December 24, 2007. FPI comments urging NYSERDA to amend the proposed rule to include low-income protection as an explicitly mandated purpose for the proceeds of the auction of the RGGI allowances and to add at least one low-income advocate to the list of stakeholders to be included in the advisory group to oversee the expenditures of the auction proceeds.
December 19, 2007. A column by FPI senior fellow David Dyssegaard Kallick, Metro New York.
December 18, 2007. An article by James Parrott, FPI's deputy director and chief economist, who writes regularly for Gotham Gazette's Economy section. Article >>
December 18, 2007. Submitted by FPI's chief economist James Parrott to the New York State Division of the Budget. New York's trillion dollar economy has the potential to be a dynamic economy that rewards all New Yorkers, but challenges abound, including volatility on Wall Street. And there is little to show for the billions of dollars spent on economic development in 2007 by state and local governments. New York needs a new approach that is strategic, diverse, coordinated and accountable. Testimony >>
December 13, 2007. This testimony describes the special problems faced by New York localities with relatively weak tax bases compared to their needs. To a large extent, state fiscal policies have caused great pressure on property taxes in needy cities, counties and school districts, including decisions: to reduce revenue sharing; to decrease the share of local school budgets covered by state aid, to divide the non-federal share of Medicaid costs without considering ability to pay, and to allocate STAR benefits in a way that exacerbates [...]
December 5, 2007. Using analysis from the Urban Institute and data from the New York State Department of Health, FPI estimates the distribution, by county, of full-year non-elderly uninsured, the cost of uncompensated care, and the social costs of uninsured.
December 5, 2007. Using data from the American Community Survey, FPI estimates the cost, number of beneficiaries and average benefits of the circuit breaker credit, as proposed (Galef/Little A.1575/S.1053) and with several modifications. Read the testimony >>
December 5, 2007. In this report FPI finds that construction of affordable housing in NYC is tainted by sub-standard jobs. There is a huge underground economy with rampant employment abuse and tax non-compliance. Workers, taxpayers and honest employers pay the price - $489 million in 2005 and are likely to reach $557 million in 2008 - as construction employment practices deteriorate in New York City. And 50,000 construction workers (one in four) are employed off the books or as so-called independent contractors - at substantial [...]
November 26, 2007. What role do immigrants play in the New York State economy? How about in upstate New York? In the downstate suburbs? In New York City? What countries do immigrants come from? Where do they work? How well are they doing? Executive summary - Working for a Better Life Resumen ejecutivo -Trabajando Por Una Vida Mejor FULL REPORT- Working for a Better Life Supplemental information -A profile of immigrants in New York City, for selected countries of origin Press release Powerpoint presentations: New [...]
November 6, 2007. An article by James Parrott, FPI's deputy director and chief economist, who writes regularly for Gotham Gazette's Economy section. Article >>
October 31, 2007. FPI senior economist Trudi Renwick participated in a telephone press conference organized by Citizen Action and the Emergency Campaign for America's Priorities to illustrate the impact of a budget veto on New Yorkers' vital human needs. Read ECAP's press release.
October 29, 2007. President Bush has threatened to veto an array of appropriations bills because they provide funding for domestic programs above the levels he requested in his budget. Adopting the president's budget request would mean significantly less funding in some key domestic programs that provide critical services to a broad swath of families and communities - less than the House has appropriated, less than the amount needed to keep pace with inflation and in some cases, even less than 2007 levels. This one-pager includes [...]
October 24, 2007. A presentation by FPI senior economist Trudi Renwick at a meeting convened by the New York Children's Action Network (New York CAN) Income Security Subcommittee.
October 15, 2007. This report takes a fresh look at the property tax "crisis" and finds that: flawed evaluations have resulted in flawed solutions, taxpayers in poorer districts struggle the most, and voters in wealthy districts choose to pay for high quality schools while voters in poorer districts have a much higher rate of rejecting school budgets. Two oft-touted reforms have a negative impact on local control and school equity; circuit breaker reform in contrast can be well targeted to those who need relief most. [...]
September 28, 2007. Testimony presented by FPI Senior Economist Trudi Renwick to the Assembly Standing Committee on Social Services.