Friday Headlines: All She Wrote Edition
Today is the last day of the state legislative session, and in their final week, state lawmakers used the truncated coda (budget negotiations ran historically late) to make some interesting choices.
The state Senate scuttled an MTA board nomination, ending David Mack’s time speaking for Nassau County commuters. But they did approve new representatives for New York City and Rockland and Westchester Counties.
Despite opposition from good-government groups and Gov. Hochul herself, the state Senate passed legislation requiring two-person crews on every subway train. Allowing trains to be operated by just one person is proven to make mass transit more efficient, but unions have claimed it makes the subway less safe. Hochul vetoed it last winter, so even if the Assembly passes it today, its odds of becoming law aren’t amazing.
The state Capitol demands a never-say-never approach, but things look dire for legislation that would allow street cleaners to use automated parking enforcement technology in New York City. It passed the state Senate but has yet to make it to the Assembly Rules Committee, a prerequisite to a floor vote.
Assembly Member Brian Cunningham (D-Brooklyn) told Streetsblog that he couldn’t see why anyone would oppose it, since if executed properly, it would actually reduce the number of times drivers need to move their cars. But a lack of opposition, especially when time is in short supply, isn’t always enough to turn a bill into a law.
There’s definitely more to watch out for during the rest of 2026, but after today, lawmakers will have done their best (or worst) to make New York’s streets more livable.
More news:
- The state budget gave the 125th Street Subway expansion a $175 million boost.
- Expect closed streets and more subway trains during the World Cup, although you might wanna avoid Penn Station. (The Daily News)
- LIRR paid out $2.9 million to a victim’s family after a fatal Brentwood crash. (Newsday)
- The State GOP is doing its part to keep Rep. Nick Lalota (R-Long Island) in Congress. (Newsday)
- Rep. Adriano Espaillat’s (D-Manhattan) reelection campaign is forcing him to reckon with a shifting constituency. (Gothamist)
- Assembly Member Claire Valdez (D-Queens) is taking money from Political Action Committees after previously shunning them. (The New York Post)
- The MTA wants to use new technology to track when intruders, be they man, beast or detritus, are on the tracks. (The City Reporter)
- State Senate Deputy Majority Leader Mike Gianaris (D-Queens) spent his last day in Albany yesterday. (NY1)
- New legislation will make it easier for New Yorkers with disabilities to travel with dignity. (Mid Hudson News)
- An 8-year-old girl was hit and killed by a driver in Ramapo. (Mid Hudson News)
- The candidates for New York’s 12th Congressional District appear to be nerds. (City & State)
- Upstat transit may yet survive after the latest bump in state aid. (WXXI)
- The Rhenish Amtrak station clawed back its federal funding with the help of some bipartisan handwringing. (The Red Hook Daily Catch)
- The state Working Families Party is trying to purge spoilers from its ballots. (The Times Union)
- Rochester-area Republicans are shaping up for an Assembly primary showdown. (Rochester Beacon)
- Monroe County Executive Adam Bello made Vision Zero and street safety a focus in his latest state of the county address. (13WHAM)
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