June 27, 2018.

By: Brent Kramer, David Dyssegaard Kallick, and Jonas Shaende

The Supreme Court’s ruling today about public sector unions puts a significant new barrier in front of unions around the country. Traditionally, in New York—as in many other states—everyone covered by a union contract was required to pay either dues or an “agency fee” to support the union’s work on behalf of all employees. In the Janus decision, the Supreme Court ruled that public-sector employees can’t be compelled … (read more)

June 18, 2018. The Fiscal Policy Institute joined Citizens Budget Commission, Citizens Union, Common Cause NY, and Reinvent Albany in front of the Federal Courthouse in Manhattan to call on Assembly Speaker Heastie to Allow a vote on the Database of Deals and Comptroller’s Procurement Integrity Act.

FPI’s Chief Economist, Jonas Shaende gave the following remarks during the press conference this afternoon, “The lack of transparency and proper oversight enables corruption as is evidenced by these massive criminal trials. The … (read more)

June 14, 2018. FPI’s Policy Analyst, Shamier Settle and Chief Economist, Jonas Shaende joined the Poor People’s Campaign and Rise & Resist at their rally against potential cuts to Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.

The House Agriculture Committee farm bill (H.R. 2) outlines cuts and discontinuation of SNAP benefits (formerly known as food stamps) for a substantial number of low-income Americans. This proposal contains $20 billion in cuts to the SNAP program and provisions for expanded work requirements. There is little … (read more)

Contact:

Ron Deutsch, Fiscal Policy Institute, 518-469-6769

John Kaehny, Reinvent Albany, 917-941-9865

Jessica Wisneski, Citizen Action of New York, 845-901-0264

Jasmine Gripper, Alliance for Quality Education, 347-301-6277

Ethan Geringer-Sameth, Citizens Union; 914-715-0887

Susan Lerner, Common Cause New York; 917-670-5670

Jennifer Wilson, League of Women Voters NYS; 518-465-4162

Blair Horner, NYPIRG; 518-727-4506

Michael Kink, Strong Economy for All, 518-527-2787

Progressive Groups, Government and Budget Watchdogs Call On Assembly Speaker Heastie to Allow Vote on Database of Deals and Comptroller’s Procurement Integrity … (read more)

May 22, 2018.

Employers that hire refugees see positive outcomes for their businesses, according to a report released today by the Fiscal Policy Institute and the Tent Partnership for Refugees. The study, based on over 100 interviews in four regions of the country, finds that when employers hire refugees they see lower turnover rates among refugees, and widen their pool of potential employees. In addition, many see overall improvements in the company, with their managers becoming more versatile as they … (read more)

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

May 10, 2018 

Media Contact:  Ron Deutsch, Executive Director of FPI 518-469-6769 / deutsch@fiscalpolicy.org

75 New York State Organizations Call on Congress to Oppose Federal Budget Cuts to Critical Programs

Group urges Congress to reject a Farm Bill that takes food off the tables of needy Americans

See the release of the letter here

(New York, NY) – On May 10, 2018, the New York Federal Budget Response Team submitted a letter on behalf of 75 service … (read more)

May 22, 2018 Empire State Plaza, Meeting Room 4, Albany, NY

This legislative briefing will address the problem of fiscal stress among New York’s local governments and the role the State Legislature can play in addressing these challenges.

What can NY learn from other states? What does the in depth research on NYS show?

We are seeing important shifts in intergovernmental relations, most recently with the Federal tax reform on SALT.  How can NY best respond to these challenges?

Come … (read more)

May 8, 2018. The Fiscal Policy Institute and Hunger Solutions New York held a webinar regarding the 2018 Farm Bill and changes to SNAP on April 30, 2018. SNAP, otherwise known as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, helps close the gap of food insecurity for people across New York and the rest of the country.

The slides for the webinar are available here.… (read more)

May 7, 2018. The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, SNAP for short, is the country’s largest and most effective nutrition program. In New York State, over 2.8 million people utilize SNAP every year, including 1.1 million children. More than $4.9 billion in SNAP benefits were spent at over 18,000 New York retailers in 2016. SNAP is a part of the Farm Bill, a piece of legislation which authorizes most federal policies governing food and agriculture programs. Approximately 80 percent of the … (read more)

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

April 30, 2018 

Media Contact:  Ron Deutsch, Executive Director of FPI 518-469-6769 / deutsch@fiscalpolicy.org

Congresswoman Nydia Velázquez Stood Alongside Nonprofits In Opposition To President Trump And Congressional Republicans’ Harmful Cuts To The Social Safety Net

Group calls on Congress to reject a Farm Bill that takes food off the tables of needy Americans when they return from recess

See the full press release here

New York, NY. – On April 30, 2018, Congresswoman Nydia Velázquez stood alongside … (read more)