Data available to the public under the state Freedom of Information Law (FOIL) would be proactively disclosed on the Internet under model legislation developed by the Empire Center for Public Policy. Read More
Press Releases
Payroll data for 67,050 state and local public authority employees in New York has been added to SeeThroughNY, the Empire Center for Public Policy’s public spending transparency website. Read More
The complete 2013 fiscal year New York City payroll, which includes names and salaries for more than 475,000 full- and part-time employees, is now posted on SeeThroughNY.net, the Empire Center for Public Policy’s government spending transparency website. Read More
New York’s estate tax will hit a growing number of middle-class households, small business owners and farmers, and is needlessly hindering economic growth while giving the state’s wealthiest households an added incentive to migrate, according to a report released today by the Empire Center for Public Policy. Read More
Shared services, dissolution and mergers remain viable options for taxpayers and elected officials facing challenging fiscal environments and historically high taxes Read More
The complete 2013 New York state government payroll is now posted on SeeThroughNY.net, the Empire Center’s government spending transparency website. Read More
E.J. McMahon, president of the Empire Center for Public Policy, gave testimony on Monday at the 2014 Joint Legislative Budget Hearing on taxes. Read More
The Empire Center’s Explore Your State Budget app has been updated to reflect financial data in Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s proposed 2014-15 Executive Budget. Read More
New labor contracts for 52 teachers’ unions and 104 school superintendents, ratified since July 1, 2013, are now available on www.SeeThroughNY.net, the Empire Center’s government transparency website, which is home to the most complete public collection of collectively-bargained school district contracts in the state. Read More
New York’s State Environmental Quality Review (SEQR) process needs to be reformed to reduce costly delays in the process for approving development projects, according to a report released today by the Empire Center for Public Policy. “SEQR adds an unnecessary layer of red tape to environmental regulations and local land-use laws, discouraging development that New York needs to promote a strong and growing economy,” said E.J. McMahon, president of the Empire Center, who co-authored the report with Michael Wright, a senior policy analyst at the Albany-based policy research organization. Read More
The Empire Center for Public Policy, a non-partisan think tank based in Albany, has added two staff members, the Center’s president, Edmund J. McMahon, today announced. Kimberlee Peabody will join the Empire Center as development manager, overseeing and implementing the organization’s fund-raising plans. David Lombardo will be the Empire Center’s communications manager, working on special research projects and providing general editorial support as well as handling media relations. Read More
The Empire Center’s Explore Your State Budget app has been updated to reflect the state’s mid-year financial report for fiscal 2014. This online database of New York state budget information, which is accessible through the Center’s SeeThroughNY website, includes actual results, estimates and projections for major spending and tax categories from 2012 until fiscal 2017. Additionally, the tool contains annual disbursements dating back to 1984 and tax receipts since 1976. Read More