The Freedom of Information Law (FOIL) reform bill signed by Governor Cuomo today is a huge win for government transparency in New York. As we’ve learned over the years through our work promoting taxpayers’ right to public information, appealing FOIL requests is time-consuming and expensive. And for some, that cost can be prohibitive. By requiring agencies to pay the legal fees of those who successfully challenge a FOIL denial, this new law will make the process more accessible. That means more transparency, openness and accountability—all things we could use more of in New York.
While the governor hasn’t always lived up to his promise to run “the most transparent administration in history,” it is worth noting that the administration has made strides in posting data online, including through the DataNY portal. Combined with Comptroller DiNapoli’s valuable OpenBookNY database, Attorney General Schneiderman’s NYOpenGovernment and NYC’s Open Data site, government transparency in New York has come a long way.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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
A Year Later, Arbeeny Family Support Still Critical to Promoting Government Transparency
The Arbeeny family and the Empire Center are celebrating a year of partnership in remembrance of Norman Arbeeny, who passed away two years ago today after contracting COVID-19 in a Brooklyn nursing home. Read More
New Public Authority Payroll Data Now Posted at SeeThroughNY
2020 payroll data for a total of 79,146 employees at 331 different New York State public authorities is now posted at SeeThroughNY.net, the Empire Center’s transparency website. Read More
Empire Center Appeals COVID FOIL Request Delays
Empire Center has appealed four delayed Freedom of Information Law requests pertaining to state COVID-19 data Read More
Three of 62 Requested COVID Data Sets Made Available through FOIL
Just three COVID data sets have been made fully available in the month since the Empire Center officially submitted 62 FOIL requests Read More