who did not seek reelection.By WCNY

Jan 4, 2021 - In December, Gov. Cuomo announced that three state prisons will be closing in early 2021. Michael Powers, President of NYSCOPBA, weighed in on the decision.By WCNY

Jan. 4, 2021 - Sen. Rachel May (D-Syracuse) was one of the members brought to the state Senate by 2018’s progressive wave. We took a look back at her first term in office when the Senator joined the show.By WCNY

Jan. 1, 2021 - In this year’s election, the Senate Democrats were able to pick up seats and gain a supermajority but the party did see a pair of incumbent losses. Sen. Jen Metzger (D-Rosendale) joined the program to discuss how her campaign went and look back at her term in the state Senate. (originally aired 12/15/20)…

Jan. 1, 2021 - Asm. Kenneth Burgos (D-Bronx) is one of a handful of new lawmakers who have taken office ahead of January to fill vacancies. We met the newly minted Assemblymember in our latest Heading to Albany series installment. (originally aired 12/15/20)By WCNY

Jan 1, 2021 - In the early months of the pandemic, New York City issued over one billion dollars in contracts to get medical equipment like PPE and ventilators but in some cases received nothing or the wrong equipment. Greg Smith, reporter at The City, shared his reporting on the issue. (originally aired 11/18/20)…

Dec. 31, 2020 - As the fight against COVID-19 continues, many of New York’s students are learning from home. Senate Education Chair Shelley Mayer (D-Yonkers) joined the program to explain her legislation that would help expand access to high speed internet. (originally aired 12/11/20)By WCNY

Dec. 31, 2020 - The Assembly Judiciary Committee recently held hearings that looked into the administration of this year’s bar exam. We heard from the committee’s Chair, Asm. Jeffrey Dinowitz (D-Bronx). (originally aired 12/17/20)By WCNY

As we continue to get to know the incoming class of freshman state lawmakers, we heard from Jeremy Cooney, a Rochester Democrat who flipped a state senate seat long held by Republicans. We talked about his unique origin story, addressing the state’s budget deficits and the potential for a bipartisan upstate caucus in the state Legislature. (origina…

Dec. 31, 2020 - Could New York’s medical marijuana infrastructure help boost the potential recreational marijuana market? We discussed it with Ngiste Abebe, President of the New York Medical Cannabis Industry Association and Director of Public Policy at Columbia Care. (originally aired 12/11/20)By WCNY

Dec. 30, 2020 - What does the federal stimulus package mean for New York’s schools? Bob Lowry, Deputy Director for Advocacy, Research and Communications at New York State Council of School Superintendents, explained.By WCNY

Dec. 30, 2020 - Public health advocates are calling for an increase in the state’s tax on tobacco products to raise revenue for tobacco control programs. Dr. Disha Mookherjee, Cardiologist at Saratoga Hospital and a member of the Capital Region Board of Directors of the American Heart Association, and Caitlin O’Brien, Director of New York Governmen…

Dec. 30, 2020 - COVID-19 has thrown many New Yorkers into a state of financial insecurity with thousands losing their jobs. We talked with Paul Sonn, State Policy Program Director at the National Employment Law Project, about how the Empire State’s unemployment programs work and what changes can be made to improve the system.…

Dec. 30, 2020 - A special panel is scheduled to make recommendations on Thursday that could lead the state to drastically lower the mandatory overtime threshold for farmworkers in New York.New York Farm Bureau President David Fisher, who serves on the three-person panel, joins the show to talk about the issue, including his frustrations with the pr…

Dec. 29, 2020 - The Upstate economic development coalition, Unshackle Upstate, has a new leader. We met Justin Wilcox and discussed his priorities for the group.By WCNY

Dec. 29, 2020 - In just a few days, a new class of lawmakers will be entering office. In our latest Heading to Albany installment, we met Western New York Democrat Assemblymember-elect William Conrad.By WCNY

Dec. 29, 2020 - The legislature came back into session before the end of the year to pass an eviction and foreclosure protection bill that will extend these protections into the new year. Sen. Brian Kavanagh (D-Manhattan), chair of the Senate Committee on Housing, Construction, and Community Development, explained how the new law works.…

Dec. 28, 2020 - How will SUNY keep students and staff safe when the spring semester kicks off? Fred Kowal, President of United University Professions, weighed in on what worked in the fall and what fell flat.By WCNY