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Strengthen Medicaid and Protect Health Coverage for New Yorkers

May 20, 2020 This time last year, New York celebrated its lowest rate of residents without health insurance to date at 5 percent. A historic low that is a continuation of nearly a decade of decline in people who lack health insurance, this record-breaking success set New York apart from the national trend of rising uninsured rates. The public health and economic crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic threatens past success in reducing the rate of the uninsured in New York State. We must strengthen [...]

Unemployment Insurance Taxes Paid for Undocumented Workers in NYS

May 14, 2020 In the midst of a pandemic, there has been a growing call for undocumented immigrants, who make up five percent of the New York State labor force, to be covered by some form of unemployment insurance. What is often overlooked in discussions of unemployment insurance is the extent to which undocumented immigrants are already part of paying into the existing system, even when they are excluded from collecting benefits. Undocumented immigrants face the same challenges as other workers. It does not serve [...]

New York’s Unemployment System Depends on Continued Federal Assistance

May 11, 2020 Following the Great Recession, New York's Unemployment Insurance Trust Fund only achieved a positive fund balance for the first time in fiscal year 2016. On January 1, 2020, the balance stood at $2.65 billion, but the fund was nearing insolvency according to a report by the U.S. Department of Labor. Since the COVID-19 pandemic mitigation began eight weeks ago, over 1.7 million New York residents have filed for unemployment, which is roughly 5 percent of the nation’s total filings and represents more [...]

Fines and Fees: Raising Revenue at the Community’s Expense

As New York State looks toward restarting the economy in the wake of COVID-19, a new report from the Fiscal Policy Institute (FPI) warns local governments not to rush to build revenue through the use of fines and fees – a long-standing, inequitable source of funding primarily drawn from low-income communities and communities of color. Between 2010 and 2017, 31 city governments, out of 62, in New York State reported an increase in expected fine revenue in their annual budgets, with a median increase of [...]

2020-12-30T13:59:11-05:00April 17th, 2020|Blog, Must Read, Reports, Briefs and Presentations|

FPI Comments on Federal Reserve Action

April 17, 2020 Recently, the Federal Reserve took a welcome step forward for states struggling in the wake of the pandemic by creating a new way to lend money directly to states and municipalities.  Through the Municipal Liquidity Facility, New York and other states struggling with a sudden drop-off in much-needed revenue can now access the funds needed to cover essential services. While this is helpful in the short-term, states will need to borrow until their revenues recover. And that would require the facility to be expanded: loan [...]

2020-12-30T13:58:38-05:00April 17th, 2020|Blog, Reports, Briefs and Presentations|

Press Release: Spotlight on New York’s Essential Workers

April 8, 2020 Overlooked, Underpaid and Indispensible Read the report: https://fiscalpolicy.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Essential-Workers-Brief-Final.pdf (Albany, NY) Today the Fiscal Policy Institute (FPI) released a new report spotlighting New York's essential workers who are on the frontlines during the COVID-19 pandemic. According to the new analysis, there are 2.2 million “essential workers” in New York State. Twenty-two percent of these essential workers support their families on low incomes, with family incomes of less than 200 percent of the poverty level. Statement from David Dyssegaard Kallick, Deputy Director, Fiscal Policy Institute: “The pandemic has brought [...]

2020-12-30T14:00:03-05:00April 8th, 2020|Blog, Labor Market & Workforce, Press Releases|

New York’s Essential Workers Overlooked, Underpaid, and Indispensable

The coronavirus crisis has put a new focus on “essential workers,”  people who are bringing deliveries to our homes, working in supermarkets and convenience stores, keeping the public transportation system functioning, providing social services and childcare, and working in the healthcare industry. These essential workers have always played a critical role in keeping our communities running. At a time when many streets are eerily empty, however, we can see all the more clearly who is still out there making sure people get food on the [...]

Reflections on the New York State Budget

For Immediate Release: April 4, 2020 Media Contact: communications@fiscalpolicy.org, 518-786-3156  Reflections on the New York State Budget  (Albany, NY) The process of crafting the FY 2020-2021 State Budget began with warnings of a dire budget shortfall and concluded with efforts to alleviate the fallout caused by an economy brought to a sudden standstill by a global pandemic. Throughout the budget process and the rising projections around revenue losses, FPI has called for public policies based on research and careful analysis that provide a clear path toward creating a more just and equitable state. We will continue our work in partnership [...]

2021-03-31T15:27:00-04:00April 3rd, 2020|Press Releases, State Budget|

Don’t Let the Pandemic Shortchange Our State Budget Process

For Immediate Release: March 31, 2020   (Albany, NY) Today the Fiscal Policy Institute (FPI) released a set of recommendations to safeguard New York’s budget process and ensure a just budget for all. Predictions of a budget shortfall preceded the unforeseen economic impact of the pandemic and FPI urged leadership to think beyond the continued use of the same austerity budget measures put in place year after year. Now, faced with the urgent needs of our community members, FPI urges Governor Cuomo and state leadership [...]

2020-12-30T14:02:44-05:00March 31st, 2020|Press Releases, State Budget|

NY’s Best Prescription? An Accurate Census Count

While the coronavirus is upending our daily lives, we must not let this public health crisis derail our state’s census participation. New York must have an accurate count because it will affect our lives for the next 10 years - including the resources our state has to combat the next health threat or climate crisis. All New Yorkers should complete a census form - either by mail, phone, or online. More information on completing the census is available from the Census Bureau.  Learn more by [...]

2020-12-30T14:05:16-05:00March 30th, 2020|Blog, Reports, Briefs and Presentations|

Fiscal Policy Institute Reacts to Governor Cuomo’s State of the State Address

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: January 8, 2020 Media Contact: communications@fiscalpolicy.org, 518-786-3156 Fiscal Policy Institute Reacts to Governor Cuomo's State of the State Address FPI Agrees that New Yorkers Deserve Results, Not Rhetoric  Statement from Ron Deutsch, Executive Director, Fiscal Policy Institute   “Governor Cuomo is right that New Yorkers deserve results, not rhetoric. While our state economy booms, we continue to be short-changed by austerity budgeting. Missing from the governor’s State of the State address is clarity on closing the budget gap and meeting our state’s pressing needs. The [...]

2021-03-31T15:27:15-04:00January 8th, 2020|Press Releases, State Budget|

The New York State Budget Must Support All New Yorkers.

January 6, 2020 As the New York State legislative session begins with the state facing a multi-billion-dollar state budget deficit, the question is clear—what kind of New York do we want and how will we get there?  The Fiscal Policy Institute (FPI) urges Governor Andrew Cuomo, Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins and Assembly Speaker Carl E. Heastie to choose sound economic and social policies that promote growth and development for the many rather than the few so that all New Yorkers have an equal chance at opportunity. FPI knows that we can craft [...]

2020-12-30T14:10:11-05:00January 6th, 2020|Press Releases, State Budget|

FPI’s New Report Highlights the Unequal State of New York

For Immediate Release: December 6, 2019 Media Contact: communications@fiscalpolicy.org, 518-786-3156 The Unequal State of New York The Majority of Income is Captured by the Fewest New Yorkers Read the report: The Unequal State of New York click here. (Albany, NY) The Fiscal Policy Institute reports that New York State has the most unequal income distribution in the nation, with the fewest people capturing the greatest share. Not since the “Gilded Age” of the 1920s has our state seen such a vast divide between the highest- and [...]

Methodology for Public Charge Estimates

In Only the Wealthy Need Apply, the Fiscal Policy Institute estimated the fiscal and economic impacts of the Department of Homeland Security’s “public charge” rule. This 2019 paper updates an analysis that FPI first published in 2018. Presented here is the detailed methodology we used in making these estimates. Only the Wealthy Need Apply: The Chilling Effects of “Public Charge” is available at www.fiscalpolicy.org/publiccharge2019 Methodology available here.

2021-01-06T10:40:33-05:00November 25th, 2019|Migration, Reports, Briefs and Presentations|
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