In The News-New York State
Governor Hochul to Introduce Bill to Ban Localities from Entering into ICE 287(g) Agreements
Governor Hochul today announced the introduction of 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. The Governor’s memo in support may be accessed here.
“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,” Governor Hochul said. “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.”
According to Governor Hochul, 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 with a similar prohibition: Washington, Oregon, California, Illinois, New Jersey, Delaware, and Connecticut.
“As prosecutors, it is essential that victims and witnesses feel safe coming forward, cooperating with law enforcement, and participating in the justice process. Section 287(g) undermines that safety by blurring the line between local law enforcement and federal immigration enforcement—particularly for New York’s immigrant communities—and I fully support the Governor’s decision to ban these agreements,” Richmond County District Attorney Michael McMahon said. “When victims worry that reporting a crime could expose them or their loved ones to immigration consequences, crimes go unreported, offenders remain at large, and victims remain in danger…My office will continue to prosecute dangerous individuals who commit serious crimes, regardless of immigration status, and work with federal authorities when appropriate to hold violent offenders accountable, but Section 287(g) does not make victims safer. It discourages reporting, weakens prosecutions, and ultimately undermines public safety.”
NYS DMV Readies to Enforce Overhaul of Driver’s License Point System
The New York State Department of Motor Vehicles in readying to enforce the 2024 changes to the State’s Driver’s License Point System.
Adopted in November 2024, the updated driver’s license point system is expected to be enforced following an upgrade to DMV computer systems. It was announced last week that all DMV offices will close February 13th through February 18th to upgrade its computer systems. Phone and online services will also be unavailable during the upgrade. Offices will reopen and online services will resume on February 18th.
2026 Increases in DMV Traffic Violation Points:
| Violation | New Points | Old Points |
|---|---|---|
| Speeding | 4 | 3 |
| Speeding in a construction zone (any speed over the limit) | 8 | Varies |
| Using a cell phone while driving | 6 | 5 |
| Passing or overtaking a stopped school bus | 8 | 5 |
| Reckless driving | 8 | 5 |
| Failure to yield to a pedestrian | 5 | 3 |
| Following too closely | 5 | 4 |
| DWI/DWAI/DWAI-Drugs | 8–11 | 0 |
Violations that now have points include:
- Equipment problems (broken taillights) 1 point
- Illegal U-turns: 2 points
- Obstructing traffic: 2 points
- Failure to move over for emergency vehicles: 3 points.
- Aggravated Unlicensed Operation (AUO): 11 points.
- Facilitating Aggravated Unlicensed Operation: 5 points.
- Speed Contests or Races: 5 points.
Administrative Changes
- License Suspension Threshold: A license may be suspended if a driver accumulates 10 points within a 24-month period. The current rule is 11 points in 18 months.
- Longer “Look-Back” Period: The DMV will review a driver’s record over a longer, 24-month period to determine “persistent violators”.
- Driver Responsibility Assessment (DRA): Accumulating six or more points within 18 months will still result in a mandatory DRA fee, payable over three years. Violations from up to two years ago can now contribute to license suspension or Driver Responsibility Assessment (DRA) penalties which remain at $100 per year for the first 6 points and $25 per year for each additional point, payable annually.
- Earlier Warning Letters: Drivers who accumulate 4–6 points in a 24-month period will receive an early warning letter.
- Mandatory Driver-Improvement Clinic: Drivers with 7–10 points must complete a driver-improvement clinic, a program separate from the voluntary defensive-driving course. Drivers with 7 to 10 points must attend a Driver Improvement Clinic.
- Suspension Hearings: Drivers must attend a formal hearing if they accumulate 11 or more points within 24 months or meet other thresholds; at the hearing, the DMV will determine whether to suspend the license.
In The News-New York City
Mayor Mamdani Signs Executive Order to Require Chief Savings Officers Across City Agencies, Bolster City Performance
Executive Order 12 follows announcement that New York City faces a $12 billion budget shortfall over fiscal years 2026 and 2027.
Mayor Zohran Mamdani this week signed Executive Order 12 to designate an existing senior employee as “Chief Savings Officer” at every city agency and strengthen the long-term performance of city government.
The Chief Savings Officers will report directly to the head of the agency and will have 45 days to review agency operations, determine services that deliver the strongest results for New Yorkers, and locate opportunities to streamline processes and eliminate waste. Chief Savings Officers will help protect the city services that New Yorkers rely upon and improve the efficiency of city government for years to come.
“Delivering public goods requires public excellence.” said Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani. “That means a government that respects New Yorkers by using every dollar wisely. By designating a Chief Savings Officer at every agency, we’re taking direct aim at waste, cutting through bureaucracy, and making city services work. These Chief Savings Officers will help ensure that every dollar we spend is in service of a safer, cleaner, and more affordable city — and that our government meets the standard New Yorkers deserve,”
Under Executive Order 12, each city agency will have five days to appoint a Chief Savings Officer and ensure they are empowered with the relevant staff and data to meet Mayor Mamdani’s mandate. Chief Savings Officers will have 45 days to complete a comprehensive assessment of their agency’s spending — analyzing the most expensive programs to understand major drivers of cost as well as the highest-performing programs to register services with clear and meaningful results. Additionally, they will determine opportunities to consolidate services, insource programs, and reduce wasteful expenses such as duplicative programs.
Chief Savings Officers will present their findings to the Offices of the First Deputy Mayor and Budget Director. In order to meaningfully stabilize the City’s finances and lay the foundation for lasting government excellence, Chief Savings Officers will not focus on one-time accounting measures but rather on recurring savings and sustainable efficiencies. Additionally, Chief Savings Officers will complete updated assessments every six months, evaluating progress and identifying new opportunities for savings and efficiency.
Meanwhile, New York State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli released a statement this week on New York City’s preliminary budget, providing the Mamdani Administration with his assessment of the budget risks facing the City in FY2027.
For the fiscal year (FY) beginning in July 1, 2026 (FY 2027), the Comptroller’s assessment of the City’s budget risks include:
Social Services:
Rental Assistance prior to expansion (Risk of $1.23 billion)
Public Assistance ($628 million)
Non-Asylum Homeless Shelter Costs ($802 million)
Childcare Vouchers ($639 million)
Foster Care Costs ($242 million)
Education:
Due Process Cases ($580 million)
Class Size Mandate ($420 million)
School Cleaning Costs ($154 million)
Other Risks:
Citywide Overtime ($967 million)
Metropolitan Transportation Authority subsidies ($620 million)
Health Insurance costs ($385 million)
“As federal and state budgets take shape, the city must fully budget for the fiscal risks, present contingency scenarios, identify cost efficiencies, and grow reserves as it finalizes its budget.”
In December, DiNapoli released a budget analysis that estimated that out-year gaps were understated.
NYC Council Overrides Adams Administration Vetoes
The New York City Council voted to override 17 mayoral vetoes by former Mayor Eric Adams of bills that “strengthen worker protections, increase housing affordability and opportunities for homeownership, and create a legal framework for survivors to seek accountability for gender-motivated violence.” The legislation was passed by the Council in late 2025.
Included in the override package are:
Introduction 276-A, sponsored by Council Member Shekar Krishnan, would prohibit high-volume for-hire vehicle services from deactivating drivers, unless due to just cause, a bona fide economic reason, or if required to by law.
Introduction 431-B, sponsored by Council Member Pierina Ana Sanchez, would expand business licensing for food and general vendors by making 2,200 additional supervisory license applications available to prospective mobile food vendors annually from 2026 until 2031, and 10,500 new general vending licenses in 2027.
Introduction 570-B, sponsored by Council Member Gale A. Brewer, would create a New York City land bank, pending state approval, to acquire and manage vacant, abandoned, tax-delinquent, and foreclosed properties.
Introduction 958-A, sponsored by former Speaker Adrienne E. Adams, would require that at least 4 percent of all newly City-constructed affordable units be for homeownership.
Introduction 1297-A, sponsored by Council Member Selvena N. Brooks-Powers, would create a civil cause of action for crimes of violence motivated by gender that occurred prior to January 9, 2022.
Introduction 1391-A, sponsored by former Speaker Adrienne E. Adams, would direct security guard employers to provide their security guard employees with minimum wage, paid vacation time, and supplemental benefits that meet or exceed required compensation for private sector security guards engaged on New York City public building service contracts in excess of $1,500.
Introduction 1443-A, sponsored by Council Member Sandy Nurse, would require that, starting July 1, 2027, 50% of newly constructed rental units financed by the City be affordable for very low-income households, and at least 30% for extremely low-income households.
Introduction 1412-A, sponsored by Council Member Tiffany Cabán, would bar federal immigration authorities from maintaining offices on land under the New York City Department of Correction’s (DOC) jurisdiction.
Briefs
MTA: New York City Congestion Pricing Tolls Total $562M during first year
New York City’s congestion pricing tolls totaled $562 million after expenses during the first year of operation, according to financial figures announced by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) Wednesday.
“[Congestion pricing is] exceeding the $500 million target and providing dedicated funding for critical transit investments,” MTA Chief Financial Officer Jai Patel said during the agency’s monthly board meeting. “So taken together, 2025 played out largely as planned.”
According Gothamist, operating costs associated with the toll program include labor, maintenance of the cameras, electricity costs for the cameras and other “professional services.” On average, the MTA spends $10 million per month to operate the tolling program.
Governor Hochul Launches Student Loan Repayment Program to Expand Health Care Access for Medicaid Members
Governor Hochul is launching a $48.3 million student loan repayment initiative designed to expand access to care for NYS Medicaid members and uninsured individuals across New York State. In late summer, the HEALR program will award $48.3 million in loan repayment for psychiatrists, primary care physicians, dentists, nurse practitioners and pediatric clinical nurse specialists who make a four-year commitment to serving Medicaid members.
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
Applications are currently open. Individuals that are currently employed or whose jobs will commence by the time awards are initiated are eligible. There are two application pathways for the HEALR program: individual providers may apply on their own or employers that have been approved as service commitment sites may initiate up to five applications on behalf of their staff.
Individual and employer applications can be accessed on the program website at health.ny.gov/HEALRProgram. Employer applications will close at 11:59 p.m. on March 31, and individual applications will close at 11:59 p.m. on April 15. Awards are expected to be announced in late summer 2026.
Amtrak Restoring Full Albany-NYC Train Schedule by Early March
Amtrak has agreed to restore all suspended or combined Empire Service trains between New York’s Penn Station and the Albany-Rensselaer Station by early March.
Last year, Amtrak began reducing commuter trips between Albany and New York City due to an ongoing $1.6 billion East River Tunnel project. In October, Hochul had announced that due to Amtrak’s reductions the Metro-North Railroad would run its first trains between Albany and New York City this spring. That service was to include one daily round-trip between the Albany-Rensselaer Station and Grand Central Terminal on the Hudson Line, which currently ends in Poughkeepsie.
Amtrak this week notified the state and the MTA that it would no longer sanction the temporary Metro-North service to Albany, as it would be restoring service in March.
“We will soon be able to offer more Empire Service capacity than existed even before the tunnel work began last spring and run full service far earlier than anticipated, which are big wins for riders,” Governor Hochul said. “I remain fully committed to short and long-term proposals to bring better transit – including expanded Metro-North service if the demand exists – beyond Poughkeepsie and into the rest of the Hudson Valley and Capital Region.”
Mamdani Names Former Biden Official as Environmental Protection Commissioner
Mayor Zohran Mamdani on Tuesday announced Lisa Garcia as the new commissioner of the city Department of Environmental Protection.
In addition, Mamdani announced Sharun Goodwin as commissioner of the Department of Probation and Yume Kitasei as the commissioner of the Department of Citywide Administrative Services.
Garcia previously served as the Region 2 administrator for the federal Environmental Protection Agency under President Joe Biden. In that role, she oversaw matters involving New York, New Jersey, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands and eight Tribal Nations.
Goodwin has spent her career working in various roles in the Department of Probation, most recently the deputy commissioner. Kitasei worked within the de Blasio and Adams administrations and as a staffer in the City Council. At DCAS, she will oversee city government’s workforce policies, public properties and efforts to reduce carbon emissions within the government’s physical footprint.
Mayor Mamdani also appointed the city’s first-ever “World Cup Czar”, Maya Handa, who will coordinate city agencies, mayoral offices, and private partners ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Federal Judge Appoints Rikers Island Remediation Manager
The federal judge overseeing Rikers Island announced the appointment of Nicholas Deml, a former CIA officer and head of the Vermont detention system, as the “Remediation Manager.”
Judge Laura Taylor Swain ordered Deml and the Mamdani administration to submit a joint report outlining an operational plan, and any unresolved issues, within 21 days. At that time, Deml would be formally appointed.
He previously served four years as commissioner of the Vermont Department of Corrections, overseeing prisons, jails and community supervision statewide. Before overseeing the corrections department, Deml served as a service intelligence officer with the Central Intelligence Agency from 2013 to 2021. He began his career as an attorney and aide to U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Illinois, on the Senate Judiciary Committee.
Speaker Menin Introduces Legislation to Combat Antisemitism and Strengthen Community Safety
New York City Council Speaker Julie Menin introduced a package of legislation to combat antisemitism, strengthen protections for schools and all houses of worship, and expand Holocaust education citywide.
The bills included in the legislative package would:
- Introduction 731, sponsored by Speaker Menin, will require police to submit a plan to establish security perimeters at places of religious worship. This bill will fully protect the First Amendment right to peacefully protest.
- Introduction 751, sponsored by Council Members Eric Dinowitz and Joann Ariola, will require police to submit a plan to establish security perimeters at educational facilities.
- Introduction 726, sponsored by Council Member Mercedes Narcisse, will build upon an existing security guard reimbursement program for nonpublic schools.
- Introduction 722, sponsored by Council Members Virginia Maloney and Eric Dinowitz, will require the mayor to designate an agency or office that, in consultation with NYCEM and NYPD, would support religious institutions in establishing emergency plans.
- Introduction 796, sponsored by Council Member Lincoln Restler, will establish a hotline for receiving reports from the public regarding incidents motivated by antisemitic, anti-Asian, and gender-based hate or bias.
- Introduction 757, sponsored by Council Members Shaun Abreu and Linda Lee, will require the Department of Education (DOE) to distribute age-appropriate materials to middle and high school students regarding the risks and dangers associated with social media for youth.
- Introduction 2066, sponsored by Council Member Dinowitz, will require the police department to report on the status of hate crime cases.
The New York City Council is establishing an antisemitism task force. Eric Dinowitz (D) and Inna Vernikov (R)and Democrat Eric Dinowitz will chair the bipartisan Task Force to Combat Antisemitism, City Council Speaker Menin announced Thursday.
The Council’s action comes amid a documented rise in antisemitic incidents nationwide and heightened concerns about safety around religious institutions in New York City. According to the NYPD, antisemitic incidents accounted for 57% of reported hate crimes in 2025, although only approximately 10% of New York City residents are Jewish. Jewish New Yorkers were the targets of hate crimes more than all other groups combined.
Coming Up
New York State
Tuesday, February 3rd
Joint Legislative Public Hearing on 2026 Executive Budget Proposal: Topic – Transportation
Legislative Office Building – Hearing Room B, 9:30 a.m.
Senate Insurance Committee Meeting, 124 Capitol Building, 11:30 a.m.
Senate Cities Committee Meeting, 411 Legislative Office Building, 11:30 a.m.
Housing, Construction and Community Development Committee Meeting, 5111 Legislative Office Building, 12 p.m.
Veterans, Homeland Security and Military Affairs Committee Meeting, 944 Legislative Office Building, 12:30 p.m.
Energy and Telecommunications Committee Meeting, 124 Capitol Building, 12:30 p.m.
New York State Senate Session, Senate Chamber – New York State Capitol, Albany, 3 p.m.
New York State Assembly Session, Assembly Chamber – New York State Capitol, Albany
Wednesday, February 4th
Senate Aging Committee Meeting, 904 Legislative Office Building, 9 a.m.
Joint Legislative Public Hearing on 2026 Executive Budget Proposal: Topic – Mental Hygiene
Legislative Office Building – Hearing Room B, 9:30 a.m.
Senate Judiciary Committee Meeting, 124 Capitol Building, 10 a.m.
Senate Transportation Committee Meeting, 801 Legislative Office Building, 11 a.m.
Senate Environmental Conservation Committee Meeting, 124 Capitol Building, 11 a.m.
Senate Codes Committee Meeting, 124 Capitol Building, 11:30 a.m.
Senate Cultural Affairs, Tourism, Parks and Recreation Committee Meeting, 123 State Capitol, 11:30 a.m.
Senate Health Committee Meeting, 124 Capital Building, 12 p.m.
Crime Victims, Crime and Correction Meeting, 123 Capitol Building, 12:30 p.m.
New York State Senate Session, Senate Chamber – New York State Capitol, Albany, 3 p.m.
New York State Assembly Session,
Assembly Chamber – New York State Capitol, Albany
Thursday, February 5th
Joint Legislative Public Hearing on 2026 Executive Budget Proposal: Topic – Human Services
Legislative Office Building – Hearing Room B, 9:30 a.m.
New York State Senate Session, Senate Chamber – New York State Capitol, Albany, 11 a.m.
New York State Assembly Session, Assembly Chamber – New York State Capitol, Albany
New York State Cannabis Control Board Meeting,
City University of New York School of Public Health and Health Policy – 7th Floor Auditorium,
11 a.m.
New York City
Tuesday, February 3rd
Subcommittee on Zoning and Franchises, 250 Broadway – 8th Floor – Hearing Room 1, 11 a.m.
Wednesday, February 4th
Committee on Rules, Privileges, Elections, Standards and Ethics, 250 Broadway – 8th Floor Rm 1, 1 p.m.