The rule of law scored a victory yesterday when a proposition to amend the equal rights provision of the state Constitution got knocked off this fall’s general election ballot.  A Livingston County Supreme Court judge in Byrnes v. The Senate of the State of New York concluded the Legislature violated the Constitution in passing the resolution proposing the amendment and ruled the proposition invalid.  Rule of law is a term that’s often used and seldom explained. Yet it’s foundational to a free and civil society. Its elements include having laws that are publicly issued and independen ..read more

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA)’s payroll jumped $663 million, or 9 percent, last year to its highest-ever level as overtime spending ticked up to a new record and subsidiaries dished out $261 million in retroactive pay, according to data posted today on SeeThroughNY, the Empire Center’s government transparency website. Payrolls for most MTA subsidiaries, now searchable on SeeThroughNY, grew faster than inflation year-over-year: MTA Police (+$45M, 37 percent) Bridges & Tunnels (+$23M, 21 percent) Headquarters (+$79M, 14 percent) Long Island Rail Road (+$116M, 14 percent) N ..read more

The cancellation of planned offshore wind projects has sparked considerable heartburn and hand-wringing among lawmakers, activists and politically wired businesses and unions, but it’s been good news for the upstate families and businesses who would be paying more than half the cost. For them, each year of delays on scotched projects amounts to future electric-bill savings of upwards of $1 billion—and gives Albany another chance to find a better, less expensive way to go green. New York’s 2019 Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (CLCPA) requires state utility regulators to “procure ..read more

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. Join us as Hammond sheds light on healthcare taxes in New York, offering valuable expertise and analysis on a topic that often lurks behind the shadows. Presenter: Bill Hammond, Senior Fellow Health Policy, Empire Center Date: 11:00 AM, May 10th, 2024 REGISTER HERE The post ThinkNY: Healthcare Taxes appeared first on Empire Center for Pub ..read more

Some New York legislators took a victory lap last week after they passed a budget bill with language aimed at addressing a rash of illegal squatting in the Empire State. Yet it may not affect the status quo. The new provision distinguishes squatters from non-squatters. But the law already was clear on that distinction. The legislative fix is aimed at a misperception of law that became conventional wisdom: that squatters have rights after occupying property for more than 30 days. But New York courts have never been confused on this issue. Courts in the past ably distinguished between squatters ..read more

Public elementary and secondary school spending in New York hit a new record high of $29,873 per pupil in 2021-22, according to the Census Bureau’s latest annual school finance data—inching closer to fully twice the national average of $15,633 amid a significant post-pandemic decline in pupil performance. Inflated by a massive increase in state “foundation aid,” New York’s preK-12 per-pupil spending was up $3,302, or 12.4 percent, which was the biggest increase of any state in dollar terms. In percentage terms, New York’s increase ranked fifth highest in a year when total U.S. per-pupil spendi ..read more

The newly enacted state budget imposes a multibillion-dollar tax on health insurance without specifying who must pay how much – leaving those basic details to be decided later by the health commissioner in negotiation with federal officials. This unusual approach makes it impossible to judge whether the so-called MCO tax will turn out to be a risky fiscal gimmick, an added burden on consumers or a combination of both. Supporters have said the tax on managed care organizations, or MCOs, will primarily target plans doing business with Medicaid – as a strategy to “unlock” additional federal aid ..read more

Gov. Hochul faces a challenge that will define her legacy as the state’s executive. To succeed, she must do absolutely nothing. State government, municipalities and school districts give their retirees a taxpayer-guaranteed income. These sorts of pensions are increasingly rare in the private sector, in part because employers must pay more when investments don’t generate enough returns. That’s what happened in New York: taxpayers went from paying less than $1 billion into pension plans in 2000 to nearly $10 billion in 2010. In response, governors and state lawmakers enacted two rounds of r ..read more

Psst, have you heard about the new cheat code? It isn’t about slaying computer-generated dragons. It’s about gaming the federal Treasury—and states are rushing to cash in before Washington shuts the gimmick down. The scheme targets Medicaid, the nationwide safety-net health plan for the low-income and disabled, in which Washington pays between 50% and 80%, depending on a state’s relative wealth. State governments have long milked this matching system by levying bespoke taxes on healthcare providers and pumping some of the revenue back into Medicaid. This recycling process conjures extra cash f ..read more

The Empire Center’s policy experts issued the following reactions to the fiscal 2025 budget: “This year’s budget process was an avoidable trainwreck. New York is the only state that begins its fiscal year on April 1, earlier than anyone else. This has contributed to Albany’s new, old tradition of missing deadlines then hurriedly voting on bills before lawmakers can fully review them. Moving the fiscal year start would make the budget process more transparent and give lawmakers time to better perform their duty as the state’s board of directors. As to the budget itself, New York is spending mo ..read more