ALBANY—New York State employers responding to a Business Council
survey have overwhelmingly identified employee health care as their top
cost-of-doing-business concern. The new survey also showed strong employer
concern about costs of workers' compensation, energy, and business taxes
The Business Council is applauding a new report from the state's Temporary Commission on the Future of New York State Economic Development Power Programs for emphasizing the need to make a long-term commitment to these power programs.
"Business Council members have consistently identified the cost of electricity power as one of their top cost of doing business concerns in New York State," said Ken Pokalsky, director of environmental and manufacturing programs
The Business Council is applauding a new report from the state's Temporary Commission on the Future of New York State Economic Development Power Programs for emphasizing the need to make a long-term commitment to these power programs.
"Business Council members have consistently identified the cost of electricity power as one of their top cost of doing business concerns in New York State," said Ken Pokalsky, director of environmental and manufacturing programs
A new initiative supported by The Business Council has developed a new Web page with information on workshops, camps, games, and internships throughout New York State on a range of activities that target young New Yorkers interested in studies and careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics
Robert Ward author of the authoritative text book on New York State government, has written a revised and updated edition that has been published by the Rockefeller Institute Press.
The book, New York State Government, has become the leading text on New York’s expansive and complicated government since it was first published in 2002
A powerful state commission recommended that New York State close nine hospitals, eliminate some 7,200 hospital and nursing-home beds, and develop new home- and community-based services that would better meet future needs for health care.
The Commission on Health Care Facilities in the 21st Century also recommended that state leaders consider broader changes including comprehensive restructuring of health-care financing, expanded health-insurance coverage, and privatization of three State University teaching hospitals
The state's highest court has drastically lowered the threshold
for resolving the Campaign for Fiscal Equity lawsuit on financing
New York City schools -- ruling that it would be "reasonable"
to provide no more than $1.93 billion, in 2004 dollars. Lower court
rulings had pushed a price tag of between $4
Governor-elect Eliot Spitzer has selected Business Council president and CEO Kenneth Adams to serve as a co-chair on one of several policy transition committees.
“The policy advisory committees are composed of a diverse group of leading experts and thought leaders from throughout the state,” a release from the Governor-elects transition office said
Government workers' pay and benefits are far better than their
private-sector counterparts, according to David Denholm, president
of the Public Service Research Foundation.
“The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that in 2005
median weekly earnings for full-time government workers averaged
$758, compared to $625 for those in the private sector,” Denholm
wrote in in an essay for Budget & Tax News published
online by the Heartland Institute
New York State faces looming budget gaps in the billions of dollars, but holding annual spending increases to the rate of inflation would "pretty much solve the problem," the state's budget director said.
Normal spending growth for Medicaid, education and other programs is projected to drive up Albany's General Fund spending by 6 percent annually over the next four years, Budget Director John Cape said in November 1 remarks at the Rockefeller Institute of Government in Albany