Last year, the Pataki Administration stated in supporting documents that New York State had up to 20,000 excess hospital beds. Additionally, the administration said available federal and state funds would support the closure of 18 hospitals Read More
New York State ranks near the nation's top when it comes to legislative salaries and per-member spending by lawmakers, according to an Empire Center analysis of data from the National Conference of State Legislatures. New York lawmakers in 2005 we Read More
Yesterday's state Court of Appeals ruling in the Campaign for Fiscal Equity (CFE) case is a victory for judicial restraint and common sense. Needless to say, it's also a huge break for Eliot Spitzer: Now he won't have to take office as governor under the shadow of a financially backbreaking judicial mandate. Read More
In a trend that has gained little notice outside state and federal budget offices, the growth rate in Medicaid expenditures across the country has slowed to subinflation levels that were last seen in the 1990s. It's even happening in New York — home to what is by far the nation's most costly Medicaid program. Read More
Next year's New York State budget process won't simply be a test of Eliot Spitzer's ability to add and subtract. Above all, it will be a test of the new governor's political will and leadership skills. Read More
By winning nearly 70 percent of the vote in yesterday's election, Eliot Spitzer set a new record for a New York gubernatorial candidate. Read More
Running for a fourth term in 1994, Gov. Mario Cuomo sat on a mid-year budget report that would have called attention to a growing hole in the state budget. It was only after losing the election that Cuomo released the report -- and George Pataki discovered he was inheriting a budget gap of at least $4 billion. Read More
Crucial details of New York's $113 billion state budget are negotiated in secret and shrouded in darkness. But this year's gubernatorial campaign is providing real hope for change in Albany. Both major-party candidates, Republican John Faso and Democrat Eliot Spitzer, appear committed to boosting the fiscal transparency and accountability of state government. Read More