Karen DeWitt

The New York State budget is crawling to a conclusion, as legislative leaders and Governor Andrew Cuomo continue closed door meetings to try to strike a final deal.

State lawmakers are close to agreeing on a new state spending plan that would include a deal to raise taxes on the wealthy, and raise the minimum wage. They failed to seal a pact Monday night, but say they will be back Tuesday morning to try again.

State lawmakers are hurrying toward getting a budget agreement in place, with a stepped up schedule of conference committees and meetings with Governor Cuomo.

Governor Cuomo said he is unlikely to send an emergency message to allow state lawmakers to bypass a three-day waiting period for the state budget.

Second amendment rights advocates, who have held rallies in Albany recently, are not the only group upset with portions of the state’s recently-enacted gun law. Some people with mental illnesses believe the law unfairly stigmatizes them.

The New York State Assembly has approved, by a 95 to 40 vote, a two-year moratorium on hydrofracking in New York. While it’s unlikely to be passed in the Senate, the action reflects state lawmakers’ growing worries about potential health impacts from the natural gas drilling process. 

Senate Republicans have pressed for changes to the state’s strictest-in-the-nation gun control laws which were approved on January 14. They’d like to amend the law to once again allow for 10 bullets per magazine, as opposed to the 7-bullet limit under the new law.

The New York State Assembly on Tuesday approved a measure to increase New York’s minimum wage, but the measure is facing resistance in the State Senate.

Senate Republicans are pushing for middle class tax breaks in the new state budget, including a return to the STAR property tax rebate checks curtailed in 2009.

A rally against New York’s newly enacted gun control laws drew one of the largest crowds to the State Capitol in recent decades.

Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver is one of the sponsors of a bill to ban fracking in New York at least until May of  next year.

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said he will make changes to his budget in what’s known as 30-day amendments. They cover a variety of areas, ranging from a teacher evaluation plan to cutting the cost of hunting licenses.

An argument erupted between the Cuomo administration and the State Comptroller over the Governor’s budget plan, in a dispute that underscores existing tensions between the two.

A February deadline on New York’s process to allow hydrofracking will be missed, with Governor Cuomo’s Health Commissioner now saying he needs more time to complete an ongoing health study.

Dueling pro and anti-fracking filmmakers held screenings and promotions for their films on Monday, as they await a decision by Governor Cuomo on whether fracking will go forward in New York. That could come by the end of the month. But on Monday, the two sides confronted each other in the halls of the Capitol.

Governor Andrew Cuomo’s Court of Appeals nominee was approved in the State Senate on a voice vote, after an unusually contentious process.

Governor Cuomo’s championing of strict new gun control laws in New York has taken a toll on his popularity. A new Quinnipiac University poll finds that for the first time since taking office, Cuomo’s approval rating has dropped significantly.

Senate Republican Leader Dean Skelos says he’s strongly opposed to Governor Cuomo’s reproductive health act, saying it would lead to too many late term abortions. Pro choice lawmakers and advocates say they disagree with the Senator’s interpretation.

Mayor Bloomberg took his arguments against short-term teacher evaluation deals on the road, telling Albany lawmakers that other school districts were willing to make one- or two-year ...

Governor Cuomo has proposed raising the minimum wage as part of his budget plan. That tactic might make it easier for the proposal to become law.