Karen DeWitt

A report by the state Comptroller finds that New York ranks number one in being shortchanged in tax money from the federal government.

A report by Comptroller Tom DiNapoli finds New Yorkers gave $26.6 billion more dollars in tax money in 2018 to the federal government than they got back, ranking it 50^th among the 50 states.

“We are part of a very small number of states that are net donors to the federal government,” said Di Napoli who said New York’s congressional delegation should push the issue during budget negotiations.

Democrats who lead the state Senate approved several measures on Thursday to make it easier to vote. But a newly energized Republican minority wanted to talk about other topics, such as worries about undocumented immigrants voting and whether to repeal recently enacted bail reform measures.

On the second day of the legislative session, the Senate lost no time in acting on a number of bills to allow more voter participation. 

There was a somber tone to Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s 10^th State of the State message in a year where the state is facing a $6 billion deficit and reeling from a recent spate of hate crimes, including a stabbing incident at a rabbi’s house outside New York City.

“It is going to be a challenging year,” Cuomo said Wednesday.

Cuomo said recent events have been frightening, including an earthquake in Puerto Rico, deep and bitter political divides, and the attack on Orthodox Jews celebrating Hanukkah that injured five, one severely.

The minority party Republicans in the state Assembly have a new leader.

Will Barclay from the Syracuse area replaces Brian Kolb, who resigned after being charged with drunken driving on New Year’s Eve.

GOP members, who hold less than one-third of the total seats in the Assembly, spent less than an hour in a closed-door meeting to elect Barclay as their new leader.

Among some top state Democrats, there are some cracks in the support for criminal justice reforms in 2020 that have eliminated most forms of cash bail. Gov. Andrew Cuomo and the state's attorney general are among those now saying they are open to making some changes. 

Over the New Year’s holiday, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced that New York’s health care providers will see a 1% drop in the reimbursements they receive for the government-funded Medicaid health care program.

It’s part of an effort to reduce a multi-billion-dollar budget gap that the state is facing.

On Jan. 1, several new laws take effect in New York, including major changes to the criminal justice system.

New York will end cash bail for people accused of nonviolent crimes, and prosecutors will have to promptly turn over to defendants the evidence that they have against them. 

New York state begins the new year with the biggest budget deficit since the Great Recession, estimated at $5 billion to $6 billion. 

With support from Gov. Andrew Cuomo and many members of the state legislature, 2020 could be the year when New York legalizes the adult use of recreational marijuana.

But the issue has become complicated by a widespread lung ailment linked to vaping. 

A measure to legalize cannabis for adults was proposed in 2019, as part of the state budget. It did not make it into the final spending plan, and it failed to win enough support to pass as a standalone bill in the state Senate.

Republican State Sen. Rich Funke announced Tuesday that he will not seek re-election to the 55th State Senate District.

Funke made the announcement on YouTube, saying he wanted to decide when it was time to leave office.

"I also believe in term limits, so I will end my time in elected office next year on my own terms," Funke said in a YouTube video released Tuesday morning.