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Capitol Conversations: Bureau reporters break down the latest

This file photo shows the New York state Capitol in Albany.
Hans Pennink
/
Associated Press file photo
This file photo shows the New York state Capitol in Albany.

There’s been some movement, but there’s still no agreement on a state budget, more than three weeks after the deadline.

Lawmakers are still fighting about Gov. Kathy Hochul’s policy proposals, including scaling back the climate law and increasing protections for immigrants. Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie said there has been some movement on auto insurance.

They’re also trying to parse through the details of the proposed pied-á-terre tax on second homes in New York City. The question is whether it applies to assessed value, and exactly who might be snagged, including President Trump.

Another prominent Republican in the state, U.S. Rep Elise Stefanik, is out with a new book. It’s called "Poisoned Ivies" and talks about what happened before and after a viral moment in a 2023 hearing where Stefanik asked the president of Harvard University whether calling for the genocide of Jews violates the school's code of conduct.

And a bill banning certain food additives and calling for more transparency about the food supply is now on its way to the governor’s desk.

The New York Public News Network’s Jimmy Vielkind and Samuel King discuss those developments at the Capitol.

Jimmy Vielkind covers how state government and politics affect people throughout New York. He has covered Albany since 2008, most recently as a reporter for The Wall Street Journal.
Samuel King is a Capitol News Bureau reporter for the New York Public News Network, producing multimedia stories on issues of statewide interest and importance.