Albany's 2023 Session Ends with Housing Deal Deadlock and Political Tension

The 2023 legislative session in New York is expected to end with few major policy wins, as lawmakers failed to address the state's affordable housing crisis and instead focused on passing a bill to seal old criminal records and creating a commission to study reparations for Black people. Democrats also pushed last-minute amendments to campaign finance reform, which watchdogs criticized as weakening the original reforms. Lawmakers are expected to pass legislation to move many local elections to even-numbered years to boost voter turnout. The fate of bills to rename a bridge and lower the speed limit in New York City remains uncertain.