The Board of Directors of the Empire Center for Public Policy today announced the appointment of Zilvinas Silenas as President and CEO. Zilvinas (also goes by “Z”) will succeed Tim Hoefer, who joined the Empire Center in 2008 and has led the o Read More
The number of retirees eligible for $200,000 or more in pensions from the New York State and Local Retirement System (NYSLRS) reached 78 in the 2024 fiscal year, according to, the Empire Ce Read More
New York City firefighters and fire officers retiring last year after full careers were entitled to average annual pension benefits of $151,676, up six percent from the prior year, according to new data added Read More
Pension payments to the 52,417 retired police officers in the New York City Police Pension Fund (PPF) climbed to $3.17 billion during the fiscal year 2023, according to new data posted today at Read More
Massachusetts for decades has posted better student outcomes than New York at a considerably lower per-pupil cost. In a new Empire Center report, a former member of the Massachusetts Board of Elementary and Secondary Education takes the first major step toward understanding this disparity by identifying key differences between the two states’ public education systems. Read More
A state-ordered study of New York’s pandemic response has finally appeared, and it’s shaping up as a minor disaster of its own. Read More
Amid all the bipartisan noise, however, most Empire State tax filers may have noticed something interesting: their federal tax bills haven’t changed much at all. Even in highly taxed New York suburbs, most home-owning families with children are feeling a smaller federal tax bite. Read More
Gov. Hochul faces a challenge that will define her legacy as the state’s executive. To succeed, she must do absolutely nothing. Read More
Psst, have you heard about the new cheat code? It isn’t about slaying computer-generated dragons. It’s about gaming the federal Treasury—and states are rushing to cash in before Washington shuts the gimmick down. Read More
On March 7, Gov. Kay Ivey making Alabama the 11th state since 2011 to enact universal school choice. With its approval, it doesn’t matter if families choose to enroll at a public or private school, or to homeschool—Alabama’s Read More
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bmhFZr5ftxs FULL WRITTEN TESTIMONY: Thank you for the opportunity to provide feedback on the Foundation Aid Formula. As a parent of New York City schoolchildren, the Vice Pres Read More
Empire Center founding senior fellow E.J. McMahon showed the New York City Charter Revision Commission how the charter can be improved to better protect the public fisc. Read More
Testimony of Bill Hammond Senior Fellow for Health Policy, Empire Center for Public Policy Before the Joint Legislative Fiscal Committees January 23, 2024 Read More
Testimony of Bill Hammond Senior Fellow for Health Policy, Empire Center for Public Policy Before the Committees on Health, Mental Health, People with Disabilities, Higher Education, and Labo Read More
Comments by Bill Hammond Senior Fellow for Health Policy, Empire Center for Public Policy To the Department of Financial Read More