State lawmakers spent $7.3 million on postage for mailings, which often resemble campaign-style mailings, to constituents in the six-month run-up to last year’s elections, according to data added today to SeeThroughNY, the Empire Center’s transparency website. In the same period a year earlier, a non-election year, legislators spent $5.2 million on the same category.
Senators spent $3.7 million and Assembly members spent $3.6 million on bulk postage and newsletter mailings between April 1 and Sept. 30, 2020. The figures do not include the added cost of paper, printing equipment or of legislative writers and graphic artists who work on the mailings, which typically feature photographs of lawmakers and flattering language.
A similar election-year surge in taxpayer-funded mailings was observed ahead of the 2018 election, when bulk postage spending also topped $7 million, according to data previously posted on SeeThroughNY.
Click here to view the full legislative expenditures, dating back to 2007.
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.
You may also like
Empire Center Report Makes the Case Against Further Tax Hikes
Adding to New York's already high tax burden would be both unnecessary and dangerous for the state's economy, according to a new report from the Empire Center.
Titled "Seven Reasons Read More
Average Pay at Port Authority Surges as 11 Employees Collect $400k+
Eleven Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANYNJ) employees collected more than $400,000 each in total pay last year as average pay surged nine percent, according to 2024 payroll , the Empire Center’s government transparency website.
Read More
97 NYSLRS Retirees Eligible for Pensions Over $200K in FY2025
A total of 97 retirees from the New York State and Local Retirement System (NYSLRS) were eligible for pensions of $200,000 or more during the 2025 fiscal year, according to , the Empire Center’s government transparency website.
Among the 97 retirees Read More
NYC Employee Pension Payments Cross $6 billion; 70 Members Collect $200k+
The pension plan covering most New York City government agencies, including the City’s subway system, had 70 members with pension payments of at least $200,000 last year, almost quadrupling 2019’s tally of 19, according to new , the Read More
23 MTA Workers Receive $200K in Overtime as Total Payroll Surpasses $8 Billion
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA)’s payroll surpassed $8 billion in 2024 – a 2.6 percent increase since 2023, according to , the Empire Center’s government transparency website.
Overtime, as measured using payroll records, totaled $ Read More
State Lawmakers Spend $268 Million on Legislative Operations
Spending by state lawmakers on office personnel and administrative costs varies widely, with some paying out nearly twice as much as others on their office operations, according to the most recent reported, posted to SeeThroughNY.net.
Read More
Teacher Pensions Added to SeeThroughNY Include 26 Over $300k
New York’s two teacher pension systems last year had 26 retirees eligible to collect pensions of more than $300,000, according to , the Empire Center’s government transparency website.
Data reported from Teachers’ Retirement System of the City of Read More
School Districts Plan To Spend Over $35K Per Student, Outpacing Inflation
School districts presenting budgets to voters on Tuesday, May 20, plan to spend an average of $35,012 per student, up 4.6 percent from the current school year, according to new state data.
Data collected by the state Education Departme Read More