February 11, 2008. Testimony submitted by FPI executive director Frank Mauro to the Senate Finance and Assembly Ways and Means committees. Given the many signs that we are in a recession, state leaders must be especially careful about the way they close the state budget gap. Some gap-closing strategies could actually exacerbate the downturn.
February 5, 2008. Testimony submitted by FPI senior economist Trudi Renwick to the Senate Finance and Assembly Ways and Means Committees. Renwick explains several important policy opportunities for New York: increase the basic welfare grant; liberalize the earned income disregard; finance the Earned Income Tax Credit from the General Fund; and take child care funding out of the Flexible Fund for Family Services (FFFS), to ensure that adequate resources go for this essential work support. Renwick includes a series of charts and tables describing TANF [...]
From February 2008 through June 2011, In reverse chronological order: July 10, 2011. Massachusetts has spent 30 years living with a property-tax cap. By Cara Matthews, Rochester Democrat and Chronicle. Also in the Binghamton Press & Sun-Bulletin, the Journal News (Westchester and Rockland), and the Albany Times-Union. In Massachusetts, local governments adopt one budget that includes municipal and school spending. Voters make the decision on all overrides. Proposition 2½ is less restrictive than New York's new cap, said Frank Mauro, executive director of the labor-backed [...]
January 29, 2008. An article by James Parrott, FPI's deputy director and chief economist, who writes monthly for Gotham Gazette's Economy section. Article >>
January 24, 2008. Statement of Trudi Renwick, Senior Economist Before the Assembly Standing Committee on Higher Education. Such a program would contribute to a comprehensive strengthening of New York's postsecondary education system.
January 20, 2008. This brief provides information about the state's economy, its finances, and three policy issues (property taxes, economic development and economic security) that are sure to receive significant attention during this year's budget debates. It also touches on the federal stimulus package now being debated in Washington, and how that package may help or hurt in the balancing of the state budget.
January 15, 2008. Economic and fiscal context for the 2008-2009 Executive Budget, including an analysis of the property tax crisis and alternative property tax relief mechanisms. Briefing book >>
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 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 >>
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 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. [...]
August 8, 2007. An op ed by FPI's senior economist, Trudi Renwick, together with Bob Cohen of Citizens Action, Buffalo News.
August 8, 2007. An op ed by FPI's senior economist, Trudi Renwick, together with Bob Cohen of Citizens Action. Buffalo News.