Editor's note: This story was first
brought to the attention of The Business Council by an essay
in the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle on November
5. The essay, by local real estate agent Geri Dellfava, highlighted
the experience of a couple from Texas who "almost fainted"
when they heard the property tax bill for a property outside
of Rochester
In the latest of a series of studies critical of New York
State's business climate, a new report by the California-based
Pacific Research Institute (PRI) and Forbes magazine
has concluded that New York State is the least economically
free state in the nation
Governor Pataki announced he has vetoed a controversial "budget reform" bill passed by the Legislature, echoing Business Council concerns that the proposal and an associated amendment to the state Constitution would lead to even higher spending and taxes.
The Governor said the Legislature's proposed changes would return New York State to a 19th-century system of "too much spending, too much borrowing and too much taxation
Citing arguments raised by The Business Council, Governor
George Pataki has vetoed a bill that would have prohibited
employers granting permanent employment to workers originally
hired to replace striking employees.
The Business Council had urged the veto, arguing that the
bill would have been preempted by the federal National Labor
Relations Act (NRLA)
New York’s Board of Regents is trying to improve math,
science, and technology standards by linking them more directly
to course content, students' progress, and students' performance.
The recommendations were released at the board’s November
meeting
New York State falls behind most other states in overall
health despite spending more on Medicaid and other health-care
programs, a national study has found.
The report, by the United Health Foundation, shows that New
York scores well on health-related factors such as rate of
motor vehicle deaths and occupational fatalities
New York employers will pay an additional federal unemployment-insurance
tax of $21 per employee in January, to replenish a fund drained
by job losses during and after the last national recession.
The federal Labor Department advanced New York's unemployment
fund hundreds of millions of dollars to pay UI benefits in
2002, 2003 and this year
The Business Council of New
York State
New
York State's unemplyment insurance fund is depleted because
we're not creating and keeping enough jobs in the Empire State.
For the 12 months ending in September, employment in New York
rose by 0
The state Senate has sent Governor Pataki, for his approval
or veto, proposed legislation that would make numerous changes
to the state budget process.
Business Council President Daniel B. Walsh has urged the
Governor to veto the bill, and to oppose an associated proposal
that would amend the state Constitution's provisions related
to the budget
ALBANYNew York’s state and local governments pay public employees
more than any state except California, and the number of government workers
compared to population is among the highest in the country, according
to a Public Policy Institute analysis of new U.S. Census Bureau numbers