New York Capital Brief:
November 25, 2020
NYS Senate Dems Declare Historic Supermajority
This morning, nearly three weeks after Election Day with a record number of absentee ballots counted, Hudson Valley incumbent Senator Pete Harckham declared victory. The conclusion of this year’s most costly NYS legislative race ensures the Senate Democrats a minimum of 42 of 63 seats, the largest majority and the first Democratic supermajority in Stat...
New York Capital Brief:
November 19, 2020
Several Democrats Declare Victory in Key Senate Races
This week, six Democrats declared victory in highly contested New York Senate races, bringing the Democrats closer to reaching a supermajority and quite possibly the largest Democratic majority in the New York’s history. Currently, the Senate Democrats hold 40 seats and need to pick up two additional seats to reach the veto-proof...
New York Capital Brief:
November 12, 2020
New York Capital Brief:
November 05, 2020
Mail-in Voting Impact on NYS
The stakes remain high for both Democrats and Republicans in NYS legislative races, as the Democrats look to gain a supermajority in the State Senate and expand their party’s influence in the State Assembly. Although many candidates hold generous leads after the conclusion of early and in-person voting, the final tabulation of mail-in-ballots will determine the results in several too-clo...
New York Capital Brief:
October 29, 2020
The Countdown to November 3
With a current $15 billion budget deficit in New York, Governor Cuomo and lawmakers continue to hold out for federal aid before acting on final deficit reduction measures. As a temporary stopgap measure, several months ago Cuomo began withholding a portion of funding for local governments, schools,...
New York Capital Brief:
October 15, 2020
Cuomo Releases Book: American Crisis
In March, Governor Cuomo gained national attention when New York became the epicenter of the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, as New York’s positivity rate hovers around 1%, Cuomo gives what he calls a “halftime review” in his new book American Crisis: Leadership Les...
New York Capital Brief:
October 07, 2020
Cuomo Announces Cluster Action Initiative
This week, Governor Cuomo announced the creation of the Cluster Action Initiative in response to the increase in COVID-19 cases in concentrated areas within Brooklyn, Queens, Orange and Roc...
New York Capital Brief:
October 01, 2020
Cuomo Announces New COVID Smartphone App
Governor Cuomo announced today the launch of a new mobile contact tracing app called COVID Alert NY. The app will notify users if they’ve been potentially exposed to a COVID...
New York Capital Brief:
September 24, 2020
Comptroller Audit – Millions in Medicaid Overspending
This week, New York State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli released five audits of the Department of Health’s Medicaid program that identified approximately $706.6 million in “unnecessary, improper, or questionable” payments. These audits come just as Governor Cuomo and the Legislature contend with solutions to bridge the growing budget deficit, which is partially driven by Medicaid spending and further worsened...
New York Capital Brief:
September 03, 2020
Cuomo v. Trump: Rising Tensions
The complicated relationship between Governor Cuomo and President Trump has become increasingly exacerbated by the pandemic and upcoming elections. For the last couple of days, the two New York natives have been sparring over the President’s call for the federal government to review potential cuts for cities that have allowed for “lawless” protests. According to the memo released by the White House, New York City is explicitly referenced as one of the cities permitting R...