Join the Empire Center for a morning of briefings and conversations about New York and its local governments.
Hear from experts about important trends and key policies affecting our towns, cities, villages and counties.
Itinerary:
- New York State Economy & Finances Unraveled with E.J. McMahon (Empire Center)
- NY Property Taxes: Navigating Albany’s Challenges with Ken Girardin (Empire Center)
- Local Government Practitioner Panel with Ari Brown (NYS Assembly), Phil Barrett (Clifton Park), and Mark Grimm (Albany County)
Empire Center’s Policy Academy
A look at the key policy areas that impact local governments.
Wednesday, August 23rd, 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM
Breakfast will begin at 8:30 AM
About the Author
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ThinkNY: Medicaid Overdose
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Empire Center Senior Fellow for Health Policy Bill Hammond will walk us through his Read More
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ThinkNY: Proposition 1
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ThinkNY: Healthcare Taxes
We're excited to welcome back Bill Hammond, Senior Fellow for Health Policy at the Empire Center. With almost three decades of experience in journalism and a deep understanding of New York's healthcare industry, Hammond brings unparalleled insights.
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ThinkNY: Taylor Law
Join us Friday at 11am for our next ThinkNY webinar. This month, we'll dive into the Taylor Law, New York's public-sector collective bargaining law.
The Taylor Law plays a huge role in how state agencies, local governments and school districts operat Read More
Green Guardrails Webinar
Join us for a webinar on Empire Center's latest report, ""
Report author Ken Girardin examines the implementation of New York's Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act, the sweeping 2019 law that allows state agencies to regulate nearly every p Read More
ThinkNY: Medicaid
Medicaid is a taxpayer-funded safety-net health plan that covers a third of the state's population, and it's one of the costliest and fastest-growing programs in the state budget.
This webinar will give an overview of what Medicaid does, why it's so ex Read More
ThinkNY: NYS Budget Process
For this monthly installment, E.J. McMahon provides insight into the NYS budget process and how we should expect the following months to unfold.
ThinkNY serves as a platform for everyday New Yorkers and key decision-makers to come together for thoughtf Read More
Policy Academy
Join the Empire Center for a morning of briefings and conversations about New York and its local governments.
Hear from experts about important trends and key policies affecting our towns, cities, villages and counties.
Please register for the in-person seminar below.
Empire Center’s Policy Academy
A look at the key policy areas that impact local governments.
Wednesday, August 23rd, 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM
Breakfast will begin at 8:30 AM
About the Author
You may also like
The fatal flaw in New York’s climate Superfund law
In 2024, the New York state Legislature decided the state needed some money — $75 billion, to be exact — for “comprehensive adaptation to the effects of in New York state.”
The Legislature thought it had found Read More
Long Islanders and Empire Center Debate Homeschooling
Greater Long Island’s recent into the rise of homeschooling sparked quite a debate. Hundreds of readers on Facebook, weighing in on everything from academics and socialization to parental rights, teacher qualifications, a Read More
Taxes, the Cost of Living, and Feeling Ignored: Why New Yorkers Are Thinking of Leaving
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE ALBANY, N.Y. - New Yorkers across the political spectrum are considering leaving the state. A new finds that Republicans and independent voters most often cite taxes as the reason, while Dem Read More
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Executive Summary
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N.Y. fails education despite spending big
New York’s schools are spending more than ever, but student performance keeps falling.
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Albany Steers Nearly $100 Million in 2026 Pork Barrel Spending
Albany steered $97.2 million to 206 local projects during the first half of 2026 in the newest batch of state discretionary grants, according to. The new tranche is the latest addition to the pork-barrel grant database the Empire Center h Read More
New York’s Electricity Prices Fifth Highest in the Country
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
ALBANY, N.Y. — Empire Center’s shows New York households paid the fifth‑highest residential electricity prices in the country in June 2026, trailing only Hawaii, California Read More
New Poll Shows New Yorkers Want Cheaper Energy — RGGI’s Price Record Shows They Aren’t Getting It
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