Reports

How is the economy treating New Yorkers? Monthly governmental reports on employment tell us how many jobs have been added or lost, and which industrial sectors are expanding or shrinking.

The President and leading members of Congress are pushing to enact major changes in our federal tax code. Before any such measures become law, we need to make sure that taxpayers and policy makers understand the implications for New Yorkers.

It’s easy to take clean, safe drinking water for granted. However, as incidents of contamination in our public water supplies in recent years have reminded us, strong regulatory oversight is essential to assure the quality and safety of our water.

Beginning in the 1990s, the New York State Office of Mental Health (OMH) has gradually transformed its residential treatment services for people with severe mental illness into supportive housing programs that are integrated in the community rather than institutional settings.

On the 47th Anniversary of Earth Day, now more than ever, we should celebrate the progress we have made and recommit ourselves to the work that needs to be done.

New York State’s prison population has been decreasing, but the number of older inmates has been on the rise.

This report articulates the evolution of the New York State Common Retirement Fund’s (Fund) approach to sustainable investment practices.

In 2016, OSC completed 26 audits of expenses submitted to SED by preschool special education providers. These audits have cumulatively identified about $5.5 million in recommended disallowances, or nearly 3 percent of the total claimed expenses of almost $188 million for the audit period. 

Nonprofit organizations, large and small, provide a multitude of diverse services in health care, education, the arts and other sectors throughout New York State.

President John F. Kennedy described the United States of America as “a nation of immigrants.” The contributions of these individuals have been vitally important to the economy, society and culture of New York State, and of our entire nation.

Educators tell us that healthier students are better learners. Fresh produce can be an especially important part of a well-balanced diet, and research indicates that children eat more fruits and vegetables when those items are regularly offered.

Consumer interest in organic products has grown in recent years, as reflected by rising sales nationwide—with a 56 percent increase in New York from 2008 through 2014.

Countless New Yorkers have found higher education the path to a more satisfying and financially secure life. Each year, college graduates, young and not-so-young, embark upon new opportunities that may have been unattainable without the benefits of college and university studies.

An economic recession, as the old saying goes, is when your neighbor becomes unemployed—and a depression is when it happens to you. A similar logic applies to economic recoveries: whatever the experts may say about the national outlook, most of us are especially concerned about good jobs and good wages in our own communities.

New York State continues to experience record numbers of homeless people. Generally, the focus of media coverage and policy discussions is on New York City and other large metropolitan areas as they contain the largest populations of homeless.

It seems that every community in New York State is experiencing the heartbreak of lives lost to prescription opioid abuse and heroin addiction.

Since taking office in 2007, I have made the environment one of my office’s top priorities. I’ve enacted green agency operations at my own office while helping other State agencies become more environmentally friendly.

Small businesses play a big role in the New York State economy.

In 2015, OSC completed 23 audits of expenses submitted to SED by preschool special education providers. These audits have cumulatively identified over $10 million in disallowances, or about 3.4 percent of the total claimed expenses of almost $301 million for the audit period. 

New York offers a wide variety of sporting opportunities for the almost two million men and women who hunt, fish and trap in the State. More than 90 percent of New Yorkers who engage in these activities participate in fishing or in both hunting and fishing, while 9 percent participate in hunting exclusively.