Politics

Gov. Andrew Cuomo said legalizing recreational marijuana is not going to be part of the state budget this year. Cuomo made his comments as the budget deadline approached with no agreement on how to close a $15 billion budget gap, caused by the fallout from the coronavirus.

The deadline for the state budget is midnight March 31, and lawmakers, facing a massive deficit, are meeting at the State Capitol, which is off-limits to the public. Meanwhile, yet another legislator has tested positive for the coronavirus.

State lawmakers have just one week until the state budget is due, and despite the coronavirus outbreak, they say they intend to meet the deadline and will use precautions to avoid meeting in large groups.They face a daunting task of putting together a spending plan while a multibillion-dollar deficit grows each day.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo is among those calling on the federal government to invoke the Defense Production Act so the Trump Administration can order factories to produce badly needed hospital gear to combat the coronavirus. Cuomo also says he’s looking at ways to allow mail-in balloting for the April 28 presidential primary.

New York City Public Schools will close until April 20 and Gov. Andrew Cuomo is ordering all downstate non-essential state workers to stay home starting Monday. But he says the legislative session will continue as planned this week, despite two state lawmakers now sick with the coronavirus.

Senator Kirsten Gillibrand appeared in Amherst Friday afternoon, joined by local elected and union leaders, to tout a bill which supporters say would discourage the outward flow of jobs to points overseas.

State officials spoke loudly when they announced IBM had agreed to set up in Buffalo, enticed by $55 million in public dollars. Now, their silence on the tech giant's apparent struggles here speaks volumes. As Jim Heaney of Investigative Post reports, four floors of IBM's seven-floor operation are now vacant. Inquiries--including Freedom of Information requests--have gone unanswered. The lack of transparency, Heaney says, follows a familiar pattern for many of Gov. Andrew Cuomo's economic development initiatives in Western New York.

New York’s ban on single-use plastic bags at grocery stores and other outlets takes effect March 1, and stores that haven’t already made the change are gearing up for it. But one food store in Albany has never offered its own plastic bags in its 40-year history, and they say no one has been bothered by that.

Senate Republicans on Tuesday planned to offer an amendment to repeal New York’s Green Light law, which permits undocumented immigrants to apply for driver's licenses.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo is again pressing for a ban on flavored tobacco-based vaping products, saying he hopes a law is passed in the next month.

A proposal in the State Senate to rollback part of the state’s recently-enacted bail reforms produced an angry backlash from supporters of the law, which  took effect January 1st and ended most forms of cash bail for non-violent crimes in New York.

New York’s Attorney General has now filed papers in a lawsuit against the federal government for preventing  New Yorkers from enrolling or re-enrolling in the federal government's Trusted Traveler Programs, aimed at making border crossings faster and easier.

State officials are reacting to the news that the federal Department of Homeland Security is ending an expedited travel pass known as Global Entry for New Yorkers crossing into Canada or Mexico or arriving home to an airport from a foreign country.

With impeachment still hovering, Democratic Congressman Brian Higgins acknowledged the atmosphere was "a little tense" as President Trump delivered his State of the Union in front of Congress. As for the substance of the speech, Higgins says it failed "to rise above what has occurred over the last several months and outline an ambitious agenda and challenge Congress to work with him." 

Erie County Conservatives have made the struggle for Chris Collins' old congressional district even more tangled, choosing Beth Parlato as the party choice for the seat.

A bill in the state Legislature to ban the sale of some animals, including puppies and kittens, at pet stores is gaining support.

From Des Moines to Council Bluffs, a group of students from Daemen College spent six days in Iowa to study the intense campaigning leading up to today's Iowa Caucuses. Leading their itinerary was Jay Wendland, associate professor of political science. Dr. Wendland says the group was able to attend several events and form a variety of opinions on most of the Democratic Party's Presidential candidates.

Democrat Nate McMurray will take another shot at Congress. After narrowly losing to Chris Collins in 2018, McMurray says he's ready to challenge Republican State Senator Chris Jacobs in a special election for New York's 27th Congressional seat. Erie County Democrats endorsed McMurray last night. This morning, he expressed confidence to WBFO. "I know this place. I know these people."

A lack of information on how Gov. Andrew Cuomo plans to cut billions out of state-funded health care programs led to some tense moments at a legislative budget hearing Wednesday.

Backers of legalizing the adult use of recreational marijuana in New York rallied at the Capitol on Tuesday, but some key differences among lawmakers might hold up passage.

The often-lengthy state budget hearings began Monday at the Capitol as legislators heard testimony on Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s spending plan and how to close a $6 billion gap. The process, however, was assailed by both the left and the right.

State Sen. Chris Jacobs was endorsed by county Republican leaders Saturday as their candidate to run in this spring's special election in the 27th congressional district.