The Buffalo Chronicle
State Budget
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With State officials’ freeze through 2023, more reason to ice all government pay
BY CAM MacDONALD In light of the state government’s “extremely precarious financial position,” New York’s state lawmakers, judges, statewide elected officials and certain gubernatorial appointees should not receive pay raises in the…
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New Yorkers’ personal income growth rebounded a bit in 2019
BY E.J. McMAHON After a weak 2018, personal income growth matched or exceeded national averages in most parts of New York State in 2019, according to the latest estimates from the federal Commerce Department’s Bureau…
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Fewer workers, not more jobs, explains New York’s September unemployment rate drop
BY E.J. McMAHON New York State’s unemployment rate has fallen sharply since the economically devastating pandemic lockdown last spring. But as state Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli points out in his latest economic report,…
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With hopes dashed for “Blue Wave” bailout, Cuomo needs to deal with budget shortfall
BY E.J. McMAHON With the national election results still unclear, Governor Cuomo can no longer put off tough decisions on how to balance New York’s pandemic-ravaged state budget. Believing most national polls,…
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DiNapoli predicts $3.8 billion more in State tax receipts
BY E.J. McMAHON New York State’s tax receipts in the current fiscal year will exceed Governor Cuomo’s latest projections by $3.8 billion—still down from last year, but a big improvement over the…
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What unemployment benefits are in House Democrats’ latest coronavirus relief bill?
BY MATT WEIDINGER Late Monday, House Democrats released an updated version of the “Heroes Act,” the massive $3.4 trillion coronavirus relief bill that passed the House mostly along partisan lines in May but has languished since…
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Top construction official’s charges are an indictment of Cuomo’s policies
BY KEN GIRARDIN Yesterday’s indictment of New York’s top construction union official on federal corruption charges raises a big question: if private companies are paying bribes to avoid having to work with certain construction…
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FDNY adds more $200K pensions as new career retirees average $140K
More than three-quarters of last year’s retirees from the City of New York’s Fire Department (FDNY) were eligible for six-figure pensions, with 40 of them eligible for pensions over $200,000 according to…
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State forces school districts to give raises—and layoffs
BY KEN GIRARDIN Months of bad decisions and inaction by New York state officials have put school districts in the awkward position of having to give pay raises to most teachers while…
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Even after aid cut, New York will spend most on education
BY IAN KINGSBURY Governor Andrew Cuomo is withholding 20 percent of state school aid allocations pending federal bailout negotiations. The decision has been met with alarm and objection from district leaders and New York teachers unions.…
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Cops dominate latest list of six-figure pensions
Most of the newest retirees eligible for pensions over $100,000 from the New York State and Local Retirement System were retired police officers, according to data posted today on SeeThroughNY, the Empire Center’s transparency website.…
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State pension fund lost money in 2020, pointing to higher costs ahead
BY E.J. McMAHON New York State’s biggest public pension fund lost money on its investments during the fiscal year that ended March 31—a completely unsurprising result, given the coronavirus crisis and its…
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New York has widened its lead in per-capita spending on Medicaid
BY BILL HAMMOND New York’s per-capita Medicaid spending soared to more than double the nationwide rate in 2018, widening its gap with the other 49 states. New York’s version of Medicaid, a…
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NYC pension funds’ return was a stunningly subpar 4.4% in FY 2020
BY E.J. McMAHON New York City’s five municipal public pension funds ended their 2020 fiscal year with a net investment gain of 4.44 percent, well below their 7 percent assumed rate of…
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Millions may be on Pandemic Unemployment who did not apply
BY MATT WEIDINGER Various reviewers (including me) have noted the rapid growth of the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) program. That’s the temporary federally funded unemployment benefit program created in the March 2020 CARES…
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New data confirm New York State’s Q1 economic plunge
BY E.J. McMAHON New York’s economy ended the first quarter of this year in virtual free fall, the latest federal data show. The Empire State’s real gross domestic product (GDP) decreased 8.2…
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What 2019’s census data tells us about New York
BY E.J. McMAHON The final set of pre-pandemic U.S. Census population data for cities, towns and villages provides localized details on a familiar New York pattern: widespread decline upstate, and a few…
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Cuomo keeps holding off on budget cuts
BY E.J. McMAHON On April 2, with New York’s COVID-19 curve still rising ominously, state lawmakers wrapped up a budget almost unchanged from Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s pre-pandemic January proposal. With the economy in a…
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DASNY dished out $152 million in pork last year
New York’s governor and state lawmakers dished out $152 million for local projects favored by state lawmakers through the state Dormitory Authority during the state’s 2020 fiscal year, according to data posted today on…
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Port Authority of NY and NJ payroll increased by $150 Million
Payroll for Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANYNJ) in the calendar year 2019 increased by more than $150 million, according to data released today on SeeThroughNY.net, the Empire Center’s…
