New York taxpayers "owe" an estimated $47 billion or more to cover health insurance for current and future state retirees, according to a preliminary report by a consultant to the state Budget Division.
The estimated obligation is included in the division’s first quarterly update to the state’s 2006-07 financial plan
ALBANY—Robert Catell, who oversaw the transformation of KeySpan
Corporation and its predecessor companies into one of the nation's largest
and most respected utilities while earning kudos for his commitment to
the company's employees, shareholders, and community needs, will receive
The Business Council’s Corning Award for Excellence for 2006
The Governor has signed into law a bill extending the state's Power
for Jobs and Economic Development Power programs after weeks of
encouragement from the Council and its members.
The bill (S.8440-Wright/A.12013-Rules-Tonko), which the Legislature
approved this spring with strong Business Council support, extends
the successful program through June 2007
In an important victory for The Business Council and for taxpayers,
Governor Pataki has vetoed a series of proposed changes to the Taylor
Law that would have driven taxes higher and harmed vital public
services.
The vetoes include S.3178, which would have given public-employee
union members automatic raises up to 2
New York’s public and private colleges have joined together
to create a Web site that will foster partnerships between business
and approximately 175 of New York's higher education institutions.
The Web site will help businesses contact institutions and researchers
working on specific topics
The New York State Consumer Protection Board will host an Albany
seminar that will help businesses determine how to reach consumers
without violating state and federal “do-not-call” laws.
"Under the 'Do Not Call' law, there are very few instances
when a sales call may be placed legally to the more than 7
ALBANYNew York’s per-pupil spending is the second highest
in the nation while the state’s graduation rate is near the bottom,
a new set of statistics from the Public Policy Institute of New York State
shows.
The new data, part of the Institute's Just the Facts series
of key economic and social statistics, show that New York’s per-pupil
spending was $12,930 in 2004, second only to New Jersey and 56 percent
above the national average
The nation's labor unions suffered a
resounding legal setback last month when a federal court overturned
a law that imposed a harsh health-insurance mandate and tax on WalMart,
but New York's unions and union-driven advocacy groups can be expected
to resume their push for a similar bill in New York State next year,
according to The Business Council's health insurance policy specialist
Upstate New York’s population is aging faster than the rest
of the nation, while the number of young working adults declines,
according to a new report from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York
in Buffalo.
The report said that in 2000 Upstate New York’s 65-and-over
population had risen to 14
A mid-July heat wave saw New York State set a new record for single-day
demand for electricity and, in the process, refocus attention on
New York's widely recognized need to increase its electricity-generating
capacity.
On Monday, July 17, New Yorkers' hourly average peak load reached
32,624 megawatts, breaking a record of 32,075 set last summer, said
Jim Smith, a spokesman for the New York Independent System Operator
(NYISO), a non-profit entity charged with overseeing New York's
electricity markets and transmission systems