The number of six-figure pensions paid to retired New York City education professionals has increased more than fivefold in the past decade, according to data posted today on SeeThroughNY, the Empire Center’s transparency website. Read More
Category: Press Releases
The state Legislature should reject the Governor Cuomo’s proposal to expand the family income cap for the Excelsior Scholarships and devote more money to expanding the state’s existing Tuition Assistance Program (TAP), according to the testimony submitted to the joint legislative committees today by E.J. McMahon, research director of the Empire Center for Public Policy. Read More
Maximum pension benefits averaged $69,609 for the 2,582 members of the New York State Teachers Retirement System (NYSTRS) who retired last year with at least 30 years of credited service time, according to data posted today on SeeThroughNY, the Empire Center’s transparency website. Read More
The complete 2019 New York state government payroll is now posted on SeeThroughNY.net, the Empire Center’s government transparency website. Read More
In his one 'State of the State' reference to Medicaid's overspending crisis, Cuomo pointed the blame at local governments—and implied that he will hit them up for a bailout. That's a fundamentally wrongheaded approach. The only real solution is to control costs, not shift them to local taxpayers. Read More
The Empire Center today kicked off DeregulateNY, a web-based contest inviting users to identify the worst government-imposed obstacle to doing business in New York. Contestants submit entries online and compete to win a cash prize and a trip to Albany. Read More
New York’s most comprehensive online database of state and local government union contracts has been updated with the latest collective bargaining agreements for local teachers, police and firefighters on SeeThroughNY.net, the Empire Center’s transparency website. Read More
Residents of the Mid-Hudson village of Liberty had the highest effective property tax rate in New York (outside New York City and Nassau) during fiscal year 2019, according to the newest edition of Benchmarking NY, the Empire Center’s annual examination of local property taxes. Read More