Gov Hochul Vetoes Crucial Transparency, Local Democracy, and Money Laundering Bills. See whether the Governor's decisions were opposed or supported by us in our end-of-session bill roundup: buff.ly/OxBHDI4

Reinvent Albany @cbcny.bsky.social @partnership4nyc.bsky.social @rpa.org and Transit Costs Project thank @governor.ny.gov for vetoing A4873/S4091, the bill that would have prohibited MTA from using one-person train operation (OPTO). See our statement: buff.ly/PI2zEAH

We won't have to wait long to find out who Gov. Kathy Hochul's 2026 running mate is: www.capitolconfidential.com/p/when-hochu... - PSC orders "non-emitting" solutions from Con Ed - Blakeman on TV in FL - State Senate confirmation vote transparency - DOCCS heat mitigation plan - & more today

Ever wondered how your NYS Senator voted on a nominee for a judge, commissioner, or board member? Those votes aren't published online by the Senate. We FOILed the records and published them ourselves. 🔍 reinventalbany.org/2025/12/pres...

New York's state Senate doesn't publish how each member votes on the governor's nominees, making it difficult for constituents to get that information. Advocates at Reinvent Albany dug into those votes and have recommendations to improve transparency: www.timesunion.com/state/articl...

Check out Reinvent Albany's new report calling on incoming Mamdani admin to take five steps to improve how tech can be used to deliver better services to everyday New Yorkers. buff.ly/aZiz0Nf

With @CitizensUnionNY @CommonCauseNY @NYPIRG we asked the City Council to not raise their salaries without an outside compensation commission. Our testimony recommended a possible new structure & warned that this lame-duck hearing shouldn't be used to rush a bill through in 2026.

If the Governor cares about transparency, she must sign A8662-A (Gallagher) / S8432 (Hoylman-Sigal). Our joint memo of support: buff.ly/ZjGnBEB

Gov Hochul should veto S6815/A8292 – giving MTA workers an automatic defense for bus-lane violations meddles in NYC and MTA management and could encourage misuse of agency vehicles. buff.ly/P1MqL0D

21 groups urged the Governor to sign A8662-A (Gallagher) / S8432 (Hoylman-Sigal), which protects NY's LLC Transparency Act and was just delivered to the Governor. Read our memo of support: buff.ly/ZjGnBEB

Gov Hochul should VETO the bill that carves out Co-op City from bus lane enforcement. It slows buses and worsens pollution. The state Legislature should not be getting involved in local transit decisions. buff.ly/01VdEUW

Reinvent Albany commends the new @mta.info Capital Dashboard powered by open data. This upgrade shows the MTA's progress on rebuilding and modernizing the subways, buses, and commuter railroads. Check out the top 4 things we like about it! buff.ly/kVdszHb

Watchdogs Scrutinize & @ReinventAlbany Offer 21st Century Reform Agenda for How NYC Mayor Chooses Judges Report "Building a 21st Century Judiciary: A Reform Agenda for New York City," calls on the incoming mayor to make NYC judicial appointments modern and transparent ⬇️

🎉 FPF joins @reinventalbany.bsky.social and many other groups in celebrating NYC Council's passage of its landmark Freedom of Information bill! Read about how this bill will make NYC more accountable here:

🎉🎉 🎉 Transparency Groups Cheer NYC Council Passage of Landmark FOIL Reform Bill Statement on the passage of Intro 1235-A, sponsored by @galeabrewer.bsky.social here: buff.ly/XfnWNK0 Thank you @stopspyingny.bsky.social @beta.nyc @legalaidnyc.bsky.social @citizensunionny.bsky.social + more!

Testimony to MTA Board: Gov. Hochul Must Veto Two-Person Train Operator Bill Misguided bill will do nothing to improve subway service, and instead add costs that will ultimately be paid by transit riders. Read it here:

We dropped a new report re: train operations, everyone’s favorite topic. There’s some backstory that we will get too. But, the basic takeaway is modern train systems have moved away from two-person train ops. New York should, too! transitcosts.com/Train_Operat...

Yes. Veto this bill.

Report: 94% of World’s Transit Lines Operated by One Person Hochul Should Veto Bill Requiring Two See our statement on the new, important report out from NYU Marron's Transit Costs Project buff.ly/Umk9Dc0

Micron says Onondaga chip fab delayed to late 2030. They want $1.7b more state/local subsidies on top of current $21b taxpayer handouts. Read about it here: buff.ly/WQ0uHvn

Our testimony to Onondaga IDA: No to Micron Getting $880m in New Onondaga County Sales Tax Breaks. Micron is already getting more than $21.4 billion in government subsidies for Fabs 1 and 2 in Onondaga. Check it out ⤵️

Our friends at @citizensunionny.bsky.social are hosting a public Q&A on NYC ballot question 6 (even-year elections) this Thurs, 10/30, from 6-7pm. Register for their webinar!

Film/TV “tax credits” are taxpayer-funded giveaways. 38 states now pay producers to film locally—even though independent studies find NO economic benefit. Economist J.C. Bradbury thinks they're one of the biggest wastes of state tax money. Plus, $2b in Micron tax breaks. buff.ly/DfJzI8x

New York can’t fix one problem by creating another. When IDAs hand out tax breaks without creating jobs, they drain the revenue that keeps our schools strong. We need affordable housing and well-funded schools — not one at the expense of the other.

"Reinvent Albany, a good government group, had described it as the "most significant improvement" to the state’s public records law that the legislature had agreed upon in years.' buff.ly/TiWAojO

Our new report with students in the State Policy Advocacy Clinic, Brooks School of Public Policy at Cornell shows how IDA housing tax breaks are constitutionally questionable with little oversight—diverting revenue from schools and local services. buff.ly/5ha43mX

An Illinois legislator proposed a bill to guarantee independent analysis and public hearings for all publicly funded sports projects — could NY do the same? We could use it — see our list of NY sports subsidies rushed through with minimal public review in this week's Subsidy Sheet.

NEW report with scrutinize, "Backdoor to the Bench", finds NY’s constitutional cap on the number of Supreme Court judges spawns double dysfunction Clogged courts resort to secretive, highly subjective selection of acting judges as workaround

Statement: Hochul Vetoes Transparency Bill Backed by Press Freedom and Watchdog Groups Governor Fixes Nothing, Offers Nothing in Response to Persistent Public Concerns About Deeply Dysfunctional Freedom of Information Law (FOIL) Process Read it here:

🚨Transparency Boosting Bill on Hochul's Desk🚨 S2520-B/A3425-A by @jamesskoufis.bsky.social and Steven Raga is the most significant improvement to the Freedom of Information Law in years & would shorten the time the public waits for records. Governor Hochul should sign it.

Our report, Investing in the MTA is Investing in America: October 2025 Update, looked at MTA spending across 47 states. Did you know that the MTA has purchased K-9s from companies in 12 states, from Alabama to Illinois to Wisconsin for the MTA Police Department? 🐕‍🦺 👮‍♀️ buff.ly/Yxt4KZ6

Hidden in plain sight: a little-known US Dept of Energy tool shows data center electricity demands across the US. Here’s the stats for NY’s top 5 counties — crucial for understanding the state’s data center boom. buff.ly/S27vTnF

The Sabres will stay put at Buffalo’s KeyBank Center through 2031, while waiting for NY taxpayers to forget they recently gave the Pegulas — who also own the Buffalo Bills — $1 billion for a new NFL stadium. Check out Subsidy Sheet: buff.ly/BMfsqFr

ICYMI: Our new report shows that Investing in the MTA is Investing in America Federal cuts to New York's transit system, which carries 40% of national ridership, not only hurts NY, but all the companies that supply the MTA from a total of 47 states. reinventalbany.org/2025/10/watc...

Trump admin attempts to cut transit funding for NY hurt biz in ”red” states as well

You see this particularly in the crime discussion nationally, but folks outside of New York City (and often times in New York City) do not grasp the scale and scope of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority.

NEW Report: States that voted for Trump got billions from MTA Spending Companies in red states by U.S. Senate seats received more than $3.5 billion in MTA payments over 14 years. States that voted for Trump in 2024 received nearly $7 billion from the MTA over this period. buff.ly/Yxt4KZ6

ICYMI: our Legislative Director, Tom Speaker, penned an important op-ed calling on the City Council to use the time it has left this session to overhaul the city's Freedom of Information Law. buff.ly/rMqHTZE

"It would be a good election year strategy for [Hochul], from our perspective, to promote some reform and show that she is willing to change the culture and the laws in Albany to make it a more ethical place," our @rachaelfauss.bsky.social buff.ly/gZgxDMQ

Stronger Ethics Commission and Laws, Stronger Public Trust. Our testimony for COELIG's annual hearing today lays out Reinvent Albany's top 5 proposals for COELIG to support, along with our comments on dozens of their other proposals (plus a nifty chart!). Read it here:

"The speaker should not sully further the past four years by jamming through some changes...What this Council and this speaker can, and should, do is pass a worthy transparency improvement to how the city handles Freedom of Information Law (FOIL) requests for public records."

The Broadway tax credit was meant as COVID relief. Now it’s a $3M-per-show subsidy draining state funds—even while Broadway thrives. ESD's deadline extension hints more giveaways may come. Check out Subsidy Sheet: buff.ly/hATzTsG

Watchdog to NYC Conflicts of Interest Board: Yes to Stronger Travel Disclosures🛫 , No to Weakening Fundraising Transparency💰 Read our public comments here:

18 Groups and Unions to Gov Hochul: Sign Bill Defending NY’s Landmark LLC Transparency Act (LLCTA) from Trump Administration. It protects NY’s LLCTA from being undermined by the weakening of the federal Corporate Transparency Act (CTA) buff.ly/QuXrWap

State and local officials in AZ and MI have proposed bills to reduce the epidemic of NDAs keeping residents from knowing how their tax money is being spent. NY should pass similar legislation to rein in billions in secretive deals paid by taxpayers. Read it here: buff.ly/iaQROnk

Our groups @citizensunionny.bsky.social @commoncauseny.bsky.social @freedom.press @legalaidnyc.bsky.social @lwvnyc.bsky.social @nyclu.org @nypirg.bsky.social @stopspyingny.bsky.social urge City Council to pass @galeabrewer.bsky.social landmark NYC FOIL bill buff.ly/ocwTgBk

Check out our new report with @goodjobsfirst.org: New York IDAs’ Reckless Assault on Public School Funding More harm to NY schools from industrial development agencies’ property tax breaks multiplied by flawed tax cap law buff.ly/uGNkmxX

NEW: We joined @reinventalbany.bsky.social any & ABNY, urging BOE NYC to approve certified ballot questions. Election commissioners lack authority to reject them based on their substance—doing so would set a dangerous precedent, disrupt elections, and harm voters citizensunion.org/wp-content/u...

With Historically Devastating Federal Cuts Looming, NY Taxpayers on Pace to Shell Out Nearly a Billion to Hollywood Producers in 2025 New data reveals Q1 2025 payout of $230M; $65K in subsidies per full-time film/TV job Our analysis:

Top National Expert on NY’s $11B in Corporate Subsidies: "Forget the Mega-Deals." Greg LeRoy of @goodjobsfirst.org says to focus on spending taxpayer 💰 only on things that provide a bigger public bang for the buck Check it out: buff.ly/wzZoQa6