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Policy Briefings Archive :
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November 10, 2008
The "people's right to know" is a hollow concept when government can withhold vital information until it is too late for the people's voice to be heard. Unfortunately, that is what happens all too frequently in New York State, when details of collective bargaining agreements with public employee unions are kept secret until it is too late for them to be debated or altered.
Multi-year deals on public employee wages and benefits typically account for much of the annual growth in local government and school district budgets. However, government officials routinely refuse to divulge important aspects of tentative contract agreements —including long-term fiscal impacts—until the contracts are ratified by both sides.
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October 30, 2008
Governor David Paterson announced June 3 that he will propose legislation to implement a cap on school property tax levies in New York. As recommended by the governor's Commission on Real Property Tax Relief, the cap would limit the growth in school property tax levies to 4 percent or to 120 percent of the rate of inflation, whichever is less.
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New York's Prospects Under the Next President's Tax Agenda
September 17, 2008
This report reviews the impact of federal tax cuts on New York State since 2001 and looks at how the Empire State would be affected by the sharply divergent tax policy agendas of the 2008 presidential candidates, John McCain and Barack Obama. Estimates are provided for the direct New York impact of the candidates’ principal individual income tax proposals over the next two years.
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April 17, 2008
The state's Contracts for Excellence (C4E) program—centerpiece of former Gov. Spitzer's 2007 education reform program—has been seriously hobbled by flaws in its assumptions about the mechanisms of reform, by misguided beliefs about “what works” in achieving excellence, and by a compressed timeline for adoption and implementation. For better or worse—mostly worse—C4E could now more accurately stand for “Commitments for Expenditures.” Spitzer’s “contracts” have ended up looking more like a typical government grants program, draped with the jargon of reform.
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March 12, 2008
Action by Albany is urgently needed to expand energy capacity and reduce energy costs. Yet state laws and regulations in recent years have actually done the opposite—limiting capacity and raising costs. And the energy policies of the Spitzer-Paterson administration threaten to make the situation worse.
This report reviews the state policy missteps that have threatened to short-circuit New York’s energy system and recommends a series of corrective measures.
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February 11, 2008
A flood of expected retirements by New York state government employees represents an opportunity to save billions of dollars over the next few years by streamlining its workforce and reforming costly retirement benefits.
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December 12, 2007
Eliot Spitzer's first year as governor of New York has seen the state workforce grow to its highest level since Mario Cuomo's last year as governor, according to payroll data from the state Comptroller's Office.
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by Tarren Bragdon
December 11, 2007
This report offers a way to make health care more accessible and affordable for all New Yorkers without expanding Medicaid. As an alternative to the publicly subsidized approach, it offers market-driven reforms to make private insurance more affordable and accessible.
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by Terry O'Neil and E.J. McMahon
October 17, 2007
The 40-year-old Taylor Law, which allowed state and local government employees to unionize and collectively bargain contracts, created a framework for peaceful resolution of contract disputes. But New Yorkers are paying a high price for labor peace - as reflected in the nation's heaviest state and local tax burden. This report explores aspects of the Taylor Law that tilt in favor of unions - to the disadvantage of taxpayers - and identifies necessary reforms.
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by Terry O'Neil and E.J. McMahon
October 17, 2007
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by Tarren Bragdon, Health Policy Analyst
February 13, 2007
Governor Spitzer's 2007-08 Executive Budget calls for a series of Medicaid cost-containment measures, including a freeze on hospital and nursing-home reimbursement rates. These steps are appropriate and justifiable - but they only scratch at the surface of the problem.
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By E.J. McMahon, Director, and Kathryn McCall, Research Associate
Research Bulletin No. 2
January 02, 2007
Nearly a quarter-million people left New York for other states in the past year, continuing a long-term trend in which the Empire State has been a leading demographic loser.
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By E.J. McMahon, Director, and Kathryn McCall, Research Associate
Research Bulletin No. 1.1
September 01, 2006
Employment and wage trends in New York State since the beginning of this decade could be described as a tale of two sectors: public and private.
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By E.J. McMahon, Director, Empire Center for New York State Policy
Director, Empire Center for New York State Policy
Senior Fellow, Manhattan Institute for Policy Research
June 07, 2006
The soaring cost of New York State's public pension systems can be permanently controlled by shifting to the sort of employer-subsidized individual retirement plans now popular in the private sector, according to an updated Empire Center study of the state's pension structure.
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March 20, 2006
In the face of high and rising health insurance premiums, pressure seems to be growing in some quarters to return to the empty promise of health insurance price controls in New York State.
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By E.J. McMahon, Director, Empire Center for New York State Policy
Senior Fellow, Manhattan Institute for Policy Research
Empire Center Special Report 02-06
February 24, 2006
New York State's 2006-07 Executive Budget would kick off a new round of personal income, business and estate tax reductions worth more than $3 billion annually when fully implemented over the next three years. But the cuts are coupled with more than $1 billion in proposed tax and fee increases that would take effect sooner.
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February 15, 2006
The state-funded share of Medicaid costs will escalate rapidly over the next few years as Albany assumes responsibility for a greater share of county and New York Medicaid costs, according to projections explained in a new report from the Empire Center for New York State.
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By Tarren Bragdon
NY Health Points Policy Briefing No. 1
February 15, 2006
New York State has long stood alone in forcing local taxpayers to pay up to half of all Medicaid costs not reimbursed by the federal government. This divided financial responsibility is a key reason why New York easily leads the nation in Medicaid spending.
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Empire Center Special Report 01-06
January 11, 2006
Looking ahead to a watershed election year, most New York voters are dissatisfied with the performance of their state government, according to the Empire Center's statewide voter survey.
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December 29, 2005
Significant changes in state and local tax rates can have significant consequences for New York City's economy. But how do we measure and predict those consequences?
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November 30, 2005
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By E.J. McMahon
Policy Briefing No. 3
October 19, 2005
After failing to adopt a budget on time for 20 of the last 21 years, New York State legislative leaders are seeking voter approval of a constitutional amendment that they insist on characterizing as "budget reform."
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August 31, 2005
This report shows that New York can reduce special ed costs and enrollment--and improve parental satisfaction with the program as part of the bargain--by adopting two simple reforms: changing the formula funding special education from a "bounty" system to a "lump-sum" system; and implementing a voucher program for children in special education.
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By E. J. McMahon, Director, Empire Center for New York State Policy
Empire Center Special Report 01-05
April 12, 2005
Federal income tax cuts enacted during the past four years have been particularly benefcial to New York, saving Empire State residents a total of $36 billion through 2004. However, as documented in this report, New Yorkers are also being hit harder than most Americans by what's been called "the most serious problem faced by federal taxpayers" -- the Alternative Minimum Tax (AMT).
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By Jay Greene
Policy Briefing No. 1
March 08, 2005
The Campaign for Fiscal Equity decision ordering more than $5 billion a year in additional spending on New York City schools is likely to have little effect on student achievement in the city. Because lack of money is not a primary explanation for the city's low student performance, additional money by itself will do little to improve the situation.
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