Rockefeller Institute of Government

Ep. 113. Business, Immigrant Integration, and Westchester County | Rockefeller Institute of Government On this episode of Policy Outsider, the Institute on Immigrant Integration Research and Policy is joined by John Ravitz, executive vice president and COO of the Business Council of Westchester and a f...

New policy outsider episode: John Ravitz of the Business Council of Westchester joins the Institute on Immigrant Integration Research and Policy's Guillermo Martinez for a conversation about businesses, workforce, and immigrant integration in Westchester.
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RGVRC Affiliate Scholar @jacobdcharles.bsky.social provides an excellent overview of this case in our April '22 blog 👇
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RGVRC Member Highlight: Kerri Raissian | Rockefeller Institute of Government Learn more about the research of Dr. Kerri Raissian, a scholar with the RGVRC and a senior research scientist in the School of Public Health at Yale University.

Read our latest Regional Gun Violence Research Consortium member highlight, which features a moving personal account from @yalesph.bsky.social's Kerri Raissian on why she studies firearm injury prevention.
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Excited to announce the 2025-26 Richard P. Nathan Public Policy Fellows! Full announcement: rockinst.org/news/article...

• Christine Leuenberger
• Marco Castillo
• Ohbet Cheon
• Sky Bell

Ep. 112. Modernizing Medicaid Administration | Rockefeller Institute of Government  New York’s Medicaid program provides health insurance to nearly seven million New Yorkers, and it is a critically important way for people to get healthcare. On this episode of Policy Outsider, we d...

How can NY modernize its Medicaid administration? UHF President & CEO Oxiris Barbot, MD, & SVP Chad Shearer recently joined the @rockefellerinst.bsky.social's Policy Outsider podcast.

Listen below to hear why administration matters & opportunities for improvement.
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Ep. 112. Modernizing Medicaid Administration | Rockefeller Institute of Government  New York’s Medicaid program provides health insurance to nearly seven million New Yorkers, and it is a critically important way for people to get healthcare. On this episode of Policy Outsider, we d...

A new episode of Policy Outsider takes a look at how administration of Medicaid in NYS might be improved and why now, in the face of significant federal health policy changes, might be the best time to rethink program administration.
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Circuit Breaker—Judicial Disconnect on Disarming Cannabis Users | Rockefeller Institute of Government One result of the Bruen ruling has been that various US Circuit Courts of Appeals have ruled very differently on similar cases concerning whether a cannabis user can own a gun, creating a patchwork of...

This week, the Supreme Court will decide which pending cases it will hear oral arguments for when its term begins on October 7. Among the options: cases on whether or not a cannabis user can legally own a firearm. rockinst.org/blog/circuit...

Looming Government Shutdown? A Brief Overview of Expiring Federal Authorizations | Rockefeller Institute of Government Over the next several days, Congress will need to enact 12 appropriation bills, essentially establishing the limits governing the federal government’s ability to spend money.

Here are some of the federal programs that will expire if they are not re-authorized before the federal fiscal year ends on Tuesday.
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State PFAS Policy Trends: 2024 Dashboard Updates | Rockefeller Institute of Government The PFAS Policy Dashboard is updated to include 179 pieces of state legislation related to PFAS across 31 states in 2024.

We've updated our PFAS Policy Dashboard, which gives users an overview of state-level legislation addressing PFAS across 50 states from 2016 to 2024.

In 2024, there were 179 bills introduced across 31 states. Read our blog highlighting broader trends 👇
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Looming Government Shutdown? A Brief Overview of Expiring Federal Authorizations | Rockefeller Institute of Government Over the next several days, Congress will need to enact 12 appropriation bills, essentially establishing the limits governing the federal government’s ability to spend money.

Over the next several days, Congress will need to enact 12 appropriation bills or risk a government shutdown. Check out our list of major programs that will require immediate federal re-authorization.
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Options for Modernizing Medicaid Administration | Rockefeller Institute of Government New York State's Medicaid program faces substantial challenges related to reforms in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act; here are six areas of potential improvement to how the program is administered.

New York State's Medicaid program faces substantial challenges related to federal health policy reforms in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act; here are six areas of opportunity to modernize how the program is administered.

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Beyond Intent: How Firearm Power Shapes School Shootings | Rockefeller Institute of Government More powerful firearms result in more lethal school shootings, a finding from a new study by RGVRC Affiliate Scholar Brent R. Klein, which suggests a path forward for policy to reduce deaths in school...

New research from RGVRC Affiliate Scholar Brent R. Klein and colleagues published in Criminology examines relationship between firearm power and lethality in K12 school shootings. Here's what the findings mean for policy. rockinst.org/blog/beyond-...

Recent Healthcare Developments That Impact New York’s Existing 1115 Medicaid Waiver   | Rockefeller Institute of Government Recent actions taken by the federal government will affect New York State's 1115 Medicaid waiver; this blog highlights potential opportunities to align the waiver with the federal government's policy ...

Given recent federal legislation and guidance, it is likely that New York State will need to significantly revise the concept of its next 1115 Medicaid waiver within a framework that the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) will approve. rockinst.org/blog/recent-...

On Kratom, or The Fractured Regulation of Unscheduled Drugs | Rockefeller Institute of Government The Rockefeller Institute looks at the increasing concerns about derivatives of kratom that have prompted executive and legislative action at the federal, state, and local levels.

While the Trump administration considers rescheduling cannabis from a Schedule 1 to a Schedule 3 drug, another plant is under scrutiny: kratom. Our latest blog outlines the patchwork of state & local regs that have popped up in the absence of federal action.
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Recent Healthcare Developments That Impact New York’s Existing 1115 Medicaid Waiver   | Rockefeller Institute of Government Recent actions taken by the federal government will affect New York State's 1115 Medicaid waiver; this blog highlights potential opportunities to align the waiver with the federal government's policy ...

Among the programs impacted by changes to federal health policy is NYS's 1115 Medicaid waiver. Our latest analysis details impacts & highlights areas of potential alignment of waiver renewal w/ federal government's policy goals.
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Applications are open for the Institute on Immigrant Integration Research and Policy's 2026 Fellowship on Immigrant Integration. The fellowship will take place in spring 2026 and is open to SUNY and CUNY graduate students.

Learn more and apply 👇
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Ep. 110. Sweeping Health Policy Changes | Rockefeller Institute of Government The health policy team at the Rockefeller Institute provides an update on how recent federal health policy changes will affect healthcare in New York State.

On a new episode of Policy Outsider, our health policy team discusses how provisions in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act and related rule changes to the ACA marketplace could impact New York’s healthcare landscape.

Listen wherever you get your podcasts or on our website 👇
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Excited to welcome four young scholars to our CLPS program for the fall! The undergraduate research interns will do a county-by-county analysis of New York State's Extreme Risk Protection Order law.

Learn more: rockinst.org/news/

RGVRC Member Highlight: Michael Anestis | Rockefeller Institute of Government Learn more about the research of Dr. Michael Anestis, a member of the RGVRC and the executive director of the New Jersey Gun Violence Research Center at Rutgers University.

"I consider firearm suicide prevention to be my life’s work. Around 60 percent of all gun deaths in the US are suicides, and over half of all US suicides result from self-inflicted gunshot wounds."

Read the latest RGVRC member highlight: @mikeanestis.bsky.social.
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Ep. 109. A Look at Labor: NYC Central Labor Council | Rockefeller Institute of Government A growing evidence base shows the value of behavioral threat assessment teams in keeping schools safe.

In the first in a new Policy Outsider series on labor issues, Rockefeller Institute Director of Labor Policy Maria Figueroa interviews Brendan Griffith, president of the New York City Central Labor Council.

Listen wherever you get your podcasts or on our website 👇
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New York and Other States Enact More School Cell Phone Bans/Restrictions | Rockefeller Institute of Government Details on New York State's provision requiring school districts to implement a “bell-to-bell” cell phone ban in the FY 2025 Enacted Budget and an overview of similar restrictions recently passed in o...

As students return to school across New York State this week, there is at least one significant difference: a ban on cell phones.

Read our analysis of the research on the effects of cell phones in schools and where other bans exist 👇
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Drawing the Line: Lead Service Line Inventories in New York State | Rockefeller Institute of Government Data challenges could complicate efforts to identify and replace lead service lines.

Our review of New York State's lead service line inventory shows, as of July 2025, 8 percent of the state's 2,938 drinking water systems required to inventory their service lines (by Oct. 2024) do not yet have an inventory.

Read our latest report 👇
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Rockefeller Institute Announces New Fellows for Prestigious New York State Science Policy Fellowship | Rockefeller Institute of Government The fellows, who are placed in executive agencies and with the New York State Legislature, will bring their technical and scientific expertise to policymakers while developing hands-on experience in s...

Excited to welcome 6 new fellows to our NYS Science Policy Fellowship! These scientists are placed in key advisory roles in the legislature and with the executive. The fellowship aims to strengthen collaboration between academia and government.
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RGVRC Member Highlight: Hunter Martaindale | Rockefeller Institute of Government Learn more about the research of Dr. Hunter Martaindale, an affiliate scholar with the RGVRC and research director at the Advanced Law Enforcement Rapid Response Training (ALERRT) Center at Texas Stat...

"My goal is to bridge science and practice so that officers can perform effectively and adapt under pressure."

Read the latest member highlight from the Regional Gun Violence Research Consortium: Hunter Martaindale of the ALERRT Center.
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New Federal Health Insurance Rule to Impact Coverage in New York | Rockefeller Institute of Government Many of the health policy provisions struck from the One Big Beautiful Bill Act are part of a new federal set to go into effect on August 25, 2025. This brief provides an overview of these provisions.

Read our policy brief on regulatory changes to the Affordable Care Act that were slated to go into effect today (some provisions of the new rule were blocked by a judge on Friday).
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What's at Stake in California v. Kennedy? | Rockefeller Institute of Government Exploring the limits of injunctive relief in the wake of a recent Supreme Court decision.

And, in a detailed blog, we examine the lawsuit challenging the rule.
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New Federal Health Insurance Rule to Impact Coverage in New York | Rockefeller Institute of Government Many of the health policy provisions struck from the One Big Beautiful Bill Act are part of a new federal set to go into effect on August 25, 2025. This brief provides an overview of these provisions.

In our new policy brief analyzing the rule, we ask and seek to provide some insight on questions like: How will costs change? What benefits will be covered? Where does the Rule apply? Who is impacted by the changes?
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We continue to pull apart how federal health policy changes will impact New York State.

Today, we released two new publications that examine the new federal rule slated to go into effect on Monday that makes regulatory changes to the ACA marketplace. 🧵

School District Regionalization: Improving Student Mental Health Services | Rockefeller Institute of Government An expansion of school-based health centers in New York State could help address a growing need for mental health services in schools.

Our series on NYS school district regionalization continues with an examination of the role school-based health centers (SBHCs) can play in addressing a growing mental health crisis among students.
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Ep. 108. Keeping Schools Safe with Behavioral Threat Assessment | Rockefeller Institute of Government A growing evidence base shows the value of behavioral threat assessment teams in keeping schools safe.

Ep. 108 of Policy Outsider is out now: Keeping Schools Safe with Behavioral Threat Assessment

@jschildkraut80.bsky.social and Eric Madfis discuss the practice of using multi-disciplinary behavioral threat assessment teams to promote equitable school safety.
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