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Evaluation of Tax Cut Proposals of U.S. Senate Candidates Rick Lazio and Hillary Clinton.  FPI Executive Director Frank Mauro and Governor Pataki's Chief Economist, Stephen Kagann, reach some different conclusions in articles that they each wrote for the Sunday, October 29, 2000, issue of the New York Daily News. To read what Mauro and Kagann think about the Clinton and Lazio proposals, click here.  

Impossible Choices:   Food and Housing or Prescription Drugs. This report was prepared by the Fiscal Policy Institute for USAction, the nation's largest consumer organization.   It examines how rising prescription drug prices are affecting the household budgets and living standards of older Americans.  On Wednesday, October 11, 2000, the report was released in Washington by USAction and at numerous locations around the country by USAction's state and regional affiliates.  FPI Senior Economist Trudi Renwick presented the reports results at USAction's press conference in Washington, DC, while FPI Executive Director Frank Mauro did the same at an event in Albany, NY, with Richard Kirsch, Executive Director of Citizen Action of New York. 

Click here for the text of Impossible Choices in HTML (no tables or graphs) or click here for a complete copy of Impossible Choices, with its many tables and graphs, in PDF format or click here to link to the report on the US Action web site. October 11, 2000.

Building a Ladder to Jobs and Higher Wages. This report is the product of The Working Group on New York City's Low-Wage Labor Market which consisted of policy analysts from government, non-profit organizations and academia, specialists in worker training and representatives of business and labor.  Coordinated by the Community Service Society of New York, the group worked for almost two years on the preparation of this comprehensive report which not only examines the current nature of the city's low-wage labor market, but goes well beyond that to present a host of practical recommendations for actions that can be taken by New York's public and private leaders to create more jobs, expand training and educational opportunities, and ensure that work is a path out of poverty.  Click here for a copy of the entire report or here for a summary of the report's recommendations. October 1, 2000.

Young Social Security Beneficiaries  in New York.  FPI joined with 2030 Action, a non-profit, non-partisan advocacy group for young adults, based in Washington DC, in publishing this report.  In releasing the report in Albany, FPI was joined by the Capital District Center for Independence, the NYS AFL-CIO, the Statewide Senior Action Council, the Gay Men's Health Crisis, the Student Association of the State of New York, NYSUT, CSEA, the New York Aids Coalition and Citizen Action of New York.  Click here to download a PDF version of the report. (September 27, 2000).

Strengthening Social Security and Medicare --- Rhetoric and Reality in the 2000 Election. In remarks presented to a meeting of United University Professions (UUP) retirees, FPI Executive Director Frank Mauro explains why some of the proposals being put forward to protect Social Security and Medicare while reducing the national debt and providing tax relief don't work. (September 13, 2000).

New York State Self Sufficiency Standard.   The Self Sufficiency Standard documents the amount of money working adults in New York need to meet their families' basic needs for housing, food, transportation, child care, medical care and taxes. 

• Executive Summary

• County-by-county Self Sufficiency Standards (Excel spreadsheets with 70 family types for each county).

• Full Report (PDF)

• New York Times article, "Family Needs Far Exceed the Official Poverty Line," by Nina Bernstein, September 13. 

• Schedule of informational forums

• September 13, 2000 Press Release

A Living Wage Law for Rockland County. Testimony presented by FPI Researcher Zofia Nowakowski at a public hearing conducted by the Rockland County Legislature (September 5, 2000).

FPI's Labor Day 2000 Report:  New York's Working Families - Still Waiting for Prosperity. Using data from the Economic Policy Institute's newly released The State of Working America 2000-2001, as well as additional analyses provided by EPI and data available from the Census Bureau and the state and federal labor departments, FPI has prepared its latest analysis of what is happening in New York State in terms of wages, family incomes, and employment, unemployment and underemployment. Click here for a copy of New York's Working Families - Still Waiting for Prosperity

De-escalating the "Economic War Among the States" and Reforming the Subsidy Game. Remarks prepared by FPI Executive Director, Frank Mauro for presentation at a a program on "The Role of Financial Incentives in State and Local Economic Development."   Part of Syracuse University Continuing Education's Seminar Lecture Series at the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs.  (August 2, 2000).

Government Subsidies, Living Wages and the Building Service Industry. Testimony presented by FPI's Deputy Director and Chief Economist, James Parrott at a public hearing conducted by the New York City Council's Labor Committee. (July 25, 2000).

New York's Minimum Wage Opportunity: The New York State Senate recessed on June 23rd without acting on the proposal to increase the minimum wage to $6.75 per hour on January 1, 2001.  This legislation is sponsored by 16 of the 36 members of the Senate's Republican Majority Conference.  Whether the Senate reconvenes before or after Election Day, this is an issue that it will not be able to ignore.  To learn more about the erosion of the purchasing power of the minimum wage over the last 30 years and how New York's neighboring states have been moving to address this situation,  click here for FPI's latest issue brief on this subject: New York's Minimum Wage Opportunity by FPI economist Trudi Renwick and Thomas R. Michl, a Professor of Economics at Colgate University who will be a visiting professor at Union College during the coming academic year. (June 30, 2000)

  The Impact of Federal Spending Priorities on New York State. Highlights of a June 2nd briefing by the Fiscal Policy Institute, the National Priorities Project, the Community Service Society of New York, the Interfaith Alliance of New York State and Statewide Youth Advocacy with links to the National Priorities Project's new report, New York 2000:  Critical Needs, Federal Priorities and other related materials.    

New York Magazine talks to FPI's chief economist James Parrott about New York City's dependence on the stock market.  "Street Addict: The city is less dependent on the stock market than in '87, right? Wrong. Almost 20 percent of the city's income is made on Wall Street -- which could mean catastrophe in a crash." New York Magazine, May 1, 2000.

"Head of Congressional welfare reform panel tells all 50 Governors it's essential that states use their TANF resources and use them wisely,"  FPI BUDGET ALERT.
(April 7, 2000)

Improving New York State's Utilization of Its TANF Block Grant and Related "Maintenance of Effort" Resources
(February 9, 2000)

  Programs and Services Funded by Family Assistance Resources
(February 9, 2000)

• Click here for HTML Version

• Click here for PDF Version (including February 2001 addendum)
  

Press Coverage of FPI's TANF Reports

"Robin Hood in reverse:  New York state is taking federal welfare money to pay for middle-class subsidies,"  Times Union Editorial, May 1, 2000.

"Federal Welfare Windfall Frees New York Money for Other Uses,"   New York Times, April 23, 2000.

"Inside the New State Budget:  A Welfare Slush Fund,"  City Limits Weekly, April 17, 2000.

"Catholic Conference Opposes TANF Raid,"The Troy Record, April 12, 2000.

"Critics call plan raid," The Troy Record, April 11, 2000.

The Revenue Section of COUNTERBUDGET: 2000-2001, including sections on the STAR property tax relief plan, the phase out of the utility gross receipts tax, the previously enacted tax cuts scheduled to take effect in the next several years, and other current revenue issues.
(March 2000)

A discussion of Budget Process Reform prepared by FPI for  COUNTERBUDGET: 2000-2001.
(March 2000)

"New York's Income Tax System Among the Best for Working Families. Most Relief Comes from the State EITC Enacted in 1994," FISCAL POLICY NOTE$.
(March 2000)

  FPI Executive Director Frank Mauro takes a look at the revenue side of the 2000-2001 Executive Budget.
(February 14, 2000)

  In a February 1, 2000, NEWSDAY Op Ed, FPI Economist Trudi Renwick says "Broad Attacks Needed on Income Gap"

  Missed Opportunities:  Assessing New York's 2000-2001 Executive Budget in Economic, Social and Fiscal Context
(January 25, 2000)


  Pulling Apart in New York
     (January 18, 2000)

  Bolstering and Diversifying New York City's Economy
          Text
          Tables and Charts
(December 2, 1999)

State of Working New York
    (September 1, 1999)