The cancellation of planned offshore wind projects has sparked considerable heartburn and hand-wringing among lawmakers, activists and politically wired businesses and unions, but it’s been good news for the upstate families and businesses who would be paying more than half the cost. For them, each year of delays on scotched projects amounts to future electric-bill savings of upwards of $1 billion—and gives Albany another chance to find a better, less expensive way to go green. Read More
We're excited to welcome back Bill Hammond, Senior Fellow for Health Policy at the Empire Center. With almost three decades of experience in journalism and a deep understanding of New York's healthcare industry, Hammond brings unparalleled insights. Read More
Lawmakers are taking victory laps over language in the state budget related to "squatters" but the change hasn't given property owners any rights or options they didn't already have. Read More
In this episode of Messages of Necessity, Ken Girardin and Bill Hammond dissect the latest NYS budget, focusing on healthcare, education, and budgetary trends. They offer valuable insights into the allocations and their implications for New Yorkers. Read More
The growth of New York's Medicaid spending is projected to slow but not stop as Governor Hochul and the Legislature effectively split their differences over health care in the newly enacted state budget. Read More
Public elementary and secondary school spending in New York hit a new record high of $29,873 per pupil in 2021-22, according to the Census Bureau's latest annual school finance data—inching closer to fully twice the national average amid a significant post-pandemic decline in pupil performance. Read More
The newly enacted state budget imposes a multibillion-dollar tax on health insurance without specifying who must pay how much – leaving those basic details to be decided later by the health commissioner in negotiatio Read More
"This year’s budget process was an avoidable trainwreck. New York is the only state that begins its fiscal year on April 1, earlier than anyone else. This has contributed to Albany’s new, old tradition of missing deadlines, then hurriedly voting on bills before lawmakers can fully review them. Moving the fiscal year start would make the budget process more transparent and give lawmakers time to better perform their duty as the state’s board of directors." Read More