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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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.
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On the 51st anniversary of the now-defunct landmark U.S. Suprmeme Court decision affirming abortion rights, Gov. Kathy Hochul and Democrats in power in the State Legislature vowed to keep the procedure legal and safe in the state.
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The measure, known as the NY HEAT Act, would, among other things, discourage natural gas hookups to new homes by eliminating a practice known as the 100-foot rule.
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The bill would cut the amount of plastic packaging in consumer products in half over a period of 12 years and step up recycling efforts. It would also ban a form of plastics recycling known as chemical recycling. Industry groups wants changes to the measure.
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While both houses of the Legislature are led by her fellow Democrats, Gov. Kathy Hochul’s budget is not guaranteed to be an easy sell.