Stateline Headlines

NJ lawmakers eye upping cigarette-buying age to 21

Cuomo deals LI out

School budgets felt outside class, too

Speaker to seek New York legislator’s expulsion

You can do better, R-C-S

Oneidas to settle land, tax disputes

Lopez helped to get top state post

Cuomo finances detailed in report

Cuomo to Lopez: Quit or be expelled

Driver’s seat

Archbishop clarifies remarks about Cuomo

State said to be reviewing pay for fast-food workers

Report finds lawmaker was shielded by leaders

Pension predators

N.Y. Assembly shielded Lopez from sex claims, report says

Cuomo threatens subpoenas in bid for public campaign financing

Albany's next challenges

File form, or waive right to gun privacy

Bill: Ban fracking pollutants for treatment or dumping in state

NanoCollege chief assigned to develop 'innovation hot spots' at state universities

Safety Net Hospitals Won’t Be Docked in States That Don’t Expand Medicaid

Hospitals in non-expansion states feared they would be hit with bigger federal funding cuts than those in expansion states. HHS says that won’t happen – at least for the first two years.

Paterson hears ‘House’ call

Why so quiet, Mr. Adams?

Cuomo proposes 3-year rate freeze in LIPA takeover

Cities to petition panel for more aid

Archbishop presses Cuomo over abortion

Big forum? For Cuomo, it's always a 'summit'

Deadline for gun opt-out form arrives Wednesday

End judges' license plates

Seeking help for cellphone thefts

Property buyouts to cost $48.5M

Assembly acts to extend farm workers' rights

NYRA seeks $1.2M refund

NJ Transit remains silent on how it prepared for superstorm Sandy

Sampson crony eyed in 400G pay probe

Gov staffers elect to quit

Albany cleanup overdue

New York seeks to boost upstate tourism

Rail? Trail? Decide, N.Y.

Pot's risks, payoffs argued

Is yours more corrupt than mine?

This town took on fracking and won

Cities, States Face Off on Mandatory Paid Sick Leave

Stateline - NYC and Portland will require businesses to provide paid sick leave. But many states are less than enthusiastic.

Your Senate, your money

N.Y. court upholds ethics commission subpoena power

NYC weighs allowing many immigrants to vote

Tribal settlements in the casino mix

Empty upstate prison is sold

Is bias a factor in probe of state lawmakers?

N.Y. Senate fracking backer tied to firm with gas lease

Lawmaker’s secret recordings aid federal probe of politicians

Corruption cases swell in New York Legislature

And now, Mr. Sampson

Deadlines set by state for NYC teacher evaluations

Paid sick days are right, not a privilege

Tourism gets $60M lift

U.S. revives Medicaid error audit

Survey: Taxes sky high in state

In a letter, state lawmakers demand edits to a sex-scandal report

For officials on tape, legislator’s invitation was ruse

Honor veterans with legitimate assistance

Medley Centre received largest tax break in state

Report: More than 103K campaign finance violations in NY since 2011

Mr. Cuomo's big blind bet

Protesters shut out of election finance hearing pitch dollar bills

Names of wire targets due out

Funds aid vacant school 'adaptive re-use'

New York State investigating pension-advance firms

Public hearing in Albany is held without the public

Corruption case to add six more taped officials

For Democrats, corruption arrest is one more barrier to control of the state Senate

New York to sue BofA, Wells Fargo over mortgage practices

N.Y. to sue Bank of America, Wells Fargo over alleged violations of mortgage deal

Corruption in Albany

Report: Fracking would boost income levels upstate

The DEC's murky waters

CSEA seeks ethics probe

Senate confirms new judge

DiNapoli: Fund value rebounding

Albany salary structure needs to be revamped

Charter school classification a growing issue for Section V

Let them vote, Mr. Skelos

Tourism industry leaders to meet for N.Y. summit

Ongoing dry weather raises NY wildfire danger

Finger Lakes gas storage plans draw outcry

NYC tobacco fight hampered by low fines

Public funding debate heats up

Report: Sandy Inundated East Coast With Sewage

Hurricane Sandy’s floodwaters last October inundated East Coast with sewage. Researchers have now estimated how much flowed from crippled treatment plants.

Federal Cuts Could Harm Flood Forecasting

As climate change increases the likelihood of extreme droughts and floods, experts say shutting off the stream-flow gauges could have costly consequences.

States Rack Up Victories in Bids to Collect Online Sales Taxes

After more than a decade of trying, state officials think they may get to collect billions of dollars of taxes on online sales soon. Find out why.

Registry Finds More Exonerations in 2012

Since 1989, at least 1,089 people convicted of crimes have been officially cleared based on new evidence of their innocence, according to the National Registry of Exonerations annual report released Wednesday.

Colorado Governor Signs New Gun Restrictions

Colorado’s new gun restrictions will limit the size of gun magazines and require a background check for all gun sales, including online purchases. Governor Hickenlooper signed the bill just hours after state Department of Corrections Director Tom Clements was shot and killed in his home.

States Tackle School Safety After Sandy Hook Shootings

At least 20 states are considering bills that would allow some teachers to be armed. Others are focusing on emergency plans and mental health checks.

New York Takes the Lead on Palliative Care

New York State has enacted legislation linking all patients with advanced illness to palliative care. But even as other states look to follow suit, there is a national workforce shortage in this medical field.

Which State Will Be Next to Allow Fracking?

Hydraulic fracturing continues as a hot-button issue across statehouses, as lawmakers consider how much scrutiny to apply to oil and gas drillers looking to tap shale deposits stretching beneath 31 states. New York, Illinois, California and North Carolina are home to some high-profile debates.

Advocates for Climate Action Urge Insurers to Join Up

Some are pushing the insurance industry to not only to crank up the volume on its longstanding calls for hardier building and safer land use in disaster-prone areas, but also to push for cuts to the carbon emissions.

Governors Ask Lawmakers to Prevent Future Shootings

The recent mass shootings in Colorado and Connecticut reshaped governors’ legislative agendas this year, and many used their once-a-year legislative addresses to ask lawmakers to take up gun control, mental health treatment and school safety.

Northeastern States To Drastically Cut Emissions Cap

Nine Northeastern states will drastically cut the region’s carbon cap under proposed changes to the region’s cap-and- trade program, they announced Thursday.

Debt Ceilings Without Drama

Most states have rules that limit how much they can borrow. Unlike Congress, however, state lawmakers have almost never used the limits to engage in high-stakes political confrontations – at least not yet.

Obama Sends $50.5 billion Sandy Relief Package to States

Federal aid is finally headed to the Atlantic Coast states, three months after Hurricane Sandy ravaged their shores.