Press Releases

Most of the newest retirees eligible for pensions over $100,000 from the New York State and Local Retirement System were retired police officers, according to data posted today on SeeThroughNY, the Empire Center’s transparency website. Read More

The Empire Center for Public Policy today announced its lawsuit against the New York State Department of Transportation (DOT) for refusing to disclose a study DOT claims justified forcing bidders to sign a deal with sp Read More

A combination of state laws makes it harder for elected officials to discipline not only police officers but virtually all categories of public employees, according to a report issued today by the Empire Center for Public Policy. Read More

The Empire Center for Public Policy today filed a lawsuit to force the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) to disclose payroll records for MTA police officers that it withheld in violation of the state’s Freedom of Information Law (FOIL). Read More

Employee overtime at the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) decreased by more than $100 million last year, according to payroll data posted today on SeeThroughNY, the Empire Center’s government transparency website. But while the $1.24 billion in overtime was 8 percent below the 2018 record level of $1.35 billion, it was still 46 percent higher than in 2014. Read More

Payroll for Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANYNJ) in calendar year 2019 increased by more than $150 million, according to data released today on SeeThroughNY.net, the Empire Center’s transparency website. Read More

New York’s governor and state lawmakers dished out $120 million for local projects favored by state lawmakers through the state Dormitory Authority in the last twelve months, according to data posted today on SeeThroughNY.net, the Empire Center’s government transparency website. Read More

Maximum eligible pension benefits for retirees of the New York City Employees Retirement System (NYCERS) increased by $135 million in 2019 over the previous year, even though some payments to retired corrections officers were left out of the data for the first time, according to data posted today at SeeThroughNY.net, the Empire Center’s transparency website. Read More

The number of New York public-sector early retirees allowed to collect both a state or local government paycheck and a full public pension benefit grew by over 4 percent from July 2018 to July 2019, according to data posted today on SeeThroughNY.net, the Empire Center’s transparency website. Read More

Billions of dollars in hidden state taxes are driving up the cost of health insurance for New York consumers and employers, according to a report published today by the Empire Center. Read More

New York’s most comprehensive online database of state and local government contracts has been updated with the latest employment agreements for school superintendents on SeeThroughNY.net, the Empire Center’s transparency website. Read More

Ruling in favor of the Empire Center, a state Supreme Court judge in Albany has ordered the Cuomo administration’s energy and environmental agencies to release a supposedly incomplete "comprehensive study" of how to meet the governor's aggressive renewable energy goals. Read More