A new Massachusetts law designed to make health insurance coverage
nearly universal in the Bay State has a chance to succeed in pioneering
a broad new approach to health insurance policy if it is properly
implemented, a leading taxpayer advocate from Massachusetts told
Council members on May 10
The state Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) is accepting
applications for the third annual Environmental Excellence awards.
The department said the awards recognize New York businesses, government,
non-for-profit organizations, education institutions and individuals
“that are achieving environmental excellence through innovation,
sustainable practices or creative partnerships
A new effort by the state’s Common Retirement Fund (CRF)
has resulted in $920 million in public and private funds invested
in New York companies since 2000, according to state Comptroller
Alan Hevesi.
The CRF has made $425 million in capital available to 15 different
funds for investments in New York, according to a release from the
Comptroller's office
The president of the Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation, Michael
Widmer, will lead a discussion of the new Massachusetts individual
health mandate at the May 10 meeting of The Business Council’s
Health Committee.
Widmer will discuss the policy and politics of the new Massachusetts
Health law that requires individuals to buy a health insurance policy,
imposes an assessment on some businesses that do not offer health
insurance and creates a Health Insurance Connector to link individuals
and businesses with health insurance products
ALBANYSchool districts across New York State plan to increase per-pupil spending by twice the rate of inflation, and raise property taxes by more than $900 million, a new "School Tax Watch" study by The Public Policy Institute finds.
The proposed 2006-07 school budgets submitted for voter consideration on May 16 would raise average spending 6
Education, business costs, competitiveness, and economic development
are among the primary concerns New Yorkers from all regions of the
state identified at a series of regional meetings hosted by Business
Council Chairman Linda Sanford.
Sanford, a vice president at IBM, summarized the concerns of participants
in an April 24 letter addressed to the more than 200 business, education,
not-for-profit and government leaders she met with at the eight
regional meetings
New York’s local property taxes grew three times the rate
of inflation between 2000 and 2005, a new report from state Comptroller
Alan Hevesi’s office has found.
“New York taxpayers’ property tax burden is nearly
50 percent higher than the national average and shockingly, for
areas outside of New York City, 73 percent higher than the national
average,” Hevesi said
Representatives from The Business Council of New York State and
other business groups have been touring New York over the past few
weeks, reminding lawmakers and the media about the harmful effect
of the state’s workers’ compensation system on employers
and the economy
New York’s high school graduation rate is the third lowest
in the nation and far below the national average, a new study from
the Manhattan Institute has found.
In New York 58 percent of the class of 2003 graduated within four
years, far behind the national average of 70 percent, the study
found
A controversial proposal to impose a new health insurance mandate
and tax on many New York State employers could cost the state up
to 100,000 jobs and impose $9.2 billion in new taxes on businesses,
a new study by a University of Kentucky economist shows