State spending in New York rose 32 percent from 2000 to 2004,
an increase that was three times the rate of inflation, Comptroller
Alan Hevesi reported.
The state's debt is also increasing rapidly, the Comptroller
said in releasing two reports on the state's finances and
economic trends
New York's local governments and school districts increased
spending by 30 percent, or 13 percent after accounting for
inflation, from 1997 to 2002, state Comptroller Alan Hevesi
reported.
"The costs of operating a local government continue
to rise," the Office of the State Comptroller said in
its 2004 Annual Report on Local Governments
Student achievement is lower in New York's public schools
than in most states when measured in light of dollars spent
and students' preparedness, a new study finds.
New York ranked 48th among the states in a School Efficiency
Index compiled by the Manhattan Institute for Policy Research
Seventeen rank-and-file Democrats in the state Assembly have
proposed a series of reform measures they say would improve
the way their house conducts its business.
The two main proponents of the package are Scott Stringer
(D-Manhattan) and Sam Hoyt (D-Buffalo)
The Business Council's Board of Directors Wednesday approved
the preparation and release of new legislative report cards
to help voters and businesses evaluate the voting records
of individual legislators on issues that affect the health
of New York's business climate
A
budget analyst for Standard & Poor's said the credit-rating
agency expects the "temporary" tax increases the
Legislature enacted in 2003 will remain in place, instead
of phasing out as scheduled starting in 2005
New York's charter schools have established a successful
record in comparison to traditional public schools, and should
be given more resources, according to a new report by the
Washington-based Progressive Policy Institute.
The report found that the state's 50 charter schools have
improved more than previously existing public schools in the
same areas
New
York State's General Fund spending could rise an estimated
$4.9 billion, or 11.3 percent, in the next fiscal year, Governor
Pataki's Budget Division reported.
Mostly
because of that higher spending, the state faces a projected
budget gap of $5
The
Upstate New York economy is increasingly marked by dependence
on aging and poor residents' income from Social Security,
pensions, Medicare and Medicaid, a new report finds.
More
than half the Upstate growth in per-capita personal income
during the 1990s came from such "transfer payments,"
according to the report
by the Brookings Institution
The Public Policy Institute of New York State, the research
affiliate of The Business Council, has launched a new “weblog”
focused on economic issues in upstate New York and related
policy questions.
“We wanted to create a forum where New Yorkers and
those who care about New York can read and share ideas about
the Upstate economy and what New York should do to help it,”
said David F