In The News-New York State
Cutting Red Tape: Governor Hochul Issues Executive Order Kicking Off “Regulatory Reset”
Executive Order Directs State Agencies to “Methodically” Review Regulations and Laws to Identify Opportunities for Modernization or Efficiencies
Governor Kathy Hochul this week issued an Executive Order to commence New York’s “Regulatory Reset,” a “comprehensive and methodical review” of regulations and laws across all state agencies, to improve the functioning and efficiency of state government.
According to Governor Hochul, working with government reform and tech non-profits and academic researchers (including Recoding America Fund, US Digital Response, and Stanford University’s RegLab), the state has identified “thousands” of potential opportunities for reform using AI-enabled tools. Agency heads will now be tasked with thoroughly reviewing all identified regulations and rules to determine the best path forward. All final recommendations in the “Regulatory Reset” will be extensively vetted and evaluated by state agencies and the Governor’s office before proceeding.
The “Regulatory Reset” Executive Order specifically directs agencies to review the following opportunities for modernization and reform:
Modernizing Outdated Regulations
State entities will conduct a review of its existing regulations and administrative procedures to identify inefficiencies that hinder the state’s ability to deliver for New Yorkers. This review should include, but not be limited to, identifying:
- Regulatory requirements for submissions that demand delivery by mail or facsimile (fax), multiple printed copies, obsolete communications (e.g., telegram), check payment, or wet signature, where digital or other alternative submissions or payment methods would be more efficient.
- Opportunities for more flexibility for hearings and meetings currently required to be held in-person, where hearings or meetings in hybrid formats would be legally permissible and operationally feasible.
- Opportunities to eliminate unnecessary notarization requirements, where self-attestation under penalty of perjury or utilizing electronic notarization would be appropriate.
- Any regulatory requirement that adds significant compliance costs to small businesses or individuals without providing a clear public benefit.
Review of Fines, Fees, and Penalties
State Entities will review fee schedules and penalty structures to ensure they are fair, transparent, and proportionate. This review should include, but not be limited to, identifying:
- Fines or fees that disproportionately impact low-income New Yorkers or small businesses.
- Penalties that can be reduced, waived for first-time non-willful violations, or replaced with cure periods to incentivize compliance over penalization.
- Opportunities for consolidating or streamlining fee requirements across agencies in situations where multiple agencies require fees for the same action by an applicant.
Streamlining of Mandated Reports and Boards, Commissions, and Councils
State entities will:
- Identify reports mandated by regulation, policy, or statute that are no longer utilized, are redundant, or can be consolidated.
- Evaluate all boards, councils, task forces and commissions within their purview and recommend the dissolution or reform of any such body that has not recently met, no longer serves the public interest, or whose functions have been superseded by other entities.
Governor Hochul said that potential reforms will be advanced either through the regulatory and rulemaking process or through statutory updates to be developed in collaboration with the New York State Legislature.
The first wave of actions taken in the “Regulatory Reset” are expected to be announced later this year.
In The News-New York City
COGE Takes on Permitting & Approval Processes to Accelerate Housing Production
The Commission on Government Efficiency (COGE) held its second public hearing in Manhattan on Wednesday, focusing on streamlining the City’s permitting and project approval processes to accelerate housing production and infrastructure investment while preserving public safety, environmental protections, labor standards, and government oversight.
Established by Mayor Zohran Mamdani as the 2026 Charter Revision Commission, COGE is reviewing the New York City Charter and developing recommendations to modernize city government, improve efficiency and accountability, and better address housing affordability and infrastructure challenges. Chaired by Patrick Gaspard, the Commission is conducting hearings in all five boroughs before submitting recommendations later this year, many of which are expected to appear as ballot questions in the November 2026 General Election.
Witnesses from City agencies, the construction industry, organized labor, and elected offices agreed that the current permitting system is overly complex and contributes to costly delays. Department of Buildings Commissioner Ahmed Tagani outlined proposals to modernize permitting, while industry representatives called for reforms to procurement and project delivery. Organized labor, including the New York City District Council of Carpenters, stressed that reducing bureaucracy must not come at the expense of worker safety, prevailing wage protections, or enforcement against wage theft and worker misclassification, citing the recent structural emergency at the former Pfizer building in Midtown as a reminder of the need for strong oversight.
The Commission also heard broader Charter reform proposals. Comptroller Mark Levine advocated strengthening the City’s Rainy-Day Fund through clearer fiscal guardrails and improving nonprofit contracting by increasing agency staffing, reducing administrative bottlenecks, and accelerating payments to nonprofit service providers. He also highlighted his office’s efforts to improve transparency through the City’s late contracts tracker (Checkbook NYC). Public Advocate Jumaane Williams proposed expanding the Public Advocate’s subpoena authority to strengthen government accountability and oversight.
New York City Comptroller Mark Levine Launches Dashboard to Increase Accountability on City Vendor Contracting and Payment Delays
New York City Comptroller Mark Levine this week released a Late Contracts Dashboard, providing the public with a real-time view of key performance indicators on contract registration delays, a key contributor to late payment issues for nonprofits. This is part of the Office’s commitment to government transparency and accountability and addressing longstanding challenges nonprofits and human service vendors have faced getting paid on time.
“Nonprofits provide many of the vital services New Yorkers regularly rely upon – but the City’s delays in the contract registration process means we are pushing them to the brink — forcing them to wait for months, if not years, to be paid,” said City Comptroller Mark Levine. “Nonprofits should be incentivized to do business with the City because we can provide stability, not be dissuaded by our delinquency. This dashboard will give us a clearer picture of the needs of our nonprofit partners and the delinquency they are being asked to contend with.”
Delayed contract registration can contribute to payment delays, which can place significant financial burdens on nonprofit organizations and businesses, forcing vendors to rely on private financing to manage cash flow, meet payroll, and sustain operations while awaiting payment. The Late Contracts Dashboard was developed after nonprofit roundtable discussions earlier this year in which the Comptroller heard about delays in the contracting process.
The Late Contracts Dashboard uses live data sourced directly from Checkbook NYC, which allows vendors, policymakers, and the public to:
- Access and Visualize Data by Contract Volume, Contract Value, or Average Days Late. Users can toggle between tabs, each of which includes respective data depicted in bar graph format.
- Filter Data by Agency, Vendor, MWB/E Category, Industry, or Non-Profit Status. These filters can be applied in any combination for users to search for trends as they develop in real-time.
- Compare Within or Across Fiscal Years. Data dates back to FY 2011, allowing users to analyze and visualize long-term and short-term trends alike.
Briefs
New York Sues 3M, DuPont & Others Over Toxic ‘Forever Chemicals’ in Consumer Goods
New York Attorney General Letitia James this week sued the nation’s largest chemical and agricultural companies – 3M Company (3M), EIDP, Inc. (EIDP), The Chemours Company, Inc. (Chemours), Corteva, Inc. (Corteva), and DuPont De Nemours, Inc. (DuPont) – for contributing to decades of toxic polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) pollution in New York through their use in consumer products.
PFAS are known as “forever chemicals” because of their ability to persist in the environment without breaking down. Some PFAS are associated with an increased risk of cancer, birth defects, pregnancy complications, high cholesterol, hormone issues, and a wide range of other health problems.
Attorney General James alleges that these companies manufactured, marketed, and sold PFAS that they knew to be toxic for use in consumer products. She further alleges that the companies deceived consumers and the public about their exposure to PFAS and the contamination of the environment and failed to warn the public about the risks of PFAS in consumer goods. Attorney General James is seeking a court order holding the companies liable for the environmental and public health damage they have caused, requiring them to fund cleanup efforts throughout New York, and ordering them to properly warn consumers about their products’ risks. The lawsuit also seeks damages, restitution, and other financial penalties.
“For far too long, our communities have unfairly shouldered the costs of protecting people from these toxic forever chemicals and cleaning up their contamination,” James said in a statement. “I look forward to ensuring the companies responsible for PFAS pollution are held accountable.”
New York Bans Smart Glasses From All 1,240 courthouses
All courts in New York state will ban smart glasses effective July 20th, per the direction of the Office of Court Administration.
All eyewear or headwear that contains cameras, microphones or other recording technology will not be allowed inside any Unified Court System facilities, according to a memo from the Office of Court Administration. executive director, Justin Barry.
“The reason for this prohibition is to ensure that individuals cannot surreptitiously record court proceedings in violation of the New York State Civil Rights Law and applicable court rules,” Barry wrote.
The ban applies to more than 1,240 state, county, city, town and village courts.
Cannabis Poisonings Among New York’s Youngest Children Surge
A recent State Department of Health (DOH) report found that emergency room visits for cannabis poisoning nearly doubled since 2016, with children aged 0 to 4 years seeing the largest increase.
Cannabis has overtaken Tylenol as one of the most common ways young children in New York poison themselves, Dr. James McDonald, State Health Commissioner explained, according to the Albany Times Union.
“If it fits in a child’s hand, it’s going to go in a child’s mouth,” said Dr. McDonald said.
The DOH report was based upon records from every New York hospital and emergency department and shows that cannabis-related poisoning visits have doubled since 2016, rising from over 1,200 to almost 2,400 statewide in 2024. According to the report, the per capita rate more than doubled, with sharpest increases among children aged 0–4 years (+3,736%) and 5–14 years (+1,300%).
J’Aimee Louis, the state Health Department’s cannabis program manager, said the goal of the report is to “move from assumptions and from anecdote to evidence,” and then “from evidence and from data to action.”
Hochul and Mamdani Administrations Partner to Build the “Fastest, Best” Bus System in New York City History
Governor Kathy Hochul and Mayor Zohran Mamdani this week unveiled Next Stop: Fast Buses, Better Service, identifying 50 priority bus corridors for improvements across the five boroughs and launched the City’s next generation of rapid bus service along five key routes. Together, these investments will cut average bus trips by up to 6 minutes each way for riders on those corridors.
The plan includes partnership between the New York City Department of Transportation (NYC DOT) and the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA). Five corridors in Brooklyn, Queens and the Bronx have been selected as the first phase of New York City’s next generation of rapid bus routes:
- Tremont/Cross Bronx, the Bronx
- Northern Boulevard, Queens
- Flatbush Avenue, Brooklyn
- Utica Avenue, Brooklyn
- Kensington-JFK, Brooklyn and Queens
These corridors were selected because they connect New Yorkers to jobs, schools, subway service and major destinations while supporting current and future housing and economic growth. Beginning in 2026, NYC DOT and the MTA will advance these projects with dedicated bus lanes, frequent all-day service, upgraded stations with sheltered waiting areas.
Through the MTA’s $68 Billion 2025-2029 Capital Program, the authority will purchase approximately 2,500 new buses, replacing 40% of its aging fleet. The MTA will also implement all-door boarding in 2027 with the complete transition to tap and ride.
The City Automated Camera Enforcement (ACS) program will facilitate the program. NYC DOT and the MTA will expand bus-mounted ACE to 25 additional routes each year in 2026 and 2027. NYC DOT will install 200 additional stationary bus lane cameras by 2027 to capture vehicles illegally driving in bus lanes. In addition, the New York City Police Department (NYPD) will expand targeted bus lane enforcement from 14 to 20 corridors beginning in 2026.
Mayor Mamdani Announces Free Civil Service Exams for High School Students and First-Time Test Takers
Mayor Zohran Mamdani and New York City Department of Citywide Administrative Services (DCAS) Commissioner Yume Kitasei announced that civil service exams are now free for New York City high school students and first-time test takers.
Established under Local Law 57 of 2025, the new waivers expand on the City’s existing fee waivers for veterans, unemployed individuals and applicants receiving public assistance. Eligible applicants can request a waiver through the City’s Online Application System, OASys 2.0. First-time applicants will have their eligibility verified automatically, while New York City high school students can qualify by submitting proof of current enrollment.
Also, the City released the Fiscal Year 2027 civil service examination schedule, providing New Yorkers with a roadmap to careers across City government. The schedule includes 149 exams for positions in public safety, administration, engineering, healthcare and other essential roles that keep the city running.
Exams will be offered throughout the next fiscal year. Seventy-two percent will be open to all qualified New Yorkers, while 28% will be promotional exams for current City employees. The new 2027 exam list and schedule can be found here.
Coming Up
New York State
Monday, July 13th
New York State Board of Regents Meeting, 89 Washington Ave – Albany, 9 a.m.
Wednesday, July 15th
*New York State Lobbying Client Semi Annual Reports Are Due*
*New York State Lobbying Bimonthly Reports Are Due*
New York City
Tuesday, July 14th
Subcommittee on Landmarks, Public Sitings, Resiliency and Dispositions, 250 Broadway – 8th Floor – Hearing Room 1, 10:30 a.m.
Subcommittee on Zoning and Franchises, 250 Broadway – 8th Floor – Hearing Room 1, 11 a.m.
Committee on Land Use, 250 Broadway – 8th Floor – Hearing Room 1, 11:30 a.m.
Wednesday, July 15th
*New York City Lobbying Bimonthly Reports Are Due*
Committee on Health, Council Chambers – City Hall, 10 a.m.
Committee on Housing and Buildings, 250 Broadway – 8th Floor – Hearing Room 1, 1 p.m.
Committee on Finance, 250 Broadway – 8th Floor – Hearing Room 1, 1 p.m.
Thursday, July 16th
Committee on Finance, Committee Room – City Hall, 11 a.m.
City Council Stated Meeting, Council Chambers – City Hall, 1:30 p.m.