Albany remains sharply divided on a bill that would raise the minimum wage – a day after Governor Andrew Cuomo, who backs the measure, said he “wouldn’t bet” on a resolution any time soon.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo says a new, temporary board set to run the New York Racing Association will enhance racing while working closely with New York's expansion of gambling.

When Governor Cuomo introduced what he calls the Justice Center for Protection of People with Special Needs, he said it would establish the “strongest standards and practices in nation”. The new agency would employ a staff of special prosecutor and an inspector general to pursue allegations of abuse of the mentally and physically disabled in the care of the state. The bill would increase penalties for those convicted. It would also set up a 24-hour hotline to report suspected abuse, and create a statewide database of workers convicted of abuse to prevent them from ever being hired again.

Democrats in the State Assembly approved a bill to increase the state’s minimum wage. The Republican leader of the State Senate offered a spirited defense of his position opposing the measure, but did not rule the issue out altogether.

Cardinal Timothy Dolan and the New York State Catholic Conference called on lawmakers in Albany on Thursday to pass, “a modest increase” in the state’s minimum wage, currently set at $7.25.

Groups opposed to hydraulic fracturing, otherwise known as fracking, presented Governor Andrew Cuomo with 200,000 signatures asking for a ban on the gas drilling process in New York.  A State Senator predicted the opposition to the process will have an effect on the governor.

Governor Andrew Cuomo named a blue ribbon commission to look at the problems facing education in New York, instructing them to come back with an “action plan” not a “theoretical document” that the legislature can implement in time for the 2013 school year.

Governor Andrew Cuomo for the first time addressed speculation that he might be a candidate for President in 2016, saying it’s “flattering”, but “distracting”.

Abortion rights advocates promoting the Reproductive Health Act say they are counting on Governor Andrew Cuomo to help the bill become law this year.

An historic preservation group is weighing in on hydro-fracking for the first time, and they don't like what they’ve been learning about the gas drilling process. They say it would change the nature of the landscape from rural to industrial and would detract from heritage tourism in the Marcellus shale region.

Governor Andrew Cuomo has issued an executive order to create a health care exchange for New York residents, a state-run clearinghouse for individuals and small businesses looking for health insurance, after the Legislature failed to act.

For the second year in row, New York State is on the way to an on time budget. Governor Andrew Cuomo signed the first of several budget bills into law, while the Legislature passed all the bills that make up the $132.5 billion budget.

Governor Andrew Cuomo gave up some items in the newly announced state budget deal, but so did the State Legislature.

New York lawmakers are very optimistic about getting a budget done on time again this year. They say 99 percent of the state’s spending plan has been closed down, and they will pass bills before the end of the week.

Legislators are suffering a backlash from those last two votes from the state’s largest public employee union, which said it is suspending all political endorsements and campaign contributions to state legislators because of the deal

Former Governor George Pataki was the keynote speaker at the GOP convention in Rochester. Pataki gave a fiery speech against President Barack Obama, and sais this year’s election is a fight for the very “soul” of the nation.

Karen DeWitt, Capitol bureau chief for New York State Public Radio and Ken Lovett, Albany bureau chief of The Daily News, wrap up the flurry of legislation in Albany. 

An overnight session in the state legislature where pension reform and other items were approved has left public worker unions, and even some lawmakers, fuming. Meanwhile Governor Andrew Cuomo says it had to be done that way.

Legislative leaders and Governor Cuomo are working on a constitutional amendment to reform redistricting in New York. But critics say in its present form, the proposal will not accomplish that.

It’s coming down to the wire on redistricting in New York. A federal court has already usurped a gridlocked state legislature and drawn new congressional lines. It is now on track to redraw state legislative lines, too, if the Assembly and Senate do not agree on a bill by March 15.