The Mercatus Center at Virginia's George Mason University is out with a 50-state ranking that says New York State's "overall fiscal solvency" is among the worst in the nation. The new study suggests that New York's state government finances fall into the "poor" category—ranking 46th, or roughly about as messed up as those of New Jersey (49) and Illinois (50). Read More
The stock market's recent performance suggests that the New York State Teachers' Retirement System (NYSTRS) had trouble meeting its ambitious 8 percent return target during its most recent fiscal year, which ended a week ago. Read More
In what's becoming annual tradition, a handful of bills increasing pension benefits for groups of public employees passed in New York's Legislature this year. Read More
Governor Andrew Cuomo and New York's legislative majority members would have you believe they have just reached an end-of-session agreement to "cut" your property taxes. Again. Don't believe them. Again. Read More
Based on initial descriptions, the delayed end-of-session "big ugly" package deal announced Tuesday afternoon by Governor Andrew Cuomo and legislative leaders is simply confounding on the subject of property taxes. Although Cuomo and Senate Republicans both said they wanted to make the state's 2 percent property tax cap permanent, the cap apparently will be extended only temporarily. Read More
There's a good reason for Governor Cuomo's Fast Food Wage Board to decide against raising the minimum wage for fast food workers: many of them won't benefit from it. Read More
Private-sector job growth in New York continued to trail the U.S. average on a year-to-year basis during the 12 months ending in May, according to the monthly state jobs report from the state Labor Department. Read More
With only hours to go in the state legislative session, are Senate Republicans angling to drill new loopholes in the state's property tax cap? Read More