[THEME MUSIC] >> WELCOME TO THIS WEEK'S EDITION OF NEW YORK NOW.

I'M SHANTEL DESTRA.

MANY NEW YORKERS ENROLLED IN THE SUPPLEMENTAL NUTRITIONAL ASSISTANCE PROGRAM -- ALSO KNOWN AS SNAP -- HAVE HAD TO NAVIGATE THE GROWING CONCERNS AROUND FRAUD AND BENEFIT THEFT.

IN RECENT YEARS, ABOUT $80 million IN STOLEN BENEFITS THROUGH THE SNAP PROGRAM HAVE BEEN REPORTED IN THE STATE.

TO COMBAT THAT, GOVERNOR KATHY HOCHUL ANNOUNCED THAT THE STATE'S OFFICE OF TEMPORARY AND DISABILITY ASSISTANCE WILL BE DISTRIBUTING CHIP-BASED EBT CARDS, IN AN EFFORT TO INCREASE SECURITY FOR THE MILLIONS OF SNAP USERS ACROSS NEW YORK STATE.

IN THIS NEXT SEGMENT, WE SAT DOWN WITH BARBARA GUINN, WHO SERVES AS THE AGENCY'S COMMISSIONER, TO BREAK DOWN HOW PERTINENT THE ISSUE IS AS WELL AS FUNDING FOR THE OFFICE.

HERE'S THAT CONVERSATION.

>> Thank you so much for joining us on the show today, Commissioner.

>> Thank you so much for having me to discuss our important work.

>> Absolutely.

And naturally, with the rising concerns around EBT benefit theft, Governor Kathy Hochul announced that your office will be rolling out chip-based benefit cards for New Yorkers enrolled in the SNAP program.

So before we get into the logistics, can you tell us how pertinent this issue is in New York?

>> Yeah, it's absolutely critical.

In New York State and throughout the nation, we are seeing criminal networks find ways to skim benefits off of individuals' EBT cards, their benefit cards.

And so that includes a theft of both public assistance, cash benefits, as well as the supplemental nutrition assistance benefits.

So these are essential payments that people need in order to meet their basic needs and purchase food.

So it's something that obviously we're working on a number of fronts to try to reduce the amount of fraud.

But the most important will be our move to a much more secure card, a chip-tap enabled card.

>> Sure.

What will that rollout look like?

If I'm a New Yorker and I'm enrolled in the SNAP benefit program, will I need to reach out to your office to get a new card?

Or is that something you would send to me directly, proactively?

>> Right.

We will definitely be sending them directly to households receiving public benefits.

And we expect to start the rollout in early 2027.

So we have secured the necessary approvals in order to issue new cards and also do the back-end system development work that we need to make those cards actually function when people begin to use them.

>> Yeah.

And for the SNAP benefit holders who are unfortunately victims of scams, what are the steps that your office takes to ensure the security of the accounts and really reset the accounts moving forward?

>> Yeah.

So obviously when we issue the mass replacement cards, that will be a much more secure card and we'll be issuing about 2 million cards throughout New York State.

The other steps that we're taking in advance of having these more secure cards is certainly constant reminders to folks that they can lock their cards.

And that's what we recommend is they go to the EBT site and they lock and freeze their card.

That means that no one can use it until they're ready to use it.

So that's the best protection that people can have.

We're also monitoring a bit on the back end.

We as well as social services districts.

And if need be, we will contact people and say, you need to reset your pen.

But really the lock, the locking or freezing of the card is the most important thing that households can do to protect their benefits.

>> And with these modern technological advancements and the creative ways that scammers find to really target cardholders, apart from the chip benefit cards, how are you hoping to enhance security moving forward?

And what support do you need from the state to do that?

>> So we have funding in the state budget, which is what we needed in order to go forward and do the mass replacement.

It does cost a bit of money, and so we're very thankful that the governor and the legislature provided that funding in the budget that just passed this past spring.

In addition to that, like I said, we're doing some other things to enhance the security of the card, make some changes with respect to our numbering system and other things to make it more, when people are setting their PINs, that it's preventing them from using PINs that have been used repeatedly or maybe easier for thieves to determine what that PIN is.

But like I said, really moving to chip card technology is one of the best protections that we have for households.

>> Yeah, absolutely.

And you mentioned state funding for your office, but I wanted to ask you about federal funding.

There have been a lot of concerns about the uncertainty around federal funding and federal funding cuts.

I know last year, a lot of food pantries stepped in when SNAP benefits were on pause for some New Yorkers to help New Yorkers get access to groceries.

So how is your office mitigating the uncertainty around federal funding right now?

>> Yeah.

So, yeah, last year's shutdown, the 43-day shutdown, was definitely a big problem for the SNAP program and benefit recipients.

We did everything we could to move forward and issue benefits as quickly as we could.

We took some risks, but they paid off.

Right now, we're really, we're working obviously with the governor's D.C.

office, and the goal really is to prevent any kind of shutdown at the federal level.

And at a minimum would expect that they would continue SNAP benefits so that we're not in the position of needing to delay benefits.

Because as you can imagine, that's extraordinarily stressful for families and individuals that, like I said, rely on these benefits to come every single month.

>> And with the federal uncertainty, do you think there's an opportunity that your office would entertain at a state-level SNAP program?

I know some lawmakers express some support for SNAP for All, which would essentially give state-level SNAP benefits for immigrant New Yorkers.

Is that something your office is supporting?

Or do you have any interest in entertaining a state-level SNAP benefit program?

>> Yeah.

So with the changes that have been made with H.R.

1, with the SNAP program, there are a lot of changes.

That were not positive, one of which was the further restriction of eligibility for legally present non-citizens.

So they did scale back rather than increasing.

So now refugees and asylees are no longer eligible for SNAP.

And I think that and other provisions about other households is really what SNAP for All was intended to address.

Certainly, we are in favor of expanding food benefits to as many households as we can reach in the event that the funding is provided in the state budget.

>> And for our viewers who may be less familiar, can you help us unpack how many New Yorkers really rely on the SNAP benefit program and what your projections for enrollment look like in the years ahead?

>> Sure.

Right now, we have about 2.8 million New Yorkers who receive SNAP benefits.

And so that's a mix of individuals without children.

Over half of SNAP households are households that do include either children or an older adult or an individual who has a disability.

So it's a large number, 2.8 million recipients that rely on SNAP every week and every month to purchase food.

In terms of projections, we definitely are starting to see a slight decline in the number of SNAP households in New York State.

And that is something that has been observed throughout the country.

Typically, when you see SNAP caseloads go down, it's because there's an improving economy or they go up when the economy is not doing well and people need additional economic supports.

I think that unfortunately what we might be seeing now is some reduction in benefit receipt because of the concern about non-citizens, even if they have citizen children, just a lot of fear that's out there about accessing benefits.

And then, of course, the just recently re-enacted strict work requirements.

That was another part of H.R.

1 that we started implementing in New York in March.

>> And I know your office just recently rolled out the summer EBT program.

So can you tell us what that encompasses and how a New Yorker can know if they qualify to be enrolled in that program?

And what does your awareness efforts look like?

>> Yeah.

So the summer EBT program is something that we are really happy to administer.

It's a great program.

It provides $120 per child during the summer months and it's really intended to address the lack of access to school meals, right, so families who during the year their children are able to get breakfast lunch at school during the summer that goes away and so it is a benefit that goes to all households who are either they're either eligible because they receive certain benefits or they're determined eligible based on the school district based on their eligibility for those free and reduced priced school meals.

And again, the great thing about summer EBT is most people do not need to apply.

Like over 90, 95 percent of the households we are able to directly identify and directly issue benefits.

So we did start issuing benefits in June and we expect to issue over $200 million in benefits to households throughout New York State this summer.

>> Wow, that's incredible.

And lastly, I know that apart from your work with the department, you also co-chair the Child Poverty Reduction Advisory Council.

So can you tell us about some of the goals of the council and what New Yorkers can expect in the months ahead?

>> Yeah.

So certainly we're very proud to be able to co-chair the Child Poverty Reduction Advisory Council.

The goal of the council is to reduce child poverty in New York State by at least 50 percent within 10 years.

And so that deadline's coming up at the end of 2031.

So we have a lot of work to do in New York State.

We have a very high rate of children living in poverty.

And the council made a series of recommendations in its initial report that was released in December of 2024.

The number one recommendation of the council was to increase the child tax credit.

That's a credit that goes directly to households with children 16 years of age and younger.

And we are really, really pleased that Governor Hochul introduced and the legislature expanded the child tax credit in New York State, effective with taxes that people were filing just this January, significant and historic increases in that credit.

It didn't go quite to the level that the council recommended, but it is a wonderful step in the right direction in terms of helping us reduce child poverty.

And like I said, just this year, this is when we are starting to see those returns coming in, and the results are quite positive.

>> Yeah.

Can you tell us about some of the guardrails or milestones that the council has put in place to ensure that you're able to hit that deadline of 2031 to have that final report?

>> So it's in addition to our reporting, we do annual updates.

We analyze and provide an update each year also of the executive budget in terms of what it's doing to address child poverty in New York State, and we will continue to focus on that and our recommendations.

This year we will be updating our recommendations because part of our, in addition to the child tax credit, there were other suggestions made about housing vouchers for families, as well as certain public benefits.

And part of our recommendation was to increase, but also to index them.

One reason we fall so far behind over time is that most of these benefits have no indexing to increase, have any kind of a COLA or cost of living increase every year.

So we'll be updating our recommendations this year just to reflect that indexing and to keep calling attention to the need, both with, you know, The governor, who clearly, I think by our actions we see is concerned about the well-being of children in New York State.

And to continue to talk with other leaders in the legislature.

And our council is made up of not just state representatives, but also individuals in the field who also are strong advocates to reduce child poverty.

>> Wow.

Well, certainly sounds like a lot of important work ahead.

Unfortunately, that is all the time we have for today.

But we thank you so much for taking the time to connect with us today, Commissioner.

>> Yeah, thank you so much for having me.

>> And we were speaking with Barbara Guinn, Commissioner of the New York State Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance.

IN RECENT YEARS, THE STATE'S LEGAL CANNABIS INDUSTRY HAS FACED A NUMBER OF CHALLENGES.

THE STATE'S OFFICE OF CANNABIS MANAGEMENT SAYS that THEY PLAN PRIORITIZE ENFORCING STATE LAW AND REGULATing ILLEGAL CANNABIS SHOPS.

MEANWHILE, THE OWNERS OF LEGAL SHOPS SAY that THEY ARE STRUGGLING TO MAKE ENDS MEET IN the DEREGULATED INDUSTRY AND WANT MORE ACTION FROM THE STATE.

IN THIS NEXT SEGMENT, OUR ELISE KLINE BRINGS US A DEEP DIVE ON THE CANNABIS BILLS THAT PASSED THIS YEAR in the legislature TO ADDRESS these ISSUES.

HERE'S THAT STORY.

>> SINCE RECREATIONAL CANNABIS BECAME LEGAL IN NEW YORK IN 2021, THE MARKET HAS GENERATED MORE THAN $3 BILLION IN SALES REVENUE FOR THE STATE.

HOWEVER, MANY RETAILERS, FARMERS AND PROCESSORS ALIKE SAY THEY AREN'T NECESSARILY FEELING THE BENEFITS OF THE MARKET'S SUCCESS, SHARING HOW THEY ARE STRUGGLING FINANCIALLY TO OPERATE IN THE INCREASINGLY COMPETITIVE INDUSTRY.

JOSEPH KELLEY, OWNER OF NORTHERN LIGHTS DISPENSARY IN THE CAPITAL REGION, SAYS WITHIN THE LAST YEAR THE COMPETITION HAS GROWN DRAMATICALLY.

>> There's so many stores.

I was promised by OCM and New York State that I would be one of 14 licenses in the entire Capital Region.

I think there's 79 of us in the Capital Region right now.

They're everywhere.

I've watched my numbers go from $600,000 a month to $200,000 a month in about 14 to 16 months.

>> THERE ARE CURRENTLY OVER 700 LICENSES ACROSS THE STATE WITH APPLICATIONS STILL PENDING, ACCORDING TO THE OFFICE OF CANNABIS MANAGEMENT.

SOME CANNABIS WORKERS SAY BIGGER STORES ARE SLATED TO COME TO THE CAPITAL REGION SOON, AND THEY'RE VERY CONCERNED ABOUT HOW THAT WILL IMPACT BUSINESS.

>> Probably the largest dispensary in Long Island is about to move up to Albany.

And I've been to their dispensary on Long Island; it's a beautiful dispensary, really well run, but they have the capital, and they're about to come in where they can literally blow everybody else out of the water.

>> ANDREW WORGAN, OWNER OF CASA VERDE DISPENSARY IN THE CAPITAL REGION, WORRIES WHAT MORE SATURATION TO THE MARKET COULD MEAN.

>> We're in a great neighborhood.

I can't see us going down.

However, if there's more licenses and stores start popping up all over the place, I think that's going to change for sure.

>> JOSEPH CALDERONE, PRESIDENT OF THE CANNABIS FARMERS ALLIANCE, SAYS FARMERS AND PROCESSORS ARE ALSO FACING SOME FINANCIAL CHALLENGES SUCH AS PAYMENT DELAYS.

>> You have no guarantee that you're going to be paid on time, 30, 60, 90 days.

However, the farmers and the cultivators are hamstrung because it's sort of a catch-22: If they report, then they get blacklisted, but if they don't report, then they don't get paid.

So there's obviously something not quite right about that.

>> CALDERONE SAYS WHILE SOME WORKERS ARE DOING WELL, THE MAJORITY OF THE ASSOCIATION'S MEMBERS ARE STRUGGLING.

>> There are more people that are surviving or running on fumes, and unfortunately, I have to report as an association, my association is reflective of my members, especially in our ability to get dues.

And we have difficulty getting dues because our operators are either in dire straits or they're merging or they're selling because they've just had it with the industry.

I think you may see more of that.

>> BUT THERE MAY BE SOME LIGHT AT THE END OF THE TUNNEL.

SOME ECONOMIC EXPERTS SAY THE MARKET IS EXPERIENCING A SUPPLY AND DEMAND DYNAMIC WHICH COULD MEAN SUCCESS FOR SOME BUSINESSES BUT NOT ALL.

>> So it's very possible that if you have more supply in terms of the stores than there is demand, Not all of them will be able to thrive.

And some of them might not be able to survive.

So that's just classic economics.

>> DISPENSARY OWNERS ALSO SAY ILLEGAL SHOPS ARE STRAINING THEM FINANCIALLY, AND THEY FEEL THE OFFICE OF CANNABIS MANAGEMENT ISN'T DOING A GOOD ENOUGH JOB WITH ENFORCEMENT.

>> Day after day, we pay our taxes, we pay our fair share.

But we're not being treated right.

They're selling stuff that is sprayed, stuff that is not tested, stuff they're growing themselves.

And it's just money being made, but it's not in the stores where taxes are being paid.

>> The illegal market is larger than the legal market in New York State, particularly in New York City.

And so there are some incredible websites that are delivering, and bodegas are selling it.

It's just like, how can you expect an industry that is a brand new industry that is a taxpaying industry, that is only growing to survive when you're not doing anything about the illegal market.

>> WORGAN SAYS IF ENFORCEMENT ISSUES CONTINUE, IT WILL CAUSE DAMAGE FOR THE MARKET.

>> If OCM doesn't step up to the plate and start enforcing things that they should be enforcing.

I see us turning into a state on the West Coast that has a very saturated market.

Profit margins are thin, and stores start closing left and right.

I don't think anybody wants to see that.

>> SOME STATE LAWMAKERS ARE ALSO FRUSTRATED WITH THE ENFORCEMENT EFFORTS THEY ARE SEEING.

>> They don't do their job; they're not in the communities.

When our locals were calling them, it took them forever to get back to them.

I just think OCM is a waste of taxpayer money.

This was created to address this issue, and it's not working.

>> OTHER STATE LAWMAKERS SAY THE STATE AGENCY LIKELY NEEDS MORE STATE SUPPORT TO HANDLE THE ILLEGAL MARKET.

>> WHEN ASKED ABOUT THE CRITICISM OF THE OFFICE, JOHN KAGIA, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF OCM, SAYS ADDRESSING THE ILLEGAL MARKET IS THEIR TOP PRIORITY.

>> Enforcement is a critical priority for us because we see several ways in which enforcement really undermines what we're trying to achieve with the legal, regulated market.

First, it cannibalizes from legal demand, and so when you have illicit unlicensed dispensaries operating around legal shops, it creates consumer confusion about what is legal, which ones are not.

And that is really undermining the health and the business health and financial performance of our licensed dispensaries.

Two, you don't have any of the same public health considerations, and public health regulations in the unlicensed market.

>> KAGIA SAYS THEY HAVE SEVERAL ASPECTS OF THEIR ENFORCEMENT UNITS THAT MANAGE THE ILLICIT MARKET, INCLUDING INVESTIGATIONS, PADLOCKING STORES, AND WORKING WITH LOCAL MUNICIPALITIES.

>> THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR ADDS THE PROCESS OF INVESTIGATIONS CAN VARY FROM A FEW DAYS TO PADLOCKING AN ILLEGAL STORE TO A FEW MONTHS FOR MORE COMPLEX OPERATIONS.

HE SAYS HE FEELS THEY HAVE A STRONG TEAM AND HE WAS PLEASED TO SEE FUNDING IN THE RECENT STATE BUDGET FOR MORE ENFORCEMENT PERSONNEL.

IN THE MOST RECENT STATE BUDGET, THE GOVERNOR ALLOCATED $5 MILLION IN FUNDING FOR TEN NEW ENFORCEMENT TEAM MEMBERS AT OCM.

>> There's a milieu of work there.

We always welcome more resources.

You know, I always said we could double the size of the office tomorrow and still not have enough resources for all the work that we want to do.

But I think there's an extraordinary commitment by the governor and her team to ensure that we have not just the personnel that we need but all of the tools that we need to continue to be aggressive in our enforcement endeavors.

>> STATE LAWMAKERS ARE ALSO LOOKING AT ADDING MORE REGULATIONS TO HANDLE CERTAIN ILLEGAL MARKET ACTIVITY THROUGH THE CANNABIS SUPPLY CHAIN INTEGRITY AND ANTI-INVERSION ACT.

IF SIGNED INTO LAW, IT WOULD EXPAND THE DEFINITION OF ILLICIT CANNABIS TO INCLUDE CANNABIS PRODUCTS SOURCED FROM UNLICENSED ENTITIES OR IMPORTED INTO THE STATE.

THE BILL WOULD ALSO PROHIBIT ACTIVITIES SUCH AS FALSIFYING TRACKING RECORDS.

ASSEMBLY MEMBER LANDON DAIS, A DEMOCRAT REPRESENTING PART OF THE BRONX AND A LEAD SPONSOR OF THE BILL, SAYS THIS IS ABOUT MAINTAINING A SAFE SUPPLY CHAIN, FREE FROM UNWANTED CHEMICALS AND UNTESTED MATERIALS.

>> This is simply a public safety, a public health initiative.

While also protecting our legal cannabis industry and protecting the good guys who are doing the right things.

>> SOME STATE LAWMAKERS SAY THIS POLICY IS IMPORTANT TO GIVE THE STATE MORE TOOLS TO PROTECT FROM ILLEGAL MARKET ACTIVITY.

>> There should not be products from California that somehow find their way into a cultivator's operation or a processor's operation.

And then because they're in that process, there's a legitimate organization, they end up on the shelves of legitimate stores.

That's not what we are supposed to do.

This is not what we designed, and that should not be happening.

>> THE BILL PASSED BOTH HOUSES NEARLY UNANIMOUSLY.

OUTSIDE OF THE ILLEGAL MARKET, SOME STATE LAWMAKERS ARE CONCERNED ABOUT WORKERS.

STATE LAWMAKERS ALSO PASSED A BILL IN BOTH HOUSES TO ESTABLISH A CANNABIS WAGE BOARD AND REPEAL LABOR PEACE AGREEMENTS IN CANNABIS LAW.

STATE SENATE LEGISLATIVE SPONSOR OF THE BILL, JESSICA RAMOS, A DEMOCRAT REPRESENTING PARTS OF QUEENS, SAYS THE BILL INTENDS TO PROTECT LABOR AGREEMENTS.

>> We are prioritizing salaries and resolutions for both the employers and the workers.

I think it's very important to make clear that what the bill doesn't do is establish a higher minimum wage.

What it does is create a wage board that studies wages and working conditions.

>> SOME LAWMAKERS WHO VOTED FOR THE BILL SAY THEY WANT TO MAKE SURE WORKERS ARE BEING TREATED WELL.

>> This is an industry that's creating a lot of jobs, right, and we want to make sure that people have benefits and are getting the pay that they deserve because this is a multibillion-dollar industry.

>> The BILL, HOWEVER, WAS MET WITH QUITE A BIT OF CONTROVERSY.

SOME ADVOCATES PUSHING BACK AGAINST THE BILL SAYING THEY ARE CONCERNED WITH SMALL BUSINESSES' ABILITY TO TAKE ON MORE REGULATIONS AND POTENTIAL CONSEQUENCES SUCH AS FINANCIAL HARDSHIPS, JOB DISPLACEMENT AND INCREASED CONSUMER COSTS.

KAELAN CASTETTER, DIRECTOR OF POLICY AND REGULATORY AFFAIRS FOR THE EMPIRE CANNABIS MANUFACTURERS ALLIANCE, SAYS THEY ARE ALSO WORRIED ABOUT THE REPRESENTATIVES ON THE POTENTIAL WAGE BOARD NOT PROPERLY REPRESENTING WHAT THE INDUSTRY LOOKS LIKE.

>> I believe that more enforcement of the rules is going to help small businesses that are playing and following the rules.

And protecting the integrity of our market will do a lot, but it definitely isn't rushing through a wage board that is stacked against the industry.

>> SOME STATE LAWMAKERS, ALSO WITH STRONG PUSHBACK, SAY THE BILL MAY BE OVERBURDENSOME FOR BUSINESSES THAT ARE STILL NAVIGATING A NEW INDUSTRY, THEIR PLATES ALREADY FULL WITH HEFTY REGULATIONS.

>> It was a protest vote on my part, to reflect the overall disregard in my opinion of the industry.

>> LUPARDO ADDS IT'S WORTH NOTING BOTH AGRICULTURE CHAIRS, INCLUDING HERSELF, AND LEGISLATORS WHO SPONSORED THE ORIGINAL BILL, ASSEMBLY MAJORITY LEADER PEOPLE-STOKES AND SENATOR KRUEGER, TO LEGALIZE RETAIL CANNABIS VOTED AGAINST IT.

>> I don't think that's fair to the organizations.

I think it's a little ahead of the issue on whether or not all of these jobs should belong to organized labor; mind you, some of them should be because some of them have 25 to 30 people on them.

Okay, go with that.

But that doesn't mean you have to have a wage board going in and investigating them like they're somehow not honoring the will of the law.

>> I think it's not a fair approach.

I don't think it was well thought through or discussed.

And I think it could actually end up being a nail in the coffin of an industry we want to support, we want to see get off the ground, and we know is having so many other problems that have held up its ability to expand already.

>> EVEN LAWMAKERS WHO VOTED YES STILL HAVE RESERVATIONS.

>> A lot of these are small businesses, right, and I do want to make sure that they do have flexibility.

I do want to make sure these are people who put their life savings into a business, I do want to make sure that we just solidify the foundation a little bit before we put any additional standards upon them.

>> THE BILL PASSING ALSO FOLLOWS A RECENT FEDERAL LAWSUIT FROM GOTHAM DISPENSARY AGAINST THE CANNABIS CONTROL BOARD CHALLENGING THE CONSTITUTIONALITY OF THE STATE'S MANDATE REQUIRING CANNABIS BUSINESSES TO SIGN LABOR PEACE AGREEMENTS.

THE LAWSUIT ARGUES THE STATE'S MANDATE IS PREEMPTED BY THE NATIONAL LABOR RELATIONS ACT, BECAUSE FEDERAL LAW CONTROLS LABOR RELATIONS AND ORGANIZING RULES.

THE STATE TRIED TO DISMISS THE CASE, BUT A FEDERAL JUDGE DENIED THEIR REQUEST.

GOTHAM DISPENSARY CEO SAYS STATE LAWMAKERS ATTEMPTING TO REPEAL THE LABOR PEACE AGREEMENT REQUIREMENT IN THIS BILL IS VERY TELLING WITH ITS TIMING.

>> When this comes down, they're screwed.

Not only are they screwed there.

I think it will send changes through the entire of New York State.

>> SOME STATE LAWMAKERS STRESS THE BILL WAS INTRODUCED AT THE VERY LAST MINUTE DURING THE MOST RECENT LEGISLATIVE SESSION AND THERE WASN'T A LOT OF CLARITY ON WHY THAT WAS NECESSARY.

THE BILL HAS NOT YET BEEN SENT TO THE GOVERNOR'S DESK.

BOTH BILLS AWAIT REVIEW FROM THE GOVERNOR.

IT'S UNCLEAR if SHE WILL SIGN THEM.

WHAT IS CLEAR, HOWEVER, IS STATE LAWMAKERS PLAN TO RETURN TO THE NEXT LEGISLATIVE SESSION PRIORITIZING ADDRESSING THE ILLEGAL MARKET.

ASSEMBLY MEMBER LUPARDO AND ASSEMBLY MAJORITY LEADER PEOPLE-STOKES ARE RETIRING THIS YEAR; HOWEVER, THEY FEEL CONFIDENT IN THEIR PREDECESSOR'S ABILITY TO TACKLE THIS ISSUE.

ELISE KLINE, NEW YORK NOW.

>> AND FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THE TOPICS WE EXPLORED IN THIS WEEK'S EPISODE, YOU CAN ALWAYS VISIT OUR WEBSITE.

THAT'S AT nynow.org.

WELL, THAT DOES IT FOR THIS EDITION OF NEW YORK NOW.

THANK YOU FOR TUNING IN AND SEE YOU NEXT WEEK.

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