In a consequential win for government transparency, the New York State Supreme Court has ordered a Long Island school district to comply with the Freedom of Information Law (FOIL), following years of evasion. In addition to providing its teacher and superintendent contracts, Malverne Union Free School District has reimbursed the Empire Center for Public Policy’s legal expenses. Read More
More than 120 employees of the New York City Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) collected $300,000 or more during the city’s 2018 fiscal year, according to the latest payroll data added to SeeThroughNY, the Empire Center’s transparency website. The top 2017 paycheck at DEP was $216,112. Read More
Waaay back in January 2010, as part of a broad push to show taxpayers where the money goes, the Empire Center for Public Policy requested the names and pension payments of retired NYPD personnel. Despite using the state's legally enforceable Freedom of Information Law, Empire, and the public, is still waiting. Read More
Once upon a time, anyone who wanted to know what local government employees were paid had to pick the right meeting to go to and hope the board didn’t go into executive session, or file a Freedom of Information Act request and wait. Enter the Empire Center for Public Policy. Read More
Ramapo police officers who cashed in some of their accrued time found themselves among the top salary earners in Rockland and among state workers during 2017. Read More
Crime-fighting pays! Nearly all of the best-paid public employees in New York state are police officers, according to a new report released by the Empire Center for Public Policy. Read More
The number of retirees receiving pensions over $100,000 from the New York State and Local Retirement System (NYSLRS) increased by 20 percent during the system’s 2018 fiscal year, according to data posted today to SeeThroughNY, the Empire Center’s transparency website. Read More
At least 856 New York state and local government employees under age 65 have received special permission to collect both public pensions and full government paychecks, according to data posted today on SeeThroughNY, the Empire Center’s transparency website. Read More