Policy Outsider

The recent Ticketmaster-Taylor Swift ticket purchasing debacle brought renewed attention to the stranglehold Ticketmaster holds on the live music industry. On today's episode, New York State Senator James Skoufis, a leading champion of ticket reform legislation, breaks down the problems facing the ticket industry and how state and federal policy can work to protect consumers.

Guest:

Honorable James Skoufis, New York State Senator 

In honor of National Veterans and Military Families Month, today's episode examines life after serving in the military as told by two veterans. We invited Aaron Gladd, chief of staff of the State University of New York and former platoon leader in the US Army, and Colonel Jim McDonough, CEO of The Headstrong Project and former director of New York State’s Division of Veterans’ Services, to share their experiences joining, serving, and transitioning out of the military. They describe the challenges many veterans face moving back into civilian life and discuss how communities and non-profits are working to fill the gaps in veterans’ services left by local, state, and federal governments.

On Tuesday, voters in New York overwhelmingly approved the $4.2 billion Clean Water, Clean Air, and Green Jobs Bond Act. On today's episode, we invite New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Executive Deputy Commissioner Sean Mahar to discuss what this support means and what comes next for the environmental bond act. The conversation provides an overview of how funding will be prioritized and highlights the anticipated environmental and economic impacts of this investment.

Guest:

Sean Mahar, executive deputy commissioner, Department of Environmental Conservation

In July, a bill designed to protect same-sex marriages passed the US House of Representatives with bipartisan support. Forty-seven Republicans joined House Democrats in passing the Respect for Marriage Act. Shortly thereafter, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer announced that he was working to drum up sufficient Republican support in the Senate to pass the bill.

Following weeks of behind-the-scenes negotiations, Schumer announced in mid-September that the vote would be delayed until after the midterm elections.

To make sense of what is happening with marriage equality, we put together a two-part podcast series, featuring conversations with policymakers, experts, and advocates.

In part one of this series, Rockefeller Institute Fellow Heather Trela, Senior Policy Analyst Leigh Wedenoja, and Pride Center of the Capital Region Executive Director Nate Gray answer questions like: If the US Supreme Court ruled in 2015 to legalize marriage equality nationwide, why is there now a renewed push for legislating this issue? What is the legislative and judicial history of marriage equality and how does that inform the provisions in the Respect for Marriage Act? And how is the recent uncertainty surrounding marriage equality affecting members of the LGBTQ+ community?

In part two, we draw some political parallels to the current moment with a look back at the push for marriage equality in New York in 2011. To understand the political calculations and consequences of a Republican “yes” vote on this issue, Rockefeller Institute President Bob Megna talks with Senator Steve Saland, one of four Republican senators who crossed the aisle to say “aye” to the Marriage Equality Act.

In July, a bill designed to protect same-sex marriages passed the US House of Representatives with bipartisan support. Forty-seven Republicans joined House Democrats in passing the Respect for Marriage Act. Shortly thereafter, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer announced that he was working to drum up sufficient Republican support in the Senate to pass the bill.

Following weeks of behind-the-scenes negotiations, Schumer announced in mid-September that the vote would be delayed until after the midterm elections.

To make sense of what is happening with marriage equality, we put together a two-part podcast series, featuring conversations with policymakers, experts, and advocates.

In part one of this series, Rockefeller Institute Fellow Heather Trela, Senior Policy Analyst Leigh Wedenoja, and Pride Center of the Capital Region Executive Director Nate Gray answer questions like: If the US Supreme Court ruled in 2015 to legalize marriage equality nationwide, why is there now a renewed push for legislating this issue? What is the legislative and judicial history of marriage equality and how does that inform the provisions in the Respect for Marriage Act? And how is the recent uncertainty surrounding marriage equality affecting members of the LGBTQ+ community?

In part two, we draw some political parallels to the current moment with a look back at the push for marriage equality in New York in 2011. To understand the political calculations and consequences of a Republican “yes” vote on this issue, Rockefeller Institute President Bob Megna talks with Senator Steve Saland, one of four Republican senators who crossed the aisle to say “aye” to the Marriage Equality Act.

In 2020, the most recent year for which data are available, over half of all completed suicides in America involved a firearm–that is more than 24,000 Americans dying by firearm suicide in one year alone. However, suicide attempts involving a firearm account for fewer than 5 percent of all suicide attempts. September is Suicide Prevention Awareness Month and for this episode, we are re-issuing a recorded Twitter Spaces conversation hosted by Jaclyn Schildkraut, interim executive director of the Regional Gun Violence Research Consortium at the Rockefeller Institute and Michael Anestis, the executive director of the New Jersey Gun Violence Research Center at Rutgers University. The discussion focuses on the risk factors associated with firearm suicide as well as what policies and tools exist to help to mitigate firearm suicides.

Guests:

Jaclyn Schildkraut, interim executive director of the Regional Gun Violence Research Consortium

Michael Anestis, executive director of the New Jersey Gun Violence Research Center 

Go in-depth:

If you or anyone you know are experiencing suicidal thoughts, please consider dialing 9-8-8 to reach the National Suicide Prevention Hotline. You can also text HOME to 741-741 to reach the Crisis Text Line.

The Biden Administration recently announced a student loan debt relief plan offering up to $20,000 in debt forgiveness for certain borrowers. The announcement also contained details about a new income-driven repayment plan that will reduce monthly payments for lower and middle-income borrowers. On this episode of Policy Outsider, Brian Backstrom, director of education policy studies at the Institute, joins guest host Joel Tirado to discuss the details of this relief plan and the interesting challenge of calculating the size of its benefits.

Guest: Brian Backstrom, director of education policy studies at the Rockefeller Institute

For more in-depth analysis, visit the student debt research series below:

It's not just an availability issue. While governments continue to invest in expansion of broadband infrastructure, high costs and poor digital literacy have hindered adoption of high-speed internet even where it is available. On the latest episode of Policy Outsider, guest Kevin Schwartzbach, a graduate research assistant at the Rockefeller Institute, shares his research on broadband policy and investment and discusses why gaps in access and adoption persist.

Guest:

Kevin Schwartzbach

Go in-depth:

Addressing Digital Literacy and Other Reasons for Non-Adoption of Broadband

How Government Can Make Broadband More Affordable

Should States Fund Municipal Broadband and Cooperatives?

With Billions for Broadband Incoming, How Have State and Local Governments Expanded High-Speed Internet Access?

A recently passed bill would enact a two-year moratorium on specific types of cryptocurrency mining in New York and require an environmental impact assessment of mining operations if signed by Governor Kathy Hochul. On the latest episode of Policy Outsider, NYS Assemblymember Anna Kelles, the bill's sponsor, joins host Alex Morse to discuss what's in the bill, what the legislature hopes to learn from its proposed impact analysis, and how the bill fits with the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (CLCPA), New York's landmark climate and environment legislation.

Guest

Honorable Anna Kelles, New York State Assemblymember 

Points of Conversation

03:02 - Blockchain Basics and Cryptocurrency Validation: Proof-of-Stake vs. Proof-of-Work

13:43 - Understanding Decentralized Financing

16:51 - Pause for Examination: How Cryptocurrency Mining Operates and its Potential Impacts

26:17 - The Fracking Playbook

30:54 - How Cryptocurrency Mining Relates to the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act

38:00 - How Recent Environmental Policy Decisions Affect Future Policymaking

Changing the way we understand and talk about mass shootings can help us implement more effective gun policy. As National Gun Violence Awareness Month winds down, this episode of Policy Outsider presents a recorded Twitter Spaces conversation between the Rockefeller Institute's Regional Gun Violence Research Consortium Interim Executive Director Jaclyn Schildkraut and New Jersey Gun Violence Research Center Executive Director Michael Anestis. The wide-ranging conversation covers many aspects of mass shootings: common misconceptions, frameworks for understanding how they unfold, and the role of policy in limiting their likelihood.