Karen DeWitt
Karen DeWitt is Capitol Bureau Chief for New York State Public Radio, a network of 10 public radio stations in New York State. She has covered state government and politics for the network since 1990.
She is also a regular contributor to the statewide public television program about New York State government, New York Now. She appears on the reporter’s roundtable segment, and interviews newsmakers.
Karen previously worked for WINS Radio, New York, and has written for numerous publications, including Adirondack Life and the Albany newsweekly Metroland.
She is a past recipient of the prestigious Walter T. Brown Memorial award for excellence in journalism, from the Legislative Correspondents Association, and was named Media Person of the Year for 2009 by the Women’s Press Club of New York State.
Karen is a graduate of the State University of New York at Geneseo.
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Gov. Kathy Hochul’s budget director defended her proposed reductions to the state’s schools, but left the door open to restoring those cuts, now that new numbers show New York’s revenues are up by $1.3 billion.
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With little debate, the lines drawn by Democrats, who lead both the Senate and Assembly, were approved, with a handful of Republican minority party lawmakers also voting yes.
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When Democrats in the New York State Legislature approved the new congressional district lines, they also OK'd legislation to limit the practice of "judge shopping" when someone wants to file suit in a redistricting challenge.
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Democrats in the New York State Legislature rejected new congressional district maps drawn by a bipartisan redistricting commission and are opting to draw their own maps instead. Republicans, who are in the minority in the Legislature, condemned the vote — saying it’s all about the Democrats trying to gain political advantage.
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New York’s migrant crisis has once again become a political issue between Democrats and Republicans. This time, it’s playing out in state budget negotiations.
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Opposition to Gov. Kathy Hochul’s school aid reductions united Democrats and Republicans at Thursday's hearing. Lawmakers called the cuts “devastating” and said the changes will mean millions of dollars in losses to nearly half of the school districts around the state.
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The bill would make New York only the second state in the nation, after California, to seek contracts with drug companies to make its own generic prescription drugs, including insulin, a drug that has sharply risen in price in recent years.
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Gov. Kathy Hochul signed the measure on Tuesday, which modernizes what constitutes rape to include additional forms of sexual violence and assault beyond the original legal definition.
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Proponents say the curtent rate of a maximum of $170 a week is too low for recipients to meet their monthly bills
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A proposal by Gov. Kathy Hochul to tamp down on increased aid to schools in New York has angered lawmakers in both political parties.