New district map, special election could impact balance of power

ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) — This week on Empire State Weekly: New York’s redistricting process continued with a new proposed congressional map once again changing some district lines. The change came on the heels of a special election in the 3rd Congressional District.

Jared Gans a reporter with the political news website The Hill, explained that Democrat Tom Suozzi’s win, provided a game plan for other Democrats as they look to national races this November.

“Suozzi was getting attacks from Republicans, his republican opponent Mazi Pilip for Biden’s immigration policies which are pretty widely seen as unpopular and instead of standing by that or trying to avoid the topic of immigration all together he tried to go on offense and push back,” said Gans.

Also this week, John King, the Chancellor of the SUNY System discussed the current frustrations college students may be having with the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). He explained that while legislation to simplify the FAFSA process caused delays, he believes it will be a temporary issue that will lead to an overall improved system.

“This really should be a one-year problem and we have heard feedback from families that the FAFSA is indeed simpler and that if you have all of your materials ready you can get through it much more quickly than you used to be able to,” said King.

Helen Schaub the Interim Political Director of 1199, a healthcare workers union, explained the concerns of healthcare workers heading into the new legislative session and details what their main lobbying points will be.

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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