Reports

School districts are facing a set of unique fiscal challenges that have left many tightening their belts even as the economic recovery has begun to improve New York State finances.

New York State’s economy, like that of the nation, has taken a roller coaster ride since the start of the 21st century. The national recession of 2001 and its aftermath hit the Empire State with job losses proportionally larger than those in most states. Following more than five years of steady recovery from the 2001 downturn, New York was again hit hard by the Great Recession – losing more than 300,000 jobs in 2008 and 2009.

The Office of the State Comptroller recommends that, before State agencies are authorized to use P3 financing, policy makers should first develop a better  understanding of the potential costs and benefits of this approach. This report identifies a number of the risks  associated with privately financed infrastructure agreements and suggests ways to reduce such risks.

More than a decade ago, New York became the fourth state in the nation to extend in-state college tuition rates to undocumented immigrant students. Today, approximately 8,300 such students attend public institutions of higher education throughout New York.

Spanish | Russian | Chinese | French

The Executive Budget for State Fiscal Year (SFY) 2013-14 was released by the Executive on January 22, 2013. On February 21, the Executive submitted final amendments to the proposed budget, to supplement the 21-day amendments previously released.

Absent Congressional action, significant revisions to federal tax and spending policies are scheduled to take effect in January 2013.

Obesity rates in New York State and the nation have jumped sharply in recent decades. Childhood obesity, in particular, has become much more common – nearly tripling nationwide since 1980.

New York State is a leading agricultural state with 36,300 farms that produced $4.7 billion in products in 2010. New York ranks among the largest producers in the nation for some products, including ranking second in wine production.

On July 1, 2012, the interest rate on subsidized Direct Federal Loans for college students (also known as Stafford Loans) is set to revert to 6.8 percent for new loans, unless the U.S. Congress acts to prevent the increase.

New York added more jobs in the past two years than previously reported, according to revised data from the New York State Department of Labor.

The Tuition Assistance Program (TAP) is among the nation’s largest state‐ sponsored, need‐based grant programs for student aid.

In the past two years, New York State has regained 46 percent of the jobs lost during the recession, but not all parts of the State have benefited equally.

The economic recovery took hold in New York in 2010, but it has been slow, and not all regions of the State have benefited equally.

The federal government has been operating under Continuing Resolutions since the start of the new federal fiscal year that began October 1, 2010. Despite ongoing efforts between the President and Congress to reach agreement on a federal budget, taxpayers face the threat of the first federal government shutdown since 1996.

The number of Hispanic-owned businesses in New York State totaled 193,200 in 2007, the latest year for which data are available. This represented an increase of 85.4 percent compared with the 1997 level, or nearly three times the rate of growth in the total number of businesses in the State. 

Spanish

Programs focused on children who are at risk of becoming delinquent have demonstrated effectiveness in preventing young people from ever entering the juvenile justice system.

New York State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli issued an Executive Order on Energy and the Environment on September 13, 2007 that established the goals and structure of a Green Initiative for the New York State Office of the State Comptroller (OSC).

As New York State grapples with cost-effective solutions for its estimated $250 billion in infrastructure needs over the next 20 years, this report examines both the opportunities that public-private partnerships offer as well as the underlying financial risks associated with forming those partnerships.

New York State's Farmland Protection Program was created in 1992 to preserve high quality working farmland and to reduce pressures on farm families to sell their lands and leave the farming industry. Counties and towns receive financial support from the program to develop farmland protection plans and to purchase development rights on farmland.

By any measure, New York’s economy depends heavily on small businesses. Using the definition established by the federal Small Business Administration (SBA)—any firm with fewer than 500 employees—small businesses account for more than half of all private sector jobs and the vast majority of the private sector firms in New York.