Plugged In @ Hinman Straub

April 18, 2025

What’s Inside

Legislative Session Recap
USDOT Takes Control of Penn Station Overhaul
Governor Announces ConnectALL Request for Applications to Bring Broadband to Hardest to Serve Areas
Stefanik Considering Run for Governor
In the News
Coming Up

Legislative Session Recap

The Legislature convened on both Tuesday and Thursday this week to pass two budget extenders. Both chambers are now adjourned until Tuesday, April 22, a session day that was not originally on the schedule.

The most recent budget extender ensures that state funding and payroll obligations are covered through Wednesday, April 23. If a budget agreement is not reached by early next week, the Legislature will be required to pass a seventh extender to avoid any disruption in state operations.

NYS Budget

The deadline for the Fiscal Year 2026 New York State Budget has come and gone, with negotiations expected to continue through the weekend. As of now, no overall agreement has been finalized, though negotiations are beginning to pick up steam.

Earlier this week, it was reported that conceptual agreements have been reached on two of the Governor’s four major policy proposals currently being negotiated—discovery reform and a bell-to-bell cellphone ban in schools. Further details of these agreements have not yet been released.

USDOT Takes Control of Penn Station Overhaul

Yesterday, U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced that the Federal Railroad Administration (“FRA”) is withdrawing the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (“MTA”) from leading the Penn Station Reconstruction project in New York City. Instead, Amtrak, backed by USDOT, will spearhead this critical infrastructure initiative.

According to the USDOT’s press release, this action will save taxpayers $120 million. For more details, view FRA’s letter to the MTA regarding the withdrawal of the FY 2024 Federal-State Partnership (FSP) Program grant and FRA’s letter revising the Amtrak grant allocation.

Following the announcement, Governor Hochul issued the following statement, marking this decision as a victory for New Yorkers:

In multiple meetings with President Trump, I requested that the federal government fund the long-overdue overhaul of Penn Station. Clearly that effort has been successful, and I want to thank the President and Secretary Duffy for taking on the sole responsibility to deliver the beautiful new $7 billion station that New Yorkers deserve. This is a major victory for New Yorkers, and the use of federal funds will save New York taxpayers $1.3 billion dollars that would have otherwise been necessary for this project.

Governor Announces ConnectALL Request for Applications to Bring Broadband to Hardest to Serve Areas

Governor Hochul has announced the launch of the ConnectALL Deployment Program Request for Applications (RFA) for Priority, Reliable, and Alternative Technology Solutions, to secure affordable, reliable, high-speed internet service to the final remaining unserved and underserved locations across New York State.

ConnectALL will accept applications from April 15 through May 5, 2025, to fund projects deploying traditional fiber optic, cable, hybrid fiber-coaxial, and licensed fixed wireless broadband service, and federally designated alternative technologies such as unlicensed fixed wireless and low-earth-orbit satellite services. Applicants can view the Request for Applications here and submit a proposal by May 5, 2025 at 11:59 p.m. ET. Organizations that have not yet completed the prequalification process, which was conducted from June 2024 to February 2025, will have an additional opportunity to submit these materials as part of their RFA response.

Governor Hochul said:

Today marks a watershed moment in New York’s digital future as we launch the final application phase of our historic ConnectALL Deployment Program. Broadband is no longer a luxury — it’s essential infrastructure for education, healthcare, economic opportunity, and daily life. With this program, we are ensuring that every single New Yorker, regardless of their zip code or economic circumstances, will have access to high-speed internet. By leveraging innovative technologies to reach our most remote communities, we are fulfilling our commitment to create a more equitable and connected Empire State.

More information can be found here.

Stefanik Considering Run for Governor

According to reports, U.S. Representative Elise Stefanik (NY-21) is considering a run for New York Governor. In an interview with NY1, she said “I think there’s a lot of candidates that are in the mix. I’m honored to have my name in the mix as well. I think we have a once-in-a-generation opportunity to fire Kathy Hochul once and for all. For so long, Democrats have had one-party rule in Albany, and it has caused a decaying of our state. We’re in a huge opportunity to win the governor’s mansion, to break the supermajority, win the state Senate, claw back some of the seats in the New York state Assembly and really reset New York on a better path for hardworking families.”

Stefanik was nominated by President Trump to serve as Ambassador to the U.N., only to have her nomination pulled by the President fearing the tight margins for the Republican Majority in the U.S. House of Representatives. After stepping down, Stefanik was named chairwoman of House Republican Leadership.