Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC)

• In SFY 2021-22, DEC All Funds spending totaled $1.3 billion, an increase of $350.8 million (35.4 percent) from SFY 2020-21 as agency operations recovered from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Highway Conditions Improve Slightly for the Second Year in a Row

• The State is responsible for maintaining more than 42,700 lane miles of highway.
• Compared to the prior year, the number of highway lane miles rated poor to fair decreased by 4.7 percent in 2021.
• In 2021, 56.8 percent of the State’s highway lane miles were rated good to excellent, a 2 percentage point increase since 2020.

Number of Crimes and Crime Rates Leveled Off in 2021

• According to preliminary data, the number of crimes in seven major categories used by the State Division of Criminal Justice Services (DCJS) as indicators of overall crime trends (Index Crimes) leveled off in 2021, following the first increase in eight years in 2020.

Public Assistance Recipients Decrease to Near Record Low

• For SFY 2021-22, the average monthly number of public assistance recipients in the State decreased by 17,043 (3.5 percent) to 472,043, a level slightly higher than the record low of 468,000 in SFY 2019-20.
• “Public assistance” as discussed in this report includes both Family Assistance (FA) and Safety Net Assistance (SNA).

Total Medicaid Spending Reaches Record High of Nearly $84 billion, an 11 Percent Increase

• State Medicaid spending grew by $5.2 billion (22.9 percent) to $27.7 billion in SFY 2021-22, its highest level ever, due in part to higher enrollment levels impacted by federal restrictions on disenrollment during the COVID-19 public health emergency.

A robust, efficiently managed capital investment program can support healthy economic growth, while the deterioration of capital assets can weaken the State’s economy and its ability to attract and retain business. Capital assets include not only highways and bridges, but also facilities for education, government, health, housing, environmental conservation and recreation.

Spending generally reflects the State’s program priorities. Comparing spending to revenue provides an indication of the State’s ability to support continuing programs. State spending, which includes spending from federal funds, is recorded on a cash basis.

See Appendices 1 and 2 for a breakdown of State spending by major service function and funding source for the past five years.

Revenues are affected by economic changes and changes in federal and State policies. Tax base is a measure of the State’s ability to generate revenue. A decreasing tax base may force spending reductions, increased taxes or both. Receipts are revenues that have been recorded on a cash basis.

See Appendix 3 for a breakdown of State receipts by major source for the past five State fiscal years.

Fund financial statements provide a short-term view of finances. As such, these statements only focus on the inflows and outflows of current financial resources—cash or liquid assets that are available to pay current obligations (or will be soon).

Funds represent sources of funding and spending for particular purposes.

Government-wide financial statements provide a long-term view of finances. They record revenues and expenses when the earnings process is complete (full accrual basis), as opposed to when they are actually received or paid (cash basis).

Each statement breaks down the activities of State government into two types: