The Capitol Pressroom WCNY
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- News
Podcast by WCNY
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Fund for civil legal services entangled in budget drama
May 13, 2024 - Chris O'Malley, the outgoing executive director of the New York State Interest On Lawyer Account Fund, and Christine Fecko, the organization's incoming executive director, make the case for limiting the state's ability to dip its hands into a special fund for civil legal services to low-income New Yorkers.
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Increasing state's bottle deposit seen as boon to NYC 'canners'
May 13, 2024 - Expanding the state's bottle redemption laws would impact manufacturers, retailers, and consumers, but it would also have ramifications for thousands of "canners" in New York City. We learn about these New Yorkers with Jenna Harvey, an urban analyst with WIEGO, and Ryan Castalia, Executive Director of Sure We Can.
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Paid medical leave expansion stalls in Albany
May 13, 2024 - Senate Labor Committee Chair Jessica Ramos, a Queens Democrat, and Sherry Leiwant, co-founder and co-president of A Better Balance, explain the different paid medical leave proposals kicking around the Capitol and make the case for a more lucrative benefit.
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Big Tech's firm opposition to social media restrictions
May 10, 2024 - The ongoing legislative effort to protect minors from addictive features of social media is facing stiff opposition from the impacted platforms. We hear about the reservations from Chris MacKenzie, a spokesman for Chamber of Progress, which represents big tech companies.
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Concerns raised with state-backed investments in marijuana retailers
May 10, 2024 - We talked with cannabis attorney Lauren Rudick about the criticisms levied at the manager of the state's social equity fund, which is supposed to be uplifting aspiring marijuana retailers.
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Integrating mental health and substance abuse care
May 10, 2024 - New York is slowly expanding the number of providers offering integrated mental health and substance abuse care. We examine this effort with Jihoon Kim, CEO of InUnity Alliance, and Debbie Fletcher-Blake, president and CEO of VIP Community Services,