NEW: "Listening to FOIL 2026" report shows big gaps between best/worst 11 agencies. We analyzed 16k records requests to evaluate response times, backlogs & more. Agencies aren't publishing commonly requested requested or using electronic appeals features of FOIL software buff.ly/y0UrfBz

Check out Reinvent Albany's list of 10 things Mayor Mamdani can do to strengthen transparency, ethics, and democracy: buff.ly/WfRq9qD

Take note reporter friends - more lame duck Adams admin shenanigans, this time on press credentials 🤦‍♀️

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

Pretty proud of this report + working with an awesome team to make a searchable database of NYS Senate votes. Hopefully we will get ourselves out of a job on this one and the Senate will start publishing the votes online.

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

Bus riders in the Bronx deserve faster rides. Gov Hochul should indeed veto this bill.

👏👏👏 I've been advocating for a new MTA capital dashboard since 2018 (!) so very happy to see the MTA finally build a new, better dashboard.

Let's GOOO! Now it's up for Adams to sign, and the Mamdani admin to implement it. Looks like I will soon have 2 transparency babies to tend. MTA Open Data + NYC FOIL reporting

Happy to be back testifying to MTA Board about OPTO! Let's GO Hochul and VETO this bill.

Thanks to @stefanoschen.bsky.social and @nytimes.com for picking up our report on global transit operations. It’s clear that the rest of the world has moved toward more automated and leaner operations without the sky falling. Legislating ops from Albany is overreach: www.nytimes.com/2025/11/13/n...

But if the bill is passed, the M.T.A. would be prohibited from shifting to one-person operation on those and other trains, said Rachael Fauss, senior policy adviser at Reinvent Albany, a good governance group. “It’s kind of flushing the benefits of C.B.T.C. down the toilet,” she said.

Does the subway still need conductors? Much of the world say no, but union leaders say it's a safety issue. Gov. Hochul has to decide by year end whether to sign a bill that would mandate two-person train crews, even on lines that already moved to one operator www.nytimes.com/2025/11/13/n...

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...

Super interesting for us election reform enthusiasts...have been waiting to see the local breakdown!

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!

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

🚨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.

This might have been my favorite part to write in this report. 🦮

It is truly cutting off one's nose to spite one's face to defund infrastructure projects in NY.

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

Who says that government rules are confusing?🙃

Let's go! This bill would finally let the public really monitor NYC agency FOIL response times.

Gov. is backing away from clean energy targets and slashing programs to help NYers save on electric bills. Cheap power aplenty for data centers and chip plants! And: 🎬 Film Subsidies 2025: First One to the Bottom Wins! 🎭 Broadway’s $400M tax credit fund is tapped out Read it: buff.ly/qxJ9Zkt

We submitted testimony to the Conflicts of Interest Board on their proposed regs for clean contracting disclosures. We support the intent, and offer recommendations to further strengthen reporting given past scandals and irregular procurements. Check it out: reinventalbany.org/2025/07/test...

Oh by the way, amid all the mayoral campaign transit proposals, two more congestion pricing lawsuits against the @mta.info were dismissed. #traffic #transit #congestionpricing

Check out my latest analysis, complete with colorful charts 📊📉📈

NEW: 13 groups support @galeabrewer.bsky.social bill to improve NYC FOIL responses, better hold agencies accountable Thanks to partners @legalaidnyc.bsky.social @stopspyingny.bsky.social @beta.nyc @earthjustice.org @nyclu.org @citizensunionny.bsky.social + more!

Breaking congestion pricing news: Lawyers for the Town of Hempstead, who are still suing to stop the traffic toll, failed to show up for a hearing today on their suit and then claimed they didn't know it was happening nyc.streetsblog.org/2025/06/17/o...

ICYMI - A3425 by @stevenraga.bsky.social would substantially improve FOIL response times, including for NYC agencies with FOIL requests as old as 9 (!) years. NYers shouldn't have to wait years to obtain public records from state and local governments. Let's go, @nyassemblymajority.bsky.social!

Cheers to the Assembly for notable work this session passing bills strengthening FOIL. We urge Speaker Heastie to keep up the momentum and join the Senate in passing six common-sense bills strengthening transparency and reducing corporate handouts. buff.ly/aiY1jNB

[email protected] and @nyassemblymajority.bsky.social: Please pass A3425-A/S2520-B, which just passed the Senate, to improve FOIL response times. The 2025 Assembly has led on FOIL, and we’re asking you to bring this crucial transparency bill across the finish line. buff.ly/Sh3XOuP

Editorial Boards to NY Senate: Pass the Transparency Bills! See our list of editorials from @nydailynews.com‬ ‪ @buffalonews.com‬ @dgazette.bsky.social‬ calling on the Legislature to pass bills to show they want a Freedom of Information Law that actually works: buff.ly/KWx5atP

There are only a few days left in session – the NY Legislature must pass these key transparency and accountability bills. Our statement: buff.ly/ia0KkMN

NY Daily News nails it on the need for both houses to pass FOIL reformss: "But, as we all know, passage by only one chamber isn’t enough. Both partners are required for the reform dance and it’s too often the case that one side will duck out." www.nydailynews.com/2025/06/11/p...

Great op-ed by @stopspyingny.bsky.social‬'s Alicia Abramson on one our of priority FOIL bills to reduce the time agencies can take responding to records requests: "The FOIL Timeline Act would transform FOIL from a black hole into a meaningful tool for public accountability." buff.ly/ohjDbt3

We thank Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins, Sen. Gianaris, and the @nysenate.bsky.social for continuing to pass a bill ending NY's tax break for Trump's OZ program. @speakercarlheastie.bsky.social and the @nyassemblymajority.bsky.social must pass this bill and save NY $400m a year. buff.ly/Q0HPtlr

📑What we're reading: @EarthJustice.org's "Falling Through the Cracks." In addition to showing Syracuse's failure to enforce its lead ordinance, the report highlights woefully inadequate FOIL response times. It is unacceptable to wait 2 years for lead paint violation records. buff.ly/Wyy9GVj

ICYMI - we released an in-depth report, "Listening to FOIL" that evaluates 5 NYS agencies' compliance with the freedom of information. 👀 And no, journalists, you aren't imagining it -- your FOIL requests sometimes do take longer than others'. Read it here: buff.ly/cxdIOXJ

Please read my latest report! Lots of cool graphics, and might be of particular interest to reporters - note we break down response times for the press vs businesses, etc.

It was pretty obvious in the oral arguments where this was headed - the TRO is more proof of how weak the feds' case is.

Let's go! 😎

The @nysenate.bsky.social and @nyassemblymajority.bsky.social can show their commitment to transparency by passing the same FOIL bills this session: 1️⃣ Report FOIL activity 2️⃣ Limit Commercial FOIL exemption 3️⃣ Strengthen FOIL attorneys fees Our statement: buff.ly/vpPajjc

[email protected]‬ and @jamesskoufis.bsky.social‬, it's time to move Sen. Hoylman-Sigal's FOIL reporting bill S452! This bill will be a huge step forward for NYS FOIL, which is why it's supported by 18 media, watchdog, and transparency groups. Read our joint memo of support: buff.ly/UZcuFnM

Good to see no votes, instead of "AWR" -- it's much better for Senators to actually go on the record.

Today, we re-issued a memo of opposition to S533 which would repeal the successful congestion pricing program. We ask Senators to vote NO. A vote of “Aye Without Recommendation” is unacceptable; it would be an embarrassment for this bill to move. buff.ly/0FGi6aF

🔥The devil is always in the details, and I am still waiting to read the fine print. Specifically, tallying up the MTA money to make sure we really are fully funding the 2025-2029 capital plan🔥

I had no car when I was in grad school in Albany, NY. I took the bus to work, school, rode my bike. A coworker asked if I felt like I didn't have any "freedom" without a car. I said it was pretty freeing to not be in more debt than I already was from student loans.