ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) — Lawmakers in Albany have agreed on a framework for the 2026 state budget that has been delayed by over a month. The budget bills will be printed and voted on, which will mark the end of the budget process.
This week on Empire State Weekly, one of the items included in the budget that caused debate and delay were the proposed changes to discovery law. Under the new measure, prosecutors are required to prove they exercised due diligence in submitting all evidence before a trial can take place. Bob Babcock, a lawyer with Tully Rinckey, explained the impact he believes the change will have.
“My hope is that it’s going to create a more open dialogue between defense attorneys and prosecutors about discovery,” said Babcock.
Also this week, David Little, the Executive Director for the Rural Schools Association, explained how the “bell to bell” cell phone ban included in the budget framework will impact the efforts districts have already made to limit cellphone use in schools.
“They’ve come up with their own way of handling this issue and many of them have found that that’s been successful, so now to change that based on no interaction with their school community, that’s gonna be a little problematic,” said Little.
To see these interviews and more, here is a list of how you can watch Empire State Weekly in your area of New York:
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