Press Releases

Port Authority of NY and NJ police department employees collected an average of $34,662 in overtime during 2016, up from $29,931 the year before, according to payroll data added today to SeeThroughNY, the Empire Center’s transparency website. Read More

Federal “block-granting” of Medicaid could have outcomes ranging from a multi-billion dollar gain to a multi-billion loss for New York’s $63 billion program, depending on how such a reform is designed, according to an analysis by the Empire Center’s health policy director, Bill Hammond. Read More

A total of 270 new police, fire, teacher and superintendent contracts were uploaded today to SeeThroughNY, the Empire Center’s transparency website. Read More

State lawmakers spent $7 million on postage for bulk mailings to constituents between April 1 and September 30, 2016, according to data added today to SeeThroughNY, the Empire Center’s transparency website. Read More

Pensions averaged $68,334 for teachers and other professionals who retired in school year 2015-16 after working at least 30 years in New York State public schools. Read More

The Empire Center’s unique online “Explore Your State Budget” app has been updated to reflect data in Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s proposed Executive Budget for the 2018 fiscal year, which begins April 1. Read More

The Empire Center today released “Checklist for Change,” a 36-page summary of reforms needed to promote renewed economic growth and competitiveness for New York State. Read More

The city of New York has been ordered to pay the legal costs and fees to the Empire Center for Public Policy in connection with the Center’s successful effort to obtain city payroll data under the state Freedom of Information Law (FOIL). Read More

New York state government has become addicted to more than $4 billion in taxes and surcharges that drive up healthcare costs, according to a new report from the Empire Center for Public Policy. Read More

New York’s state legislators would like a raise, but a review of state payroll data shows that more than three-quarters of them already earn more than their frequently cited $79,500 statutory base salary. Read More

Records of more than $2 billion in discretionary state government grants, doling out taxpayer dollars to more than 4,000 projects sponsored by local governments, schools, private businesses and non-profit groups across New York, were added today to the expansive online pork-barrel spending database at SeeThroughNY, the Empire Center’s government transparency website. Read More

The Empire Center's annual “Benchmarking New York” report compares and ranks government tax, spending and debt levels for hundreds of counties, towns, cities and villages throughout New York. Read More