New York State

NY State Comptroller DiNapoli Doubles Low Emissions Index Investment to $4 Billion

New York State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli today at the Investor Summit on Climate Risk at the United Nations announced a $2 billion increase to the New York State Common Retirement Fund's (Fund) low emissions equities index, doubling its investment. The Fund was the first public pension fund in the U.S. to create an index that excludes or reduces holdings in the worst carbon emitters and shifts investments to lower emitting corporations.

Approved State Contracts and Payments

In December, the Office of the State Comptroller approved 1,579 contracts for state agencies and public authorities valued at $2.5 billion and approved more than 2.1 million payments worth nearly $10.5 billion. The office rejected 132 contracts and related transactions valued at $340 million and more than 1,000 payments valued at more than $1.2 million. More information on these contracts and payments is available at www.openbooknewyork.com.

DiNapoli: State Correction Commission Falling Short in Tracking Problems or Inspecting Prisons

The state agency in charge of the oversight and inspection of 561 state and local correctional facilities and jails across New York is not tracking or analyzing incidents and inmate complaints that may indicate problematic trends at those facilities, according to an audit released today by State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli. Auditors also found the State Commission of Correction is also not routinely inspecting the state's 54 prisons.

New York State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli Statement on Executive Budget Proposal

"The Governor put forth an Executive Budget proposal to tackle the serious, unprecedented issues facing New York state over the coming year, including multiple threats to the state’s financial picture. There is no doubt that New York state faces many challenges ahead. While personal income tax collections were strong in December, the future is clouded with uncertainty. The federal tax bill’s impact on New York’s budget is yet to be fully determined, but we know it will force tough decisions. The level of cuts in federal aid for health care and other programs remains in question.

Approved State Contracts and Payments

In November, the Office of the State Comptroller approved 1,566 contracts for state agencies and public authorities valued at $1.79 billion and approved more than 2 million payments worth more than $9.5 billion. The office rejected 196 contracts and related transactions valued at $250 million and nearly 500 payments valued at more than $1 million. More information on these contracts and payments is available at www.openbooknewyork.com.

DiNapoli Calls For Stepped Up Enforcement of State's Bottle Bill

The state Department of Taxation and Finance should increase monitoring and compliance with New York's returnable container deposit law to recover all the funds the state is entitled to from bottlers and beverage distributors, according to an audit released today by State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli.

DiNapoli Statement on the Governor’s 9th Proposal for the 2018 State of the State

New York State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli released the following statement today in response to the Governor’s 9th Proposal for the 2018 State of the State, related to the New York State Common Retirement Fund:

"The New York State Common Retirement Fund is a leader among public pension funds that are investing to build a low carbon economy and urging corporations to tackle climate risk.

"We've shown that shareholders have the power to compel major corporations, like ExxonMobil, to address climate change.