Week in Politics

Catch up on the week in state and local politics

Logan Reidsma | Senior Staff Photographer

$15 minimum wage and paid family leave — two initiatives championed by Gov. Andrew Cuomo — were passed in the budget.

Here is what you missed this week in New York state and local politics:

State budget passed after marathon session

New York state Gov. Andrew Cuomo, Senate Majority Leader John Flanagan and Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie agreed on a state budget on Thursday, which the State Senate passed on Friday morning. The State Assembly passed the budget on Friday night.

The Senate worked through the night to pass the $156 billion budget, according to Syracuse.com. Some legislatures complained about not being able to read the entire budget proposal before the votes. The deadline for the budget was March 31.

Both of Cuomo’s major initiatives, paid family leave and a $15 minimum wage, were included in the budget.



 

Gov. Cuomo bans travel to North Carolina

As of Monday, all travel by New York state officials to North Carolina is banned unless absolutely necessary, as per an executive order issued by New York state Gov. Andrew Cuomo. The mandate is a result of a North Carolina law that discriminates against the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community.

The law bars transgender people from using bathrooms associated with their gender identity and excludes sexual orientation and gender identity from discrimination protections.

 

Court disbars Sheldon Silver

Former Assembly speaker Sheldon Silver was disbarred as a lawyer on Tuesday by a panel of judges. Silver was found guilty of seven charges of public corruption-related felonies last year, according to Syracuse.com.

His sentencing is scheduled for April 13.

Silver has been a lawyer since 1969 and a leader of the Assembly since 1994, until he resigned in 2015.

 

Hillary Clinton comes to Syracuse

Presidential candidate Hillary Clinton made a stop in Syracuse on Friday during her campaigning in New York. She held a roundtable on manufacturing, hosted a rally and stopped at Varsity Pizza.

During the roundtable, Clinton discussed enticing the youth to seek jobs in manufacturing and her $10 billion manufacturing plan, “Make it in America,” according to Syracuse.com.

Approximately 200 people crowded into Varsity Pizza to get a glimpse of the former secretary of state.

 

Miner challenges Chapel Hill and Seattle mayors

Syracuse Mayor Stephanie Miner joined in on the Orange spirit on Wednesday via a video on the City of Syracuse Facebook page.

In the video, she challenged the mayors of Chapel Hill, North Carolina and Seattle to wear “Real Mayors Wear Orange” shirts “when” Syracuse beat their respective college teams in the Final Four.

The Syracuse men’s basketball team will play North Carolina on Saturday and the Syracuse women’s basketball team will play Washington on Sunday.

www.facebook.com/Syracuse1848/videos/1074230649287019/">

Mayor Miner issued a challenge today to Seattle Mayor Ed Murray and Mayor Pam Hemminger of Chapel Hill, North Carolina in advance of the men’s and women’s basketball #FinalFour!

Posted by City of Syracuse – Office of the Mayor on Wednesday, March 30, 2016





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