Public News Service

A Marist Poll found 31% of rural New Yorkers want increased state funding for developing new homes. (Adobe Stock)

NYS budget bolsters rural housing preservation programs

New York's 2025 budget takes proactive steps to address rural housing. In the budget, $10 million was allocated for improvements to rural housing …

The National College Attainment Network reported the graduating high school class of 2023 in New York left more than $226 million in Pell grants unclaimed, the fourth-highest of any state. (Adobe Stock)

NY approves universal FAFSA access for graduating students

New York's 2025 budget creates universal access to the Free Application for Federal Student Aid program. School districts statewide will have the …

Estimates find 3.4 million New York renters are left out of the state's new

Advocates: NY budget erodes tenant, housing protections

New York State housing advocates say they are furious about the so-called "good cause eviction bill" in the new state budget. It grants tenant …

Some 60% of restaurant workers who complete Restaurant Opportunities Centers United's CHOW training got a $2 to $3 per hour pay increase. (Adobe Stock)

Workforce training helps NY workers know their rights

New York restaurant workers need to know their rights to better navigate their workplaces. A new report finds high rates of what it calls …

A University of Chicago- Harris/AP-NORC poll finds two-thirds of Americans believe they pay too much in taxes with little benefit. However, a new tool from the IRS can help them reap the benefits they might be missing. (Adobe Stock)

Report: IRS Direct File Tool maximizes NYers tax returns

A new report finds New Yorkers are getting the most out of their tax filings, thanks to a new resource. The Internal Revenue Service's free…

A 2019 Homeland Security inspector general report found one in five TSA screeners were quitting after 6 months. One of the biggest reasons was low pay and lack of opportunity for advancement. (Adobe Stock)

NY TSA workers’ contract provides better working conditions

New York transportation safety officers will see improved working conditions thanks to a newly ratified contract. The new American Federation of …

A 2022 report finds failing to speed up transmission beyond the current pace will increase 2030 U.S. greenhouse-gas emissions by 800 million tons per year. (Adobe Stock)

NYS bill could speed up electric transmission installation

New York's Legislature is considering a bill to get clean-energy projects connected to the grid faster. It's called the RAPID Act, for "Renewable …

An Institute for Women's Policy Research report finds the profession with the largest wage gap is financial manager, with women earning 71% of what men earn. The profession with the smallest gap is cashier, with women earning 98% of what men do. (Adobe Stock)

Report: Wage gap declines, but won’t close for 30 years

Today is Equal Pay Day, and a new report finds the wage gap between men and women is closing. The Institute for Women's Policy Research data show …

A Regional Plan Association report found across the country, rural communities could lose 100,000 affordable homes in the next decade once USDA Section 515 loans are paid off. (Adobe Stock)

Report: NY affordable housing needs funding

A new report outlined the need to preserve rural New York's affordable rental housing. The report from the Regional Plan Association report showed …

Some 37% of New York foster care kids are being placed in family-based care than in previous decades, when the majority would have been placed in a group home. (Adobe Stock)

NY legislation would end parents paying for foster care

A bill in the New York State Legislature could alter how the foster care system operates in the state by ending the requirement for parents to pay for…

As of December, more than 2.5 million Medicaid enrollees renewed their coverage, and more than 1.1 million enrollees were disenrolled. This includes almost 600,000 people who were deemed ineligible and more than 509,000 who were disenrolled for procedural reasons. (Adobe Stock)

Community health center leaders examine primary care crisis

Community health center leaders from New York and across the nation are meeting in Washington this week. They'll be strategizing about how to address …

The Pew Research Center reported 41% of Black workers it surveyed experienced discrimination or were treated unfairly by an employer in hiring, pay, or promotions due to their race or ethnicity. (Adobe Stock)

Black restaurant workers in NY want racial wage gap closed

As Black History Month begins, people are looking at how to close New York's racial wage gap. Between 2010 and 2020, the state's wage gap shrank by …

Data from the Pew Charitable Trusts showed higher rates of homelessness in New York can be found in areas with the highest rents. (Adobe Stock)

NY advocates call out state for mishandling the housing crisis

New York housing advocates feel the state is not taking the affordable housing crisis seriously. The recent budget proposal and State of the State …

A University of Washington report showed more than 2 million New York households struggle to get by on their earnings alone. (Adobe Stock)

NY bill establishes tax credit to help struggling families

A proposed bill would help New York families struggling with the high cost of living. The Working Families Tax Credit bill combines the Empire State …

A Marist Poll found 71% of rural New Yorkers think the state is not providing enough resources to address the lack of affordable housing. (Adobe Stock)

NYS budget proposal doesn’t address rural housing needs

Gov. Kathy Hochul's 2025 budget proposal is missing key funding priorities for rural housing, according to a coalition advocating for the issue…

Kingston was the first municipality in New York to adopt rent control in response to rising rent prices. Nyack was the second, enacting similar protections and declaring a housing emergency. (Adobe Stock)

Newburgh declares housing emergency, other municipalities to follow

Newburgh, New York declared a housing emergency - and other cities could follow suit. A 2021 survey finds 77% of people might leave the city …

Aside from costing rural areas economic opportunities, a housing shortage is also creating population declines. A Rural Housing Coalition of New York report found rural counties saw 50,000 people leave in the last decade. (Adobe Stock)

NY housing organization seeks solutions to rural housing issues

Rural New York organizations are working to tackle issues with rural housing. Rural counties throughout the state are suffering from aging housing …

New York's Legislature passed bills to ensure people in both the Energy Affordability and HEAP programs can have their information used to see if who needs a low-income benefit. Another bill required service companies to get customers content before any material prices increase. (Adobe Stock)

National Grid proposes rate increase for downstate NY

National Grid is proposing rate hikes for three New York City boroughs and Long Island. In Brooklyn, Queens and Staten Island, the utility company …

A report by Advocates for Children of New York found the highest rate of student homelessness was in The Bronx, where one in six students was homeless from 2022 to 2023. (Adobe Stock)

Report: NYC student homelessness continues to rise

A new report found a little more than 119,000 New York City students are homeless. The group Advocates for Children of New York said 61% were …

In 2022, New Yorkers were paying $8,596 for employer-sponsored health coverage. Now, those prices have gotten closer to $9,000. (Adobe Stock)

NY Health Experts Help People Find Health Care Plans

New York health experts are preparing people for the health-care coverage open-enrollment period. Between 2010 and 2021, the number of New Yorkers …

The Bureau of Labor Statistics finds employment of janitors and building cleaners is projected to grow 4% between 2021 and 2031, which is a similar rate for all occupations. (32BJ SEIU)

NY Cleaners Head to Philadelphia for Union Contract Rally

Hundreds of New York commercial office cleaners are going to Philadelphia to rally for upcoming contract negotiations. The negotiations for New York …

The entire project involving the new Buffalo Bills facility will be to build the 1.35 million-square-foot open-air stadium with 60,000 to 63,000 seats, with an expandable capacity for special events. (Gov. Kathy Hochul)

New Buffalo Bills Stadium Creates Jobs for Western NYers

As construction on the new Buffalo Bills stadium gets underway, Western New Yorkers are preparing for the jobs the project will create. Along with …

An Annie E. Casey Foundation report found the number of kids entering foster care because of behavior issues has declined from 49% in 2006 to 30% in 2021. (Adobe Stock)

Report: NY Foster Kids Need Better Support

Foster children in New York and across the nation need better transition support once they age out, according to a new report from the Annie E…

La Iniciativa de Datos sobre Educaci�n informa que menos de la mitad de los prestatarios, 43.8 millones, tienen deudas por pr�stamos federales a estudiantes. (Adobe Stock)

Cámara vota a favor de suprimir programa para condonar deudas estudiantiles

Un nuevo informe destaca la importancia del alivio de la deuda estudiantil para los trabajadores de Nueva York y todo el país. El informe de …

The Education Data Initiative reports fewer than half of borrowers, 43.8 million, have federal student loan debt. (Adobe Stock)

U.S. House Votes to Rescind Student Debt-Relief Program

A new report outlined the importance of student debt relief to workers in New York and across the country. An American Federation of Teachers …

A report from the Healthcare Association of New York State finds almost half of New York's hospitals reduced or eliminated services to mitigate staffing challenges, all while making sure critical services remain available. (Adobe Stock)

NY Budget Creates Wins, Losses for Hospitals in State

New York State's new 2024 budget provides some needed relief to hospitals. Along with a Medicaid rate increase, the budget includes $1.4 billion …

Some 55% of educators across the United States are thinking about leaving or retiring from their jobs sooner than they'd planned. Many cite stress and burnout, according to a 2022 National Education Association survey. (Adobe Stock)

GOP Lawmakers Question Teachers' Union Choices in Pandemic

GOP lawmakers are re-evaluating policies about how and why schools closed during the COVID-19 pandemic. Critics of the effort say it's a back-handed …

A report from the New York State Public Employees Federation found social workers leave their job over pay inequity, burnout, unsafe or toxic work conditions, and lack of a work-life balance. (Adobe Stock)

NYS Public Social Workers Enduring High Stress, Low Pay

The New York State Public Employees Federation is launching a campaign to improve publicly employed social workers' conditions. The "Respect Us…

A report from AARP New York finds older New Yorkers living in rural areas are struggling to age in place because of how expensive modifications to homes would be. While they can utilize New York's Access to Home for Medicaid Recipients program, it only gets enough funding to handle $1 million in improvements, but has received requests totaling $12 million. (Andre Carrotflower/Wikimedia Commons)

NY Mayor Eager to Address Numerous Issues After Conference

A New York state mayor is eager to implement new initiatives he observed during the National League of Cities Congressional City Conference. …

At a rally in Harlem, members of Citizen Action of New York call for a bevy of changes to public money in Albany. They want taxes raised on the wealthiest New Yorkers, to increase the state's minimum wage, and to end 'pay-for-play' by reducing state subsidies for corporations. (Citizen Action New York)

NYC Group Calls for Significant Community Investments

Community leaders in Harlem are calling on local and state elected officials to make significant community investments. As part of their 2023 …

A new report from AARP New York finds the Long Term Care Ombudsman Program doesn't meet the program's own definition of regular ombudsman presence, since only 9% of all nursing homes received a weekly visit from an ombudsman. (Adobe Stock)

Report: NY Nursing Homes Not Getting Enough Oversight

A recent report finds nursing homes across New York are going without proper oversight. AARP New York's report finds about 80% of New York City's …

According to data from the Economic Policy Institute, alongside people age 25 or older, a quarter of people who would see benefits from increasing the minimum wage over $20 are parents. (Adobe Stock)

Proposed Bill Would Raise NY Minimum Wage Over $20

A bill in the New York State Legislature would increase the minimum wage to over $20 by 2026. The Raise the Wage Act would increase New York's $15 …

A new study from the Rural Housing Coalition of New York finds while rural counties in the state have higher levels of homeownership, vacancy rates are twice as high as urban counties. (Adobe Stock)

Study: Rural NY Struggling with Numerous Issues

A new study shows rural New York is struggling with declining populations and lacking employment. The State of Rural New York examines about a …

A report from the National Association of Social Workers New York Chapter finds there's a racial disparity in social-worker salaries. The report finds 16.3% of people earning $60,000 to $70,000 a year identified as white, 6% are people of color and 3.8% are Hispanic. (Adobe Stock)

Report: Low Salary Contributes to NY Social Workers Leaving Field

A new report shows social workers are not being paid equal to similar professions. The report, from the National Association of Social Workers New …

According to the Economic Policy Institute, if the New York state minimum wage had risen in tandem with employee productivity, it would currently be at $24.79 per hour. (Adobe Stock)

Legislation Proposes Raising NY Minimum Wage Over $20

New York's minimum wage would increase to more than $20 an hour by 2026 if a bill in Albany is successful. Known as "Raise Up NY," it would raise …

According to a poll by the American Federation of Teachers, 85% of those surveyed want the new Congress to focus on providing resources and support to public schools, instead of carrying our political investigations. 15% felt otherwise. (Adobe Stock)

New AFT Poll Shows Parent, Voter Priorities for Public Education

A new poll shows parents and voters want improved public education and stronger building blocks for those students. According to the poll, from the …

Four organizations in New York will receive $500,000 from the Environmental Protection Agency to provide brownfield job training. In New York State, there are more than 5,000 brownfields, mostly located in Western New York, New York City and Long Island. (Adobe Stock)

EPA Provides Funding for Green Jobs in NY

The Environmental Protection Agency is investing several million dollars in green jobs training in New York. Two million dollars of this money comes …

According to a letter from the National Labor Relations Board, newly-approved funding could be used for a 4.6% pay increase, and to help blunt any non-labor-related inflation costs. (Adobe Stock)

Congress Boosts NLRB Funding by $25 Million

Congress has approved a $25 million funding boost for the National Labor Relations Board, and labor experts hope it will allow the agency to better …

According to a report from the Georgetown University Center for Children and Families, the state with the largest increase in its rate of uninsured children was Idaho, at 46%. (Adobe Stock)

Report: NY's Doing Well at Keeping Kids Insured

Compared to most states, New York is doing a good job of making sure children have health coverage, according to a new report. The Georgetown …

Seg�n un informe del Centro para Ni�os y Familias de la Universidad de Georgetown, el estado con el mayor aumento en su tasa de ni�os sin seguro fue Idaho, con un 46%. (Adobe Stock)

Informe: Nueva York mantiene bien asegurados a los niños

En comparación con la mayoría de los estados, Nueva York está haciendo un buen trabajo para garantizar que los niños tengan …

Numerous utility companies in New York such as Con-Edison, NYSEG and RG&E are expecting to see higher bill prices, as energy costs have increased. Specifically, Con Edison is expecting a 32% increase from the previous year in bills for natural-gas users, and NYSEG's natural gas customers might see a 47% increase in their bills. (Adobe Stock)

NYS Legislation Gives Ratepayers Voice in Utility Increases

A bill passed by the New York State Legislature would provide ratepayers with a voice in utility rate increases. The utility intervenor bill would …

Of about 1,678 part-time faculty at The New School, more than 1,300 decided to strike. At issue are wage increases, assurances of no health-care cuts, and third-party protection from harassment and discrimination. (Adobe Stock)

New School Instructors Strike for Better Pay

Faculty members at The New School have been on strike since Wednesday, seeking to negotiate a new contract with the school administration. Some 87% …

According to a survey by Nurses.org, 77% of nurses feel unsupported at work and 56% have felt unsafe at their jobs. Despite this, the Bureau of Labor Statistics is projecting a 6% growth in the number of registered nurses over the next decade. (Adobe Stock)

NY Nurses Association Growing to Aid Union Efforts

New York's largest nurses union has affiliated with the largest nurses union nationwide. The New York State Nurses Association voted to affiliate …

According to the U.S. Department of Labor, employment for adults with disabilities rose to 38% in September 2022, up from 35.1% in 2021. However, this is still less than half the employment rate for people without disabilities. (Adobe Stock)

As Disability Employment Awareness Month Ends, NY Advocacy Continues

As National Disability Employment Awareness Month comes to a close, New Yorkers are contending there is more to do beyond October. According to the …

According to the Empire Center, the average family health-care plan premium in New York is $23,450. That's 14% above the national average, and the third-highest cost, behind Connecticut and New Hampshire. (Valeri Luzina/Adobe Stock)

What NYers Should Consider When Buying Healthcare Plans

Many New Yorkers will be shopping for new health insurance plans this month, when open enrollment begins. If you are among them, experts advise it is …

In the 2007-2008 school year, New York City was set to implement a plan to limit class sizes to 25 students by the 2011-2012 school year. However, the plan hasn't yet come to fruition. (Adobe Stock)

New Law to Cap Class Sizes in NYC Schools

Class sizes in New York City schools will be limited by 2028 - the result of a new state law. The law will cap Kindergarten through third-grade …

Some marijuana convictions, which keep people from getting a better job, joining the military, going back to school or getting a student loan, can be erased right now. (Adobe Stock)

Legal Clinic: How to Put a Pot Conviction Behind You

A special legal clinic is being held on September 24 in Buffalo about expunging certain marijuana convictions. The clinic, a collaboration between …

According to a report from the University of California Berkeley, prior to the pandemic, restaurant workers in the state of New York had a workforce of 675,000 employees. Now that figure is down to 554,000. (Adobe Stock)

Restaurant Workers Seeking Legislation Outlining Rights

Restaurant workers have been fleeing the industry throughout the Great Resignation, with no end in sight. In order to codify necessities for better …

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NY: Livable Wages/Working Families