Plugged In @ Hinman Straub

January 30, 2026

What’s Inside

Legislative Session Recap
Joint Budget Hearing Schedule
Governor Introduces the Local Cops, Local Crimes Act
Governor Launches Health Care-Focused Student Loan Repayment Program
Governor Hosts Roundtable on Proposal to Keep Kids Safe Online
Governor Announces Funding for New York’s Agriculture Industry
In the News
Coming Up

Legislative Session Review

The Legislature convened for session on Tuesday and Wednesday this week and will reconvene on Tuesday for a three-day session.

Both Houses of the Legislature have issued their analyses of the Governor’s Executive Budget proposal, which are linked below.

This week, the Assembly highlighted legislation passed, sponsored by Assemblymember Amy Paulin (A.09217), that aims to protect health care professionals that legally prescribe and dispense abortion medication. Specifically, the bill exempts brand name or generic mifepristone, or any drug used for medication abortion, from being deemed unlawful to prescribe or dispense, even if the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) rescinds its approval.

More information can be found here.

Additionally, according to reports, Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie is appointing Marricka Scott-McFadden to the Independent Redistricting Commission. The Commission currently has less than two weeks to draw new Congressional district lines for District 11. However, the court decision for that ruling is being appealed.

The Senate also announced a package of legislation that was advanced this week, which aims to strengthen reproductive rights, protect patient privacy, and expand fertility and in vitro fertilization (IVF) coverage for New Yorkers. The legislative package passed this week included the following bills:

Amending The Reproductive Freedom and Equity Grant Program: This bill, S.135, sponsored by Senator Cleare, would amend the Reproductive Freedom and Equity Grant Program to provide practical support including reimbursement for travel, meals and lodging to individuals accessing abortion care.

Preventing a Conditional Requirement for Subsequent IVF Cycle Coverage: This bill, S.3155, sponsored by Senator Cooney, would prohibit commercial insurers from requiring women 35 or older to transfer all embryos from a previous IVF cycle as a condition of covering a subsequent cycle.

Restricting the Disclosure of Sensitive Health Information: This bill, S.1633A, sponsored by Senator Fernandez, would require electronic health record systems to allow patients to restrict the disclosure of their personal health information.

Establishing a Statewide Comprehensive Sexual and Reproductive Health Program: This bill, S.5981, sponsored by Senator Fernandez, would establish a statewide comprehensive sexual and reproductive health program to ensure low-income, uninsured and underinsured New Yorkers can continue accessing affordable primary and preventive sexual and reproductive health services.

Advancing Equal Access to Fertility Care Act: This bill, S.4497, sponsored by Senator Hinchey, would require commercial insurance policies to cover fertility preservation services.

Exempting Certain Medication Abortion Drugs from Being Considered an Act of Criminal Diversion: This bill, S.8544, sponsored by Senator Hinchey, would exempt the prescription, dispensation, or receipt of a brand name or generic medication abortion drug from being considered an act of criminal diversion, provided the labeling of such drug was true and accurate at the time of manufacture, and provided such drug was recommended by World Health Organization guidelines for its prescribed purpose.

The New York State Abortion Clinical Training Program Act: This bill, S.1438A, sponsored by Senator Krueger, would establish a clinical training program through the Department of Health (DOH) for the purpose of training healthcare practitioners in the performance of abortion procedures and related reproductive healthcare services.

Prohibiting Using Certain Reproductive Health Decisions as Evidence: This bill, S.8860, sponsored by Senator May, would, in certain legal proceedings, prohibit the consideration of evidence that either parent has ever obtained or attempted to obtain reproductive health services relating to the termination of a pregnancy.

Permitting Omission of Certain Information on Labeling of Medication Abortion Prescription Drugs: This bill, S.8656A, sponsored by Senator Mayer, would allow pharmacists and prescribers filling prescriptions to exclude certain identifying information from the prescription labels of abortion medication.

Establishing The Equity in Fertility Treatment Act: This bill, S.8866, sponsored by Senator Salazar, would require certain health plans cover three completed donor egg retrievals for IVF with unlimited embryo transfers; prohibit plans from denying IVF coverage based on a consumer’s participation in fertility preservation services; and codify DFS guidance that requires coverage of IVF services for same-sex couples.

Requiring Coverage for Contraceptive-Related Pharmacist Services: This bill, S.8869, sponsored by Senator Skoufis, would require certain health insurance policies include coverage for services provided by pharmacists related to contraceptives.

Reimbursing FQHCs for Injectable Fertility Drugs: This bill, S.8257A, sponsored by Senator Sutton, would require the state to reimburse federally qualified health centers for injectable fertility drugs.

Authorizing Pharmacists to Administer Injections for Contraceptive Use: This bill, S.1703, sponsored by Senator Webb, would authorize pharmacists to administer injections for contraceptive use as prescribed by a licensed prescriber acting within the scope of their practice.

Requiring Emergency Contraception Availability at SUNY and CUNY: This bill, S.2058, sponsored by Senator Webb, would require each SUNY and CUNY institution to have at least one vending machine that sells emergency contraception.

Joint Budget Hearing Schedule

Following the Governor’s release of the FY 2027 Executive Budget legislation, the New York State Legislature issued its joint legislative budget hearing schedule. These hearings, each of which focuses on a programmatic area of the Executive Budget Proposal, are intended to provide the appropriate legislative committees with public input. The hearings will be available for viewing on the Senate and Assembly websites.

Budget hearings will commence on Tuesday, January 27, and conclude on Thursday, February 26. The respective state agency or department heads will begin testimony each day, followed by witnesses who have requested to testify on that area of the budget.

Please note that requests to testify must be made by submitting a Hearing Request Form.

The remaining joint budget hearing schedule is as follows:

Transportation: Tuesday, February 3 at 9:30 a.m.
Mental Hygiene: Wednesday, February 4 at 9:30 a.m.
Human Services: Thursday, February 5 at 9:30 a.m.
Health/Medicaid: Tuesday, February 10 at 9:30 a.m.
Local Government/General Government: Wednesday, February 11 at 9:30 a.m.
Public Protection: Thursday, February 12 at 9:30 a.m.
Higher Education: Tuesday, February 24 at 9:30 a.m.
Labor/Workforce Development: Wednesday, February 25 at 9:30 a.m.
Housing: Wednesday, February 25 at 2:00 p.m.
Economic Development/Arts: Thursday, February 26 at 9:30 a.m.
Taxes: Thursday, February 26 at 2:00 p.m.

Governor Introduces the Local Cops, Local Crimes Act

The Governor announced new comprehensive legislation to protect New Yorkers, strengthen constitutional safeguards, and prohibit local law enforcement from being deputized by ICE for federal civil immigration enforcement. The legislation would eliminate 287(g) agreements, barring state and local police from acting as federal agents or using taxpayer-funded resources or personnel to carry out federal civil immigration enforcement. It would also prohibit federal agents from using local detention centers for civil immigration enforcement, mass raids, or the transportation of detainees.

In New York, 14 New York law enforcement agencies across nine counties have signed 287(g) agreements with ICE. With this legislation, all existing 287(g) agreements will be void and New York will join seven other states that currently prohibit 287(g)s: Washington, Oregon, California, Illinois, New Jersey, Delaware, and Connecticut.

Governor Hochul said:

Over the last year federal immigration agents have carried out unspeakable acts of violence against Americans under the guise of public safety. These abuses – and the weaponization of local police officers for civil immigration enforcement – will not stand in New York. Today, I’m announcing new actions that will safeguard our communities against dangerous federal overreach and ensure that New York law enforcement is focused on keeping New Yorkers safe – not doing the job of ICE.

Governor Launches Health Care-Focused Student Loan Repayment Program

Governor Hochul has announced the launch of the Health Care Access Loan Repayment (HEALR) program. The $48.3 million student loan repayment initiative is designed to expand access to care for NYS Medicaid members and uninsured individuals across New York State. The HEALR program will provide significant financial incentives to health care professionals who commit to serving high-need populations, addressing critical workforce shortages while reducing barriers to essential health services in underserved communities. 

Health care providers who are awarded loan repayment through the HEALR program must make a four-year, full-time commitment to maintaining a personal practice panel or working at an organization that serves at least 30 percent NYS Medicaid members and/or uninsured individuals. Organizations that are contracted with a state-designated Social Care Network and provide health-related social needs screening, referrals and/or services also qualify. Maximum loan repayment awards for each title are as follows:

Psychiatrists: up to $300,000 per awardee
Dentists and Primary Care Physicians: up to $100,000 per awardee
Nurse Practitioners and Pediatric Clinical Nurse Specialists: up to $50,000 per awardee

The Governor encourages health care providers, advocates, community leaders and stakeholders to share information about this program within their networks and with anyone who may benefit from this opportunity to serve New York’s most vulnerable populations while receiving significant financial support.

Governor Hochul said:

Health care is a fundamental human right, and every New Yorker deserves access to high-quality affordable care. This program will expand health care access statewide while strengthening our workforce, ensuring our health care professionals are empowered to provide care to anyone in need, regardless of their income status.

More information about application deadlines and more can be found here.

Governor Hosts Roundtable on Proposal to Keep Kids Safe Online

The Governor hosted a roundtable with parents from Common Sense Media to discuss her proposal to protect children and teens online. The Governor’s proposal will help protect kids from predators, scammers and harmful AI chatbots on online platforms. This proposal builds on Governor Hochul’s work to enact social media warning labels, restrict addictive feeds, create safeguards against harmful AI companions and restrict smartphones in schools.

The Governor’s proposed legislative package to keep kids safe from emerging threats on social media and online gaming platforms includes:

Expanding Age Verification: Expanding requirements for platforms to conduct age verification, including online gaming platforms.
Privacy by Default: Kids will be set to the highest privacy settings on covered platforms by default, meaning non-connections cannot message kids, view their profile, or tag them in content. Location settings will be turned off by default, and children younger than 13 must receive parental approval for new connections.
Disabling AI Chatbot Features: Disabling certain AI chatbot features on social media platforms for kids.
Financial Oversight: Parents must be able to set limits on children’s financial transactions, and view transaction history

The Governor said:

With evolving technology and online platforms allowing people to connect from anywhere in the world, it is important now more than ever to keep our kids safe online from any and all potential harms. This common-sense proposal will not only protect our children online, but also offer parents a peace of mind while their kids are gaming and scrolling on social media.

Governor Announces Funding for New York’s Agriculture Industry

Governor Hochul has announced the availability of $8.5 million through the new Food and Fiber Processing Grant program, which is the first of its kind in the state. The program provides funding to New York agricultural operations to expand food and fiber processing capacity, bring more local products to the marketplace, and help the State to meet the demands of local sourcing initiatives.

The Food and Fiber Processing Grant Program, administered by the Farm and Food Growth Fund (FFGF) on behalf of the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets, supports the scaling of existing and new products produced and harvested in New York State. Funding is available for the construction and renovation of facilities, as well as the purchase and installation of equipment. Priority will be given to projects that expand processing for fruits, vegetables, grains and beans for human consumption; plant and animal fibers.

Eligible applicants may apply for awards ranging from $250,000 to $2.5 million. Of the $8.5 million available, $1 million is reserved for projects that use plant and animal fiber. Processed products developed through the grant must contain a minimum of 51% raw agricultural ingredients grown or raised in New York State.

Funding priorities include:

Early/initial stage processing for plant and animal fibers including retting, degumming, decortication, scouring, carding, and combing.
Edible fruits, vegetables, grains and beans for human consumption.
Projects focused on products that support the Nourish NY, Farm-to-School, and NYS 30% Initiative, or Executive Order 32.
Processed products containing large majority of New York State grown/harvested ingredients.
Further geographic diversity of New York State food processing capacity.

Eligible projects may include, but are not limited to:

Expansion of food and fiber processing and processed product creation.
Aggregation and storage, as part of a larger processing expansion project.
Operational efficiency improvements.
Improving food safety standards for processing facilities.

The deadline for applying for funding is April 28, 2026, at 5 p.m. All applications must be submitted via the SMA system. Additional program details and the application are available at the Farm and Food Growth Fund website.