ALBANY, NY — The Empire Center for Public Policy today released a slate of policy recommendations that would make New York State a better place to live and work.  

The report, Altered State: A Checklist for Change in New York State, includes fixes in seven major policy areas: taxes, job creation, public sector employment, health care, energy, education and government accountability. Taken together, the report is an outline to help create a growing economy, a more efficient public sector, and new opportunities for an engaged and informed citizenry—all intended to reverse a dangerous exodus. 

As remote work increases and states are better able to compete for talent, New Yorkers are weighing their options. They pay a steep price for public services in education, health care and other areas, and those trying to build businesses and create jobs often feel the deck is stacked against them by regulatory hurdles set higher than those in other states. New Yorkers will get a better bang for their buck under the report’s recommendations.  And the business climate will brighten under its prescriptions for reducing red tape and easing the burden on job creation.  

“Thousands of jobs, over a million people and billions of dollars in tax revenue have left New York over the past decade,” said Tim Hoefer, president and CEO of the Empire Center. “Our state is trapped in a cycle of loss—which will only accelerate absent change. We hope our recommendations will inspire policymakers to restore New York’s competitive edge.” 

Read the full report here. 

The Empire Center, based in Albany, is an independent, not-for-profit, non-partisan think tank dedicated to promoting policies that can make New York a better place to live, work and raise a family.