Governor Kathy Hochul, whose agenda this year centers on affordability, has maintained that the state cannot afford to backfill federal cuts to Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. Her January budget reflected that position. nysfocus.com/2026/03/11/e...

More than half of New York counties have stopped enrolling eligible families in the state’s child care voucher program as of mid-March amid a funding crisis that has persisted for over a year, new data shows. nysfocus.com/2026/03/31/c...

The Assembly wants to freeze your energy bills, the Senate wants to stop police from working with ICE, and the governor wants to slash auto insurance premiums. We read the governor’s, Senate’s, and Assembly’s budget proposals — so you don’t have to. nysfocus.com/2026/03/12/n...

NEW: State lawmakers are announcing legislation this week to ensure health care coverage for nearly half a million New Yorkers set to lose their insurance in July as a result of federal cuts. nysfocus.com/2026/03/31/e...

New York Focus is reporting on the fight in Albany over the state's Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act. We'll answer your questions. docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...

Legislators estimate that at least 14 social service programs encompassing thousands of workers aren’t included in the annual contract increases. nysfocus.com/2026/03/25/h...

Enacted decades ago to help the state’s nonprofit contractors cover rising costs, the policy governing the annual increase has not been updated over time to reflect all human service contracts. nysfocus.com/2026/03/25/h...

Governor Kathy Hochul, whose agenda this year centers on affordability, has maintained that the state cannot afford to backfill federal cuts to Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. Her January budget reflected that position. nysfocus.com/2026/03/11/e...

NEW: More than half of New York counties have stopped enrolling eligible families in the state’s child care voucher program as of mid-March amid a funding crisis that has persisted for over a year, new data shows. nysfocus.com/2026/03/31/c...

The state’s universal pre-K funding model is notoriously complex. How does it actually work, and can the governor’s plan fix it? nysfocus.com/2026/03/20/u...

NEW: Mayor Zohran Mamdani is haggling with Albany over every cent he can get for New York City in the state budget. But he is raising no objections as the state embraces eliminating state income taxes for tipped wages.

Unions want state leaders to sweeten their retirement packages. What would it cost, and what would it achieve? nysfocus.com/2026/03/23/b...

The state Senate and Assembly each proposed a budget increase to fund immigrant services, primarily legal assistance. But their proposals leave unresolved how far the state is willing to go to shield immigrants from federal enforcement. nysfocus.com/2026/03/11/i...

The Assembly wants to freeze your energy bills, the Senate wants to stop police from working with ICE, and the governor wants to slash auto insurance premiums. We read the governor’s, Senate’s, and Assembly’s budget proposals — so you don’t have to. nysfocus.com/2026/03/12/n...

The Mamdani administration will soon send a plan to state legislators for coming into compliance with a law requiring NYC to cap class sizes. Selling them on it could determine whether Mamdani maintains control over the city’s school system. nysfocus.com/2026/03/25/m...

Under the governor’s proposal for rolling back the climate law, the most concrete deadline for climate action would be pushed out to the end of her potential second term. New York Focus was in Albany covering a climate rally opposing her proposal.

The state’s universal pre-K funding model is notoriously complex. How does it actually work, and can the governor’s plan fix it? nysfocus.com/2026/03/20/u...

Unions want state leaders to sweeten their retirement packages. In dollar terms, it could end up being one of the biggest decisions made in this year’s budget. nysfocus.com/2026/03/23/b...

Legislators estimate that at least 14 social service programs encompassing thousands of workers aren’t included in the annual contract increases. nysfocus.com/2026/03/25/h...

The Assembly wants to freeze your energy bills, the Senate wants to stop police from working with ICE, and the governor wants to slash auto insurance premiums. We read the governor’s, Senate’s, and Assembly’s budget proposals — so you don’t have to. nysfocus.com/2026/03/12/n...

Enacted decades ago to help the state’s nonprofit contractors cover rising costs, the policy governing the annual increase has not been updated over time to reflect all human service contracts. nysfocus.com/2026/03/25/h...

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani is staying on the sidelines as a fight over the state’s climate law reaches a boiling point. nysfocus.com/2026/03/26/c...

The state Senate and Assembly each proposed a budget increase to fund immigrant services, primarily legal assistance. But their proposals leave unresolved how far the state is willing to go to shield immigrants from federal enforcement. nysfocus.com/2026/03/11/i...

The Mamdani administration will soon send a plan to state legislators for coming into compliance with a law requiring NYC to cap class sizes. Selling them on it could determine whether Mamdani maintains control over the city’s school system. nysfocus.com/2026/03/25/m...

The state legislature officially backed Governor Kathy Hochul’s plan to offer every 4-year-old in New York a free pre-K seat within the next three years. How does the program’s funding model actually work? Here’s what you need to know. nysfocus.com/2026/03/20/u...

Could not be more excited to see the first article of this partnership between @nyulaw.bsky.social’s State Government Initiative, the Arthur Carter Journalism Institute, and @nysfocus.bsky.social now live. Brava Gabi and Leah!!

NEW: Mamdani has pointedly avoided taking a position on Governor Kathy Hochul’s proposed rollbacks to the 2019 Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act, or CLCPA, even as his socialist allies in the legislature rail against the proposals. nysfocus.com/2026/03/26/c...

Enacted decades ago to help the state’s nonprofit contractors cover rising costs, the policy governing the annual increase has not been updated over time to reflect all human service contracts. nysfocus.com/2026/03/25/h...

NEW: Some climate activists want the mayor to take a stronger stance in Albany's climate fight. He previously said the state’s climate law “is not a suggestion. It is a mandate.” nysfocus.com/2026/03/26/c...

Critics say Hochul’s eagerness to fight auto insurance fraud doesn’t jibe with her budget’s use of the revenue raised by the $10 Motor Vehicle Law Enforcement Fee. Her proposal would continue to allocate about 90% of that money for the State Police. nysfocus.com/2026/03/11/a...

NEW: New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani is staying on the sidelines as a fight over the state’s climate law reaches a boiling point.

NEW: Amid abortion bans and rising digital surveillance, Albany lawmakers are revisiting an effort to stop companies from selling sensitive health information. nysfocus.com/2026/03/26/h...

NEW: The Mamdani administration will soon send a plan to state legislators for coming into compliance with a law requiring NYC to cap class sizes. Selling them on it could determine whether Mamdani maintains control over the city’s school system. nysfocus.com/2026/03/25/m...

NEW: The Mamdani administration will soon send a plan to state legislators for coming into compliance with a law requiring New York City to cap class sizes — and selling them on it could determine whether Mayor Zohran Mamdani maintains control over the city’s school system.

On Friday, Governor Kathy Hochul finally unveiled the changes she wants to make to New York’s flagship climate law, after months of waffling. nysfocus.com/2026/03/20/h...

The state’s universal pre-K funding model is notoriously complex. How does it actually work, and can the governor’s plan fix it? nysfocus.com/2026/03/20/u...

Know what’s happening behind the scenes in climate law negotiations? Reach out confidentially over email at [email protected] or on Signal at @Colin.36. nysfocus.com/2026/03/20/h...

Critics say Hochul’s eagerness to fight auto insurance fraud doesn’t jibe with her budget’s use of the revenue raised by the $10 Motor Vehicle Law Enforcement Fee. Her proposal would continue to allocate about 90% of that money for the State Police. nysfocus.com/2026/03/11/a...

Under the governor’s proposal, the most concrete deadline for climate action would be pushed out to the end of her potential second term. nysfocus.com/2026/03/20/h...

The Assembly wants to freeze your energy bills, the Senate wants to stop police from working with ICE, and the governor wants to slash auto insurance premiums. We read the governor’s, Senate’s, and Assembly’s budget proposals — so you don’t have to. nysfocus.com/2026/03/12/n...

Legislators estimate that at least 14 social service programs encompassing thousands of workers aren’t included in the annual contract increases. nysfocus.com/2026/03/25/h...

Unions want state leaders to sweeten their retirement packages. In dollar terms, it could end up being one of the biggest decisions made in this year’s budget. nysfocus.com/2026/03/23/b...

NEW: Enacted decades ago to help the state’s nonprofit contractors cover rising costs, the policy governing the annual increase has not been updated over time to reflect all human service contracts. nysfocus.com/2026/03/25/h...

NEW: The governor, Senate, and Assembly all have different ideas for how to implement this year’s increases for human services contracts. nysfocus.com/2026/03/25/h...

The state legislature officially backed Governor Kathy Hochul’s plan to offer every 4-year-old in New York a free pre-K seat within the next three years. How does the program’s funding model actually work? Here’s what you need to know. nysfocus.com/2026/03/20/u...

State lawmakers have signed off on the governor’s sweeping child care plan with few changes, but they remain divided on how to best fund New York schools. nysfocus.com/2026/03/11/u...

New York Focus is suing DOCCS, the state prison agency. nysfocus.com/2026/03/17/l...

The state Senate and Assembly each proposed a budget increase to fund immigrant services, primarily legal assistance. But their proposals leave unresolved how far the state is willing to go to shield immigrants from federal enforcement. nysfocus.com/2026/03/11/i...

Unions want state leaders to sweeten their retirement packages. What would it cost, and what would it achieve? nysfocus.com/2026/03/23/b...

The state Senate and Assembly each proposed a budget increase of $110.8 million to fund immigrant services, primarily legal assistance. But their proposals leave unresolved how far the state is willing to go to shield immigrants from federal enforcement. nysfocus.com/2026/03/11/i...