April 16, 2012. Before a New York City Council hearing about the impact of Mayor Bloomberg’s proposed budget cuts to libraries, FPI’s David Dyssegaard Kallick stressed the important role libraries play in helping to integrate immigrants into the social and economic fabric of New York City. Testimony … (read more)

February 13, 2012. Submitted by Carolyn Boldiston, FPI’s Senior Fiscal Policy Analyst. Testimony includes: trends in public assistance participation and poverty in New York State, a review of New York’s historical utilization of the federal Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) block grant, a review of the impact of the TANF Contingency Fund and Emergency Contingency Fund on TANF funding and spending in New York State, and recommendations for the 2012-2013 state fiscal year.… (read more)

February 6, 2012. Testimony presented by Frank Mauro, Executive Director of the Fiscal Policy Institute,to the Senate Finance and Assembly Ways & Means Committees’ Public Hearing on the 2012-2013 Executive Budget.… (read more)

December 9, 2011. FPI’s David Dyssegaard Kallick was invited to deliver testimony before a joint hearing convened by the New York State Assembly Standing Committee on Governmental Operations and Standing Committee on Higher Education. He testified that going to college allows immigrants – even undocumented immigrants – to improve their employment opportunities, thereby boosting their contribution to the economy and to tax revenues. “Their success is also our success,” Kallick noted.… (read more)

November 22, 2011. FPI’s James A. Parrott delivered testimony detailing the following points: There is no evidence from other cities to show that living wage ordinances are harmful either for workers directly affected or for the broader local economies. The Charles River Study is seriously flawed in both its labor market and its real estate analyses, and should not be used to inform decisions on this issue. The City should return to the question of how its considerable economic development … (read more)

September 22, 2011. FPI’s James A. Parrott delivered testimony before the New York City Council Committee on Aging detailing the following points: Unemployment for older workers has continued to increase during the past year and a half, despite the recovery. And many older workers who are still employed have seen their hours, and their weekly pay, reduced. For New York City workers ages 55-64, both unemployment and under-employment are sharply higher now than before the recession began, and higher than … (read more)

July 5, 2011. Comments on regulations implementing the eligibility, certification and employment and training provisions of the 2008 Farm Bill. In general, USDA’s overall approach to the Food, Conservation and Energy Act (FCEA) provisions is laudable. However, these comments outline several important changes should be made in the final regulations. Without these changes, the regulations would fall far short of what the legislation intended and would miss important opportunities to improve the program for the millions of Americans who rely … (read more)

June 6, 2011. FPI’s James A. Parrott delivered testimony detailing the following points: Against the backdrop of an outlook for a very gradual and drawn-out recovery during which unemployment and economic adversity remain elevated, the Mayor’s Executive Budget proposal contains several harmful budget cuts that will curtail vital services in many critical areas. The City needs a more balanced approach to closing large budget gaps; this approach should reduce outlays on contracting out and find ways to enhance revenues. Testimony … (read more)

March 1, 2011. At the public hearing on the Governor’s proposed “Cap on Real Property Taxes” before the Assembly Standing Committees on Ways and Means, Education, Real Property Taxation, Local Government and Cities, Frank Mauro, FPI’s executive director, explained why a cap on real property taxes would not effectively protect those most in need of property tax relief, and would exacerbate inequities in the current school finance system. In the short run, a property tax circuit breaker would provide effective … (read more)

February 28, 2011. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) established the Emergency Contingency Fund within the federal Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program for states to provide more support to needy families. The new fund would supplement a prior existing contingency fund (called the regular Contingency Fund), which in New York’s case was soon to be exhausted.

An ongoing series of briefs from the Fiscal Policy Institute, collected here together with related testimony, looks into the … (read more)