The COVID-19 pandemic and resulting economic shutdown quickly led to soaring unemployment rates in New York; those rates subsequently declined slowly but steadily. However, for New Yorkers who face unique challenges due to a disability, unemployment rates increased more quickly and have remained stubbornly high, disrupting progress that had been made leading up to the pandemic.

The New York State Minority- and Women-Owned Business Enterprise (MWBE) Asset Management and Financial Institution Strategy (Chapter 171, Laws of 2010) was enacted to codify and replicate best practices for providing MWBEs that are asset managers, investment banks and financial and professional service providers with the opportunity to offer services to fiduciary-controlled entities established by New York State law.

The COVID-19 pandemic brought a halt to the growth of the construction industry nationwide which, prior to the pandemic, had been growing strongly. This was especially true in New York State and New York City.

For State Fiscal Year (SFY) 2020-21, agencies paid vendors $1,451,218 in interest, a decrease of $279,793 (approximately 16 percent) from SFY 2019-20.

Identity theft cases surged in New York State in 2020, inflicting financial losses on individuals and threatening disruption to government programs as well as private financial institutions. Identity theft complaints surpassed 67,000 statewide last year, more than four times the annual total from a decade earlier, according to Federal Trade Commission data.

This report details economic impact payments, also known as "stimulus checks," provided to New Yorkers under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act and the COVID-Related Tax Relief (CRTR) Act. The report also summarizes the Comptroller’s analysis of the Enacted Budget.

The Office of the State Comptroller received 21,282 contract transactions, including both new contracts and contract amendments, valued at $102.4 billion in the calendar year 2019. The average time from agency contract submission to final sign-off was 6.3 days.

The Office of the State Comptroller received 19,651 contract transactions, including both new contracts and contract amendments, valued at $70.87 billion in the 2018 calendar year. The average time from agency contract submission to final sign-off was 6.3 days.