New York State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli issued the following statement today following the passage of A.7925-A in the Assembly which will statutorily restore the Office of the State Comptroller’s review of certain state contracts which had previously been removed. The legislation (S.6809-A) already passed in the Senate on May 18, 2022.

“The Comptroller’s independent contract review is an essential and important deterrent to waste, fraud and abuse. I applaud the Legislature for taking this important step to increase oversight, accountability and transparency in state procurement.

“By reviewing contracts before they are awarded, my office helps ensure the integrity of the procurement process and protects taxpayers, agencies, local governments, nonprofit organizations and other vendors by uncovering significant fiscal and integrity issues. Our oversight of billions of dollars of taxpayer money is also a deterrent to those who might try to game the system.

“I want to thank State Senator Elijah Reichlin-Melnick and Assemblyman Kenneth Zebrowski for sponsoring this legislation, and Senate and Assembly leadership and all legislators who have supported its passage. I also want to thank the many good government groups that understood the importance of our independent review and fought so hard for many years to get this oversight restored. This is a win for good government and taxpayers.

“I urge Governor Hochul to sign this bill.”

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Independent Oversight: OSC's Contract Review Safeguards Public Funds