New York’s five largest school districts received $8.6 billion in federal pandemic relief funds, and analysis by New York State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli released today found sizeable differences in how school districts are using the funds. The New York City Department of Education plans to use a smaller share of the billions of dollars of its federal aid to help close pandemic learning gaps than other large school districts, both in New York and nationwide.

New York State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli announced today the following audits have been issued.

In September, the Office of the State Comptroller approved 1,465 contracts for state agencies and public authorities valued at $2.9 billion and approved more than 2.2 million payments worth more than $14.9 billion. The office rejected 123 contracts and related transactions valued at $348 million and more than 8,700 payments valued at more than $11.8 million, primarily for mistakes, insufficient support for charges, and improper payments. More information on these contracts and payments is available at Open Book New York.

Drug overdose fatalities surged during the COVID-19 pandemic in New York state, with opioid-related overdose deaths increasing by 68% to nearly 5,000 individuals from 2019 to 2021, according to an analysis released today by New York State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli. The surge is largely due to a sharp increase in deaths from opioids related to illicit fentanyl and similar synthetic opioids.

New York State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli issued the following statement today on the passing of Rev. Dr. Calvin O. Butts III.

“Reverend Dr. Calvin O. Butts III was a spiritual leader not only for Abyssinian Baptist Church, but for all New York. He was an educator, dedicated to the students of SUNY Old Westbury. I will miss his friendship and pray for his family and the Abyssinian community in their grief.”

Local government sales tax collections grew by 10.2% in the third quarter of 2022 compared to the same period last year, mostly driven by double digit growth in New York City. Total sales tax collections reached nearly $5.7 billion, an increase of $529 million, according to a report released today by New York State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli.

New York State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli announced today the following audits have been issued.

Ten years after Superstorm Sandy devastated the New York City metropolitan area, killing dozens of people and causing billions of dollars in damage, the city needs to be better prepared for another catastrophic event, according to an audit released today by New York State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli. The audit of the New York City Emergency Management (NYCEM) found weak oversight and poor management of hazard mitigation efforts, operational continuity plans and evacuation plans.

The Office of the State Comptroller has developed five new “10-minute Tech Talk” cybersecurity training webinars for local government officials with weekly releases planned throughout October in recognition of National Cybersecurity Awareness Month, State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli announced.

As threats and attacks from malicious actors continue to become more sophisticated and commonplace, the importance of training for the "people" part of a cyberdefense has grown even more critical.

Wall Street’s pandemic boom came to an end in 2022, with pretax, first half profits of $13.5 billion, down 56.3% from the $31 billion earned in the same period last year, according to State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli’s annual report on New York City’s securities industry.