ALBANY—The Business Council today introduced Comp Watch '04,
a new series of reports that show how problems in New York's workers'
compensation system have made comp costs here among the nation's highest.
The series will feature five reports on the state of workers' compensation
in New York
The Republican
Senate majority has proposed a $6.29 billion increase in state aid to
education to comply with a court ruling that New York must spend more
on New York City schools. The
state Assembly is expected to propose its own increase in school aid next
week
In
the wake of the proposed 29 percent increase in workers' compensation
rates, the Business Council plans to renew its "electronic
advocacy" effort to advance the case for cost-cutting
workers' compensation reforms
ALBANY
A proposal from New York's Compensation Insurance Rating Board (CIRB)
to increase employers' average workers' compensation premiums by 29 percent
is "stunning and frightening," said Business Council President Daniel
B. Walsh.
"It's stunning
because New York State employers already pay workers' compensation costs
that are 72 percent above average on a per-case basis," Walsh said
In
the wake of the proposed 29 percent increase in workers' compensation
rates, the Business Council plans to renew its "electronic
advocacy" effort to advance the case for cost-cutting
workers' compensation reforms
Roughly one in six proposed school budgets statewide was
rejected by voters, the Associated Press reported.
The rejection rate was apparently the highest in nearly a
decade, with budgets going down to defeat in at least 100
districts in Tuesday's voting, according to AP
ALBANYUpstate New York State's economy has been lagging for
years behind the nation's growth rate and behind such "Rust Belt" competitors
as Michigan and Ohio, according to a new analysis by the Public Policy
Institute, the research affiliate of The Business Council of New York
State, Inc
Editor's note: For a PDF file of tables showing proposed tax and
spending increases in individual school districts in New York State,
see http://www.ppinys.org/taxes/schooltax2004.pdf.
ALBANYSchool districts across New York State plan to raise spending
by 2
The
Assembly Democratic sponsor of key tort reform bill has made
an important procedural move that will prompt the Assembly
Labor Committee to consider his bill to reform the state's
notorious "Scaffold Law."
Assemblyman
Joseph Morelle (D-Rochester) ask the Labor Committee to consider
his bill, which means the committee will vote on it before
the end of the legislative session
Senate
Republicans have proposed requiring health insurers to provide
coverage for most mental illnesses, but with exemptions for
small businesses, and for other employers that could show
the mandate increased premiums by at least 2 percent