Business Council supports the Energize New York Power program bill

The Business Council believes that it is critical that the legislature adopt a new, statewide economic development power program in the 2010 session. Therefore, we support adoption of Program Bill #254. We believe this legislation includes key provisions necessary to support high payi
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Health care study calls risk pool money lacking

Kevin Sack of the New York Times writes – “The new health care law does not allocate nearly enough money to cover the estimated 5.6 million to 7 million Americans with pre-existing medical conditions who will qualify for temporary high-risk insurance pools, according to a
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Study of health-care law rebuts state protests on Medicaid costs

Alec MacGillis of the Washington Post writes – ” The federal government will bear virtually the entire cost of expanding Medicaid under the new health-care law, according to a comprehensive new study by the Kaiser Family Foundation that directly rebuts the loud protests of
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Siena Poll: New Yorkers support call for cap on property tax

A Siena Poll released yesterday shows – New Yorkers who own homes are proud of their properties. They consider home ownership a key piece of the American Dream. They believe real estate is a terrific investment. But there’s one component to home ownership that New Yorkers
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Marcellus Shale: Marcellus Jobs

Job fairs, like the one held yesterday in Owego, continue to highlight the need for workers in the emerging natural gas play in the Marcellus Shale. As reported in pressconnects.com, industry is seeking “roughnecks” and “roustabouts” but also expects a large demand for office
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Business Council says New York cannot borrow and tax its way out of budget crisis

“As the state’s budget stalemate continues, New Yorkers should be wary of proposals being floated to borrow or raise taxes to end this fiscal crisis. These proposals would simply continue business as usual in Albany and lead us to another crisis next year,” said Kenneth Adams, p
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Bully pulpit

The New York Posts’ Chris Erikson reports on a job-killing bill that would increase lawsuits against employers in New York. He writes: Will New York become the first state in the US to pass an anti-workplace bullying law? That scenario took a step toward reality earlier this mon
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Schools that transform kids lives

This week is the deadline to raise the cap on charter schools in New York if the state wants to compete for $700 million in federal Race to the Top funding. So far the Assembly is blocking the increase in the number of charters, which the Senate has passed. The Executive Director of T
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State leaders meet again, but still little budget progress

Gannett News Service’s Nick Reisman reports on the ongoing budget stalemate in Albany, “State lawmakers later this week plan to take a next step toward passing the long overdue budget, despite little agreement on how to find an additional $2.5 billion needed to close the $
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Jay Gallagher, former Gannett Albany Bureau Chief, dies at 63

Jay Gallagher, the longtime chief of Gannett’s Albany bureau and a former reporter for the Rochester Times-Union, died Monday after a nearly yearlong battle with pancreatic cancer. He was 63. Mr. Gallagher started with Gannett on April 1, 1974, at the Rochester paper. He began w
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