Plugged In @ Hinman Straub

June 13, 2025

What’s Inside

Legislative Session Recap
Comptroller Releases Analysis of Enacted Budget
Governor Announces Recent State Confirmations
Governor Announces Appointments to NYS Courts
Governor Appears Before the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform
In the News
Coming Up

Legislative Session Recap

Yesterday was the last scheduled session day of the 2025 New York State Legislative Session. The Senate adjourned very early this morning at the Call of the Temporary President of the Senate, and all bills left on the Calendar were committed to the Rules Committee. The Assembly gaveled in for session this morning at 9:30 a.m. and is expected work on consent and will reconvene next week.

This week, both the Assembly and the Senate highlighted the passage of legislation aimed at improving New York State’s corrections system and addressing the crisis within the state’s correctional facilities. The package of legislation passed by the Senate can be found here, and the Assembly’s announcement of its passed legislation can be found here.

Lastly, Governor Kathy Hochul’s office issued the FY 2026 Enacted Budget Financial Plan as well as the Budget Capital Program and Financing Plan, which are linked below:

Comptroller Releases Analysis of Enacted Budget

According to a report released by New York State Comptroller Tom DiNapoli, New York may see challenges to the recent FY 2026 Enacted State Budget, given the recent actions that have occurred at the federal level, paired with potential Congressional action. The full report can be found here.

The report addresses a range of issues, including significant spending and policy initiatives, decreased revenue projections, early shifts in federal funding, and strategies for managing uncertainty in New York State.

State Comptroller DiNapoli said:

The stakes are high for New York if the cuts being discussed in Washington occur. The state needs to do what it can to stabilize finances, build reserve funds, focus on efficient service delivery and develop a strategy for how to contend with federal changes. The final budget had some measures built into help navigate this uncertainty, but the state needs to do what it can to prepare in a transparent manner before our options are even more limited.

More information can be found in a press release here.

Governor Announces Recent Senate Confirmations

This week, Governor Hochul announced the confirmation of director and chair positions in New York State government. Joshua Norkin was confirmed by the Senate to serve as Director of the Authorities Budget Office. Joshua previously served as Assistant Counsel to the Governor before being promoted to Deputy Counsel to the Governor in 2022 and Senior Advisor to the Governor in 2024.

Additionally, Jessica García was confirmed by the Senate to serve as Chair of the Cannabis Control Board. Jessica has served as a board member on the Cannabis Control Board since 2021.

More information on both confirmations can be found in the Governor’s press release here.

Governor Announces Appointments to NYS Courts

Governor Hochul has announced 17 appointments to the New York State Court of Claims, 5 appointments to the Supreme Court and 2 appointments to Family Court.

Judges of the Court of Claims:

Monica Wallace
Gregory McCaffrey
John Bringewatt
Abby Perer
Noel Mendez
Natacha Carbajal-Evangelista
Mary Lynn Nicolas-Brewster
Erin Guven
Menachem Mirocznik
Jay Kim
Denis Reo
Ilene Fern
Darlene Goldberg
Gordon Cuffy
James Ferreira
Rhonda Tomlinson
Cheryl Joseph

Interim Supreme Court Justices:

J. David Sampson
Denise Hartman
Walter Rivera
Michael Kitsis
Jonathan Svetkey

Interim Family Court Judges:

Tonia Ettinger
Jessica Wilcox

Governor Appears Before the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform

Yesterday, Governor Hochul voluntarily appeared before the United States House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform to participate in a hearing on immigration policy.

During the hearing, the Governor provided testimony, expressing her support for secure borders and comprehensive immigration reform, and took questions from members of the Committee. The hearing can be watched here. Governor Hochul’s remarks as prepared can be read here.