Statement by Tim Hoefer
Executive Director, Empire Center for Public Policy
“State lawmakers have given a real boost to government transparency and the public’s right to know by voting to speed up the Freedom of Information Law (FOIL) process. The FOIL Fast Track bill (S1531/A114) reduces the amount of time that government officials can stall public information requests in court. Assuming this bill becomes law, it will trim the FOIL process by as much as eight months in certain cases, strengthening the public’s ability to obtain information in a timely manner.”
For more information about the FOIL Fast Track Bill, read Hoefer’s analysis.
The Empire Center is a non-partisan, non-profit independent think tank based in Albany.
You may also like
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
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
The Empire Center Comments on the Budget Deal in Albany
As Governor Hochul and legislative leaders belatedly released details of their agreement on a state budget for fiscal year 2026, the Empire Center released a statement from its Senior Fellow for Health Policy, Bill Hammond: Read More
Educators Receiving $200k+ Doubles in Five Years
The number of school district employees receiving a total compensation of more than $200,000 have more than doubled since 2019, according to posted today at , the Empire Center’s transparency website. The public educator pay data are based on Fiscal Ye Read More
Empire Center Issues State Policy Guide
The Empire Center for Public Policy has released a policy guide and briefing book focused on the most important issues confronting New York. Read More
Legislative Staff Can’t Unionize: Report
New York’s legislative employees are not eligible to unionize under the state’s sweeping public-sector collective bargaining law. Read More
Educators Receiving $200k+ Doubles in Five Years
- April 15, 2025
Empire Center Issues State Policy Guide
- December 19, 2022
Legislative Staff Can’t Unionize: Report
- December 8, 2022
