Battle lines have been drawn on public pension reform in New York and some of the fiercest public employee union attacks are focusing on Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s proposal to let future government employees choose between a traditional pension and a defined-contribution retirement savings plan. Read More
Commentary
Once Nassau County stumbled back into fiscal crisis mode, it was inevitable that the county's police contract would emerge as a key obstacle to recovery. Read More
Labor unions in New York are mounting a fierce effort to derail Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo's Tier 6 pension reform plan, portraying it as an attack on the middle class. Read More
To the Editor: As part of his State Fiscal Year 2012-13 Executive Budget, Gov. Andrew Cuomo has included a long overdue initiative to take over the administration of New York’s Supplemental Security Income (SSI) state supplemental payment from the federal Social Security Administration. Read More
January's stronger-than-expected employment numbers, released by the U.S. Labor Departmentlast week, are fueling hopes that the economic recovery may finally be picking up steam. Read More
Reciting a litany of economic challenges facing New York soon after he took office as governor a year ago, Andrew M. Cuomo declared: "We have the worst business tax climate in the nation, period." Read More
Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver wants to raise the state's minimum wage by 17 percent, to $8.50 an hour, and link it to inflation, guaranteeing more yearly increases. Read More
The governor’s tax hike will harm New York’s competitiveness. Read More
New York's K-12 education spending has a recent "historical pattern" of increasing 5.3 percent a year, according to the state Education Department. Read More
Just over two years ago, New York State enacted what then-Gov. David A. Paterson presented to the world as "landmark pension reform." In his 2012-13 budget proposal this week, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo raised the subject of pension reform all over again. Why? Because Paterson's bill was a "landmark" only in the annals of Albany political hyperbole. Read More
In tough economic times, New York State’s counties, municipalities and school districts face intense pressure to control their budgets. Read More
Reducing job opportunities for unskilled and part-time workers will be the No. 1 goal of the New York State Assembly this year, Speaker Sheldon Silver declared last week. Read More