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.
New York State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli released the following statement in response to Amazon’s disclosure of vote results from its annual meeting on Wednesday. DiNapoli and the New York State Common Retirement Fund’s request for an independent review of the company’s policies and practices related to racial diversity, equity and inclusion won support from 44.18% of Amazon shareholders, an immense success for a first-time proposal.
New York State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli today warned retirees not to be fooled if they received text messages or other communications that purport to come from the state’s retirement fund and the Office of the State Comptroller, asking for a payment to “upgrade” the retirement fund. It’s a scam. Report the message to the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Internet Crime Complaint Center at www.ic3.gov or by calling the Albany FBI Field Office at 518-465-7551 or 1-800-CALLFBI.
In April, the Office of the State Comptroller approved 1,072 contracts for state agencies and public authorities valued at $11.9 billion and approved more than 20.1 million payments worth more than $12.6 billion. The Office rejected 109 contracts and related transactions valued at $337 million and more than 33,900 payments valued at nearly $28.6 million, primarily for mistakes, insufficient support for charges, and improper payments. More information on these contracts and payments is available at www.openbooknewyork.com.
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.
New York State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli released the following statement today in advance of Amazon’s Annual Meeting on Wednesday, May 26, 2021, at 9:00 a.m., Pacific Time.
New York State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli today announced that the New York State Common Retirement Fund’s (Fund) estimated overall investment return was 33.55 percent for the state fiscal year (SFY) that ended March 31, 2021, reflecting the financial markets’ dramatic rebound from lows reached during the COVID-19 pandemic. The return on investments increased the Fund’s value to an estimated $254.8 billion.
State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli and New York State Police Acting Superintendent Kevin P. Bruen announced the arrests of former state police mechanics Jeffrey Rapasadi and David Relyea in the theft of nearly $30,000 in auto parts and supplies from the state. The thefts allegedly took place between April 2015 and October 2020.
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.
