Carl Heastie

The Challenging Wrongful Convictions Act, passed by New York's Legislature three years ago, was vetoed by Gov. Kathy Hochul under pressure from prosecutors. After revisions, the Senate passed the bill, but Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie blocked it from being voted on in the Assembly, halting its progress.

New York lawmakers are proposing a constitutional amendment to remove anti-gerrymandering prohibitions and enable mid-decade redistricting. The initiative is led by Speaker of the New York State Assembly Carl Heastie.

New York Democrats are advancing plans to amend the state constitution to allow mid-decade changes to congressional maps and to grant the Legislature authority over ballot question wording. The proposed changes aim to eliminate restrictions on partisan gerrymandering and shift control of referendum language from a bipartisan Board of Elections to legislative leaders. Critics argue the move risks politicizing the state constitution, while Democrats claim it ensures legislative priorities align with voter intentions.

New York Governor Kathy Hochul claims to have a budget deal, but Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie denies it, saying nothing is final. The proposed budget includes protections for undocumented immigrants and changes to the environmental review process. The financial details of the budget are still being worked out.

Governor Kathy Hochul is pushing auto-insurance reforms to curb fraud, citing federal indictments against associates of former Mayor Eric Adams involved in a car-crash fraud scheme. The indictments highlight alleged fraudulent practices targeting insurance companies, which Hochul's office claims her proposed reforms would prevent.