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reinventalbany.bsky.social
Reinvent Albany
@reinventalbany.bsky.social
Advocates for transparent, accountable, ethical New York government, voting, fair elections. (Best contacted via info at reinventalbany.org or DM)
Reposted by Reinvent Albany
🎉 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’s Passage of Landmark FOIL Reforms - Reinvent Albany
NYC Council Passes Landmark Public Records Bill Overhauling How City Agencies Handle Freedom of Information Law Requests   Transparency advocates applaud New York City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams, ...
reinventalbany.org
November 25, 2025 at 9:51 PM
🎉🎉 🎉 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!
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November 25, 2025 at 8:28 PM
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:
buff.ly
November 19, 2025 at 6:30 PM
Reposted by Reinvent Albany
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...
transitcosts.com
November 13, 2025 at 2:44 PM
Reposted by Reinvent Albany
Yes. Veto this bill.
November 13, 2025 at 2:55 PM
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

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Report: 94% of World’s Subways Operated by One Person. Hochul Should Veto Bill Requiring Two - Reinvent Albany
NYU Marron Center Report Shows 94% of the World’s Subway Systems Use One Person – Or Are Automated   Gov. Hochul Must Veto Wasteful, Politically-Motivated Bill Requiring Two Train Operators   An…
reinventalbany.org
November 13, 2025 at 2:34 PM
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:
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November 7, 2025 at 8:27 PM
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 ⤵️
Testimony: No to Micron Getting $880m in New Onondaga County Sales Tax Breaks - Reinvent Albany
Reinvent Albany Testimony to Onondaga County Industrial Development AgencyWe Oppose Micron’s Request for $880 Million in Onondaga County Sales Tax Breaks Micron already getting more than $21.4…
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November 6, 2025 at 10:42 PM
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!
October 27, 2025 at 5:23 PM
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
October 24, 2025 at 4:01 PM
Reposted by Reinvent Albany
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.
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.
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October 23, 2025 at 8:05 PM
"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.'

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Gov. Kathy Hochul vetoes measure that set deadline for agencies to comply with public information requests
The governor said the bill "establishes arbitrary deadlines" that would apply "regardless of the complexity or length of any given request."
www.newsday.com
October 21, 2025 at 8:26 PM
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
October 21, 2025 at 3:30 PM
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.
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October 17, 2025 at 4:01 PM
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
Backdoor to the Bench — Scrutinize
Scrutinize Launches Judicial Profiles to Enhance Transparency in New York Courts
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October 16, 2025 at 1:19 PM
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:
Hochul Vetoes Transparency Bill Backed by Press Freedom and Watchdog Groups - Reinvent Albany
Governor Fixes Nothing, Offers Nothing in Response to Persistent Public Concerns About Deeply Dysfunctional Freedom of Information Process  New York’s Freedom of Information Law (FOIL) process is…
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October 10, 2025 at 3:59 PM
🚨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.
October 9, 2025 at 9:06 PM
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? 🐕‍🦺 👮‍♀️

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New Report: Investing in the MTA Is Investing in America - Reinvent Albany
New York’s MTA Paid Companies in Other States $19B Over 14 Years, Supporting up to 247,000 Jobs in Blue, Red, and Purple States Alike
reinventalbany.org
October 7, 2025 at 1:48 PM
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.
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October 3, 2025 at 7:48 PM
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
October 3, 2025 at 4:09 PM
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...
Watchdog Report: States that Voted for Trump Get Billions from MTA Spending - Reinvent Albany
New York’s MTA Paid Companies in Other States $19B Over 14 Years, Supporting up to 247,000 Jobs in Blue, Red, and Purple States Alike   Introduction: Analysis of MTA Spending on Vendors 2011-2024 The ...
reinventalbany.org
October 2, 2025 at 5:11 PM
Reposted by Reinvent Albany
Trump admin attempts to cut transit funding for NY hurt biz in ”red” states as well
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.

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October 2, 2025 at 1:19 PM
Reposted by Reinvent Albany
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
October 2, 2025 at 12:26 PM
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.

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October 2, 2025 at 12:01 PM
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.

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September 29, 2025 at 1:42 PM