Dan Clark

Author of the Capitol Confidential newsletter from the Times Union. I've covered government and politics in New York for more than a decade.

CapCon New York

Hochul: Next week 'should be a very significant week' for the state budget

May 1, 2026

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7 min read

Hochul: Next week 'should be a very significant week' for the state budget

And a bill to delay the electric school bus mandate is moving in the Legislature.

Dan Clark

CapCon New York

New York's 'Epstein loophole' and the bill that would close it

Apr 30, 2026

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7 min read

New York's 'Epstein loophole' and the bill that would close it

And an upstate opt-in to the pied-à-terre tax has now been proposed.

Dan Clark

CapCon New York

Apr 29, 2026

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8 min read

Redistricting in New York revived

Plus: Hochul's budget deal announcement will now be her latest since taking office.

Dan Clark

CapCon New York

Hochul rejects new Mamdani tax plan, budget talks near 'end of the middle'

Apr 28, 2026

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8 min read

Hochul rejects new Mamdani tax plan, budget talks near 'end of the middle'

And lawmakers are seeking to influence the Climate Act court case, new filings show.

Dan Clark

CapCon New York

Packaging bill rewritten in new push for passage

Apr 27, 2026

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8 min read

Packaging bill rewritten in new push for passage

And a seventh budget extender is passing with an eighth expected later this week.

Dan Clark

CapCon New York

Is a 22-year-old trying to hijack a Working Families ballot line?

Apr 25, 2026

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4 min read

Is a 22-year-old trying to hijack a Working Families ballot line?

And this week's Capitol cheat sheet.

Timothy Fanning, +1

CapCon New York

An auto insurance deal is close, sources say

Apr 24, 2026

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7 min read

An auto insurance deal is close, sources say

And New York wants pitches from developers for renewable energy projects

Dan Clark, +1

CapCon New York

Big beauty battles Senate-approved cosmetics chemicals bill

Apr 23, 2026

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7 min read

Big beauty battles Senate-approved cosmetics chemicals bill

And cannabis retailers can now stage farmers market-style events in New York.

Dan Clark

CapCon New York

Heastie wants budget power imbalance fix, says reporters are 'silent'

Apr 22, 2026

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7 min read

Heastie wants budget power imbalance fix, says reporters are 'silent'

And Hochul bans state employees from insider trading on prediction markets.

Dan Clark

CapCon New York

Trump breaks with NY GOP in race to replace Stefanik

Apr 21, 2026

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7 min read

Trump breaks with NY GOP in race to replace Stefanik

And unemployment in New York hits a 4-year high.

Dan Clark

CapCon New York

State budget deal not expected this week

Apr 20, 2026

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7 min read

State budget deal not expected this week

And a new bill would pause state support for new nuclear energy.

Dan Clark

CapCon New York

Colleges and nonprofits tied to questionable campaign donations

Apr 18, 2026

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4 min read

Colleges and nonprofits tied to questionable campaign donations

Plus this week's cheat sheet and an Assemblyman on a hoverboard..

Timothy Fanning, +1

CapCon New York

New York's fracking ban faces federal lawsuit

Apr 17, 2026

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7 min read

New York's fracking ban faces federal lawsuit

And what to expect on the state budget next week.

Dan Clark

CapCon New York

Hochul agrees to expanded immigrant protections but doubts emerge

Apr 16, 2026

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8 min read

Hochul agrees to expanded immigrant protections but doubts emerge

And lobbying spending hit an all-time high in 2025. Here's what's in the data.

Dan Clark

CapCon New York

Inside the finances of Hochul, Blakeman and their running mates

Apr 15, 2026

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7 min read

Inside the finances of Hochul, Blakeman and their running mates

A look at Hochul's taxes and the financial disclosure statements of other statewide candidates.

Dan Clark

CapCon New York

The campaign cash of car insurance at the state Capitol

Apr 14, 2026

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7 min read

The campaign cash of car insurance at the state Capitol

And Hochul describes her phone calls with Trump.

Dan Clark

CapCon New York

'One-way street' on auto insurance talks with Hochul, Gianaris says

Apr 13, 2026

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7 min read

'One-way street' on auto insurance talks with Hochul, Gianaris says

And LGBTQ groups oppose an online safety measure that's part of state budget talks.

Dan Clark

CapCon New York

Grid standoff looms and this week’s cheat sheet

Apr 11, 2026

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3 min read

Grid standoff looms and this week’s cheat sheet

And watch the Assembly speaker leave a gaggle of reporters like Homer Simpson.

Timothy Fanning, +1

CapCon New York

New York's 'noncompliance' with environmental law ruins regulations, judge rules

Apr 9, 2026

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7 min read

New York's 'noncompliance' with environmental law ruins regulations, judge rules

And Hochul says one option to fix New York City's budget gap is still off the table.

Dan Clark

CapCon New York

Apr 8, 2026

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7 min read

Hochul has a heart for her hecklers

And Blakeman is suing the state over its denial of public matching funds for his campaign.

Dan Clark

CapCon New York

The other problem with a late state budget

Apr 7, 2026

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7 min read

The other problem with a late state budget

And both chambers have now passed two parts of Hochul's proposed budget as standalone bills.

Dan Clark

CapCon New York

Auto insurers won't say how much Hochul's proposals would save

Apr 6, 2026

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8 min read

Auto insurers won't say how much Hochul's proposals would save

I asked the companies that lobbied on those measures for information. I didn't get much.

Dan Clark

CapCon New York

The future of the penny in New York plotted through new policy

Apr 3, 2026

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7 min read

The future of the penny in New York plotted through new policy

And ICE arrests in New York spiked from November to January, new data shows.

Dan Clark

CapCon New York

What's missing from Hochul's child care plan

Apr 2, 2026

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7 min read

What's missing from Hochul's child care plan

And a new Democrat-sponsored bill would delay the electric school bus mandate.

Dan Clark

CapCon New York

How Hochul is holding up new immigrant protections, according to lawmakers

Apr 1, 2026

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7 min read

How Hochul is holding up new immigrant protections, according to lawmakers

And Blake Washington has an update on top state budget items.

Dan Clark