New York State Government: 2nd Edition

Front Cover
SUNY Press, Dec 7, 2006 - Political Science - 611 pages
Robert B. Ward s New York State Government has been expanded and updated to provide a more thorough grounding in the state Constitution, the three branches of government in Albany, and the broad scope of state activities and services. Accessibly written, this book sheds new light on why and how New York State government changes over time in response to motivated leaders and the will of the people. The second edition includes new analyses of the following issues: the balance of budget powers between the Governor and the Legislature; state education funding in light of the Campaign for Fiscal Equity court cases; government reform issues in the state; and the often contentious relationship between Albany and local governments throughout the state.
 

Selected pages

Contents

A Broad Impact
1
An Increasingly Important Role
4
Why This Book?
5
What Does State Government Do?
6
Government Responds
8
Reform Is This the Time?
11
Rising Calls for Reform
13
Four Categories of Process Reform
16
Health Department Institutions
323
Vital Statistics and Other Responsibilities
324
Mental Hygiene
326
Mental Health
330
Mental Retardation
331
Alcoholism and Substance Abuse
332
Overseeing Quality of Care
333
Education
335

Voter Opinions and the Economy
18
The Role of Money in Lobbying
22
The Role of Money in Campaigns
25
Redistricting
26
Policy Reforms
27
The State Constitution
28
The Political and Governmental Culture of Albany
31
The Road Ahead
33
The Upstate Challenge
35
A Dramatic Reversal of Economic Fortunes
38
A Rising Tide Then an Ebb of Manufacturing Jobs
41
Sharp Decline in Upstate Cities
43
The Upstate Economy Becomes a Political Issue
45
What Explains Upstates Long Decline?
46
Still Some Key Advantages
50
Looking Ahead
51
The Governor and Other Statewide Elected Leaders
55
A Powerful Executive
56
Who Becomes Governor of New York?
62
What Does the Governor Do?
63
Constitutional Powers Political Influence
64
The Agreement to Create Charter Schools
66
Persuading Legislators on an Ethics Law
67
The Power of the Spotlight
68
The AdministratorinChief
70
Limits to Executive Authority
73
The Second Floor
74
Governors Legislation
76
Assessing Governors
77
The Lieutenant Governor
81
Beyond the Governor
83
The Comptroller
85
A Powerful Role
87
The Attorney General
90
The Legislature
95
The Basics
97
From Royal Control to the Will of the People
99
One Man One Vote
102
The Powers of the Legislature
106
Limits on Power
109
How Do the Houses Work?
111
The Basics
113
The Role of the Leadership
114
The Committee System
118
What Was Old Is New Again
121
An Important Voice
122
A Professional Legislature
123
Who Are They? Members of the Legislature Today
125
Representative Democracy Politics
129
Getting Elected
131
The Judiciary
133
The Mainstream of the US Judiciary
135
Structure of the Courts
136
The Constitution on the Courts
137
An Absurdly Complex System
140
The Trial Courts
142
Structural Reform?
144
Appellate Courts
146
The Court of Appeals
148
Powers of the Courts
151
Checks on the Courts Powers
154
The Judges
155
The Jurors Role
157
The Constitution
161
Changes Over Time
162
The National Context
164
New Yorks First Constitution
165
Historic Changes
166
The 1846 Convention
167
18941938
169
A Bill of Rights Right at the Start
170
Legislation Frozen Into the Constitutional Mold
173
A Direct Impact on Policy
174
The Legislature
175
The Governor
177
The Comptroller and Attorney General
179
The Judiciary
182
What Government Must May and Cannot Do
183
Politics Society and Ideas
188
The 1997 Vote Against a Convention
189
Constitutional Reform Without a Convention
192
Appointed Officials Administrative Law and the Bureaucracy
193
Policy Powers and People
194
The Power of Appointed Officials
195
Patronage or Performance?
197
Regulation
200
Regulating Business Relationships
201
Public Service Commission
202
Banking and Insurance Regulation
204
The Banking Department
207
The Insurance Department
208
The Department of State
211
Authority Under the Statutes
212
SAPA
215
Rulemaking
216
Executive Chamber Oversight of Regulations
219
Adjudication
221
Licensing
222
From SAPA to GORR
223
Regulatory Agencies and the Courts
225
The Workforce
227
Who Are the States Workers?
228
Yesterday and Today
230
The Taylor Law
232
Resolving Disputes Under the Taylor Law
235
Bargaining Units and Unions
236
Repairing a Calcified CivilService System
237
Employee Relations in the 21st Century
239
State Governments Biggest Job The Budget
241
Who Are the Players?
242
How to Measure the Budget?
244
More Than Meets the Eye
245
The Spending Side
246
Priorities Change
248
Where Does the Money Come From?
249
Cutting Taxes
251
The Growing Role of StateSponsored Gambling
253
The Executive Budget Process
257
How the Process Unfolds
259
The Legislatures Role
262
A Contentious Process
264
The Continuing Struggle Over Budget Powers
265
The Battle Over Proposal One
268
Who Decides and How?
269
The Balance of Power
271
How New York Compares
272
Why Is Government in New York More Expensive?
273
More Transparency Under New Accounting Rules
275
Budget Watchdogs
276
State Debt and Public Authorities
279
The Limits on State Debt
281
The Rise of Public Authorities
282
Public Authorities Today
285
State Debt Profile
289
Criticisms of State Debt and Public Authorities
293
Recent and Proposed
298
Health and Mental Hygiene
301
A MultiTiered System
303
Public Health
304
State Governments Growing Involvement
305
A Broad Range of Powers
307
Regulating and Providing Health Care
309
Medicaid
310
Expanding Services and Growing Costs
311
Political Support
315
Hospital Funding and LongTerm Care
316
Major Changes Coming for Hospitals and Nursing Homes
317
Medicaid Managed Care
318
Expanding Health Coverage
320
Addressing Local Costs and Fraud
321
Regulating Health Care
322
Overview of Education Policymaking
336
Broad Powers
337
The Constitution and the Board of Regents
338
Early Public Education in New York
341
The Statewide Education System Today
344
Curriculum Teaching and Assessment
345
Operational Mandates
350
Charter Schools
352
School Finance
354
Court Rulings on Education Finance
357
Private Schools and Home Schooling
359
Higher Education
361
Creating SUNY
363
SUNY University Centers
366
City University of New York
367
Influences on Education Policy
368
Regulation of Professions
370
Serving Individuals with Disabilities
371
Transportation and Economic Development
373
Early Transportation and the Great Canal
375
Growth and Decline of the Canal System
376
Changes in Administrative Structure
378
The Thruway
381
Mass Transportation
383
Airports
385
Major Questions Over Future Capital Needs
386
Economic Development
387
The Business Climate
388
The Coupon Strategy
391
A Major New Incentive Program
392
What Works in Economic Development?
393
New Yorks Advantages and Competitive Challenges
395
Labor and Family Assistance
397
An Overview
398
Early Efforts
400
State and County Governments Get Involved
401
Cash Assistance
403
The Road to Welfare Reform
405
The Role of the State Constitution
406
The Changing Politics of Welfare
407
From the New Deal to the New Welfare
408
Welfare Reform in New York
409
After Reform
410
A New Administrative Structure
414
A State and Local System
418
Office of Children and Family Services
419
Child Care
420
Protecting Children
421
Foster Care
422
Labor Policy in New York
423
Labor Starts to Gain Power
424
Early Legislation
425
The Triangle Fire Leads to More Laws
427
Labors Modern Political Involvement
428
The Labor Department Today
430
Unemployment Insurance
432
Job Services
433
Regulating Wages
434
Workers Compensation
435
PUBLIC PROTECTION
439
Structure of the Criminal Justice System
440
Crime in New York
443
The Penal Law
444
Evolving Concepts of What the Law Should Proscribe
446
The Police
449
The State Police
452
Other Police and Peace Officers
455
Prosecution and the Courts
456
Protections for the Accused
457
The Role of the Attorney General
460
Disposition of Offenders and Sentencing
461
Punishment and Rehabilitation
462
Development of Prisons in New York
464
Modern Administration of Corrections
465
Attica
467
Recent Changes in Corrections
469
Probation and Parole
472
Tougher Punishment More Programming
474
Commission of Correction
476
Help for Crime Victims
477
Homeland Security
478
Environment and Parks
483
Long Before Earth Day
485
Make It a Forest Forever
486
The Conservation Department
487
The Emerging Issue of Environmental Quality
489
DEC and the Environmental Conservation Law
490
DEC Today
493
Conservation Officers and Forest Rangers
499
Related Agencies
500
A Special Case
501
Environmental Progress
502
Parks Recreation and Historic Preservation
503
Origins of the State Parks System
505
Historic Preservation
508
The 3166 Local Governments History and Structure
511
Four Types of General Government
513
Why All These Local Governments?
515
Counties
516
Structure of County Governments
517
Counties in the 21st Century
519
Cities Towns and Villages
521
Cities
522
Downstate Vitality New York City
523
Upstate Decline
526
Towns
527
Villages
529
Fire Districts
530
Condos Coops and Other Private Neighborhoods
532
Cutting Across LocalGovernment Barriers
534
Local Government Finance
536
Who Pays and How Much?
537
Tough Fiscal Challenges for Localities and Taxpayers Alike
540
Not Much
541
Initiative and Referendum
543
The StateLocal Paradox Home Rule and State Mandates
545
The Municipal Home Rule Law
547
The Fiscal Connection
549
The Mandate Problem
551
A Changing Fiscal Relationship
556
Changing School Finance?
557
Power for Localities But Still Subject to State Regulations
558
The Peoples Government
561
Voting
563
Political Parties
564
Lobbying
567
Regulation of Lobbying
568
New Rules for Lobbying
570
A Variety of Interests in Albany
572
Campaign Contributions
574
What Purpose Do Political Contributions Serve?
575
What Can a Citizen Do?
577
The Role of Interest Groups
578
Strategies for Influencing Policy
579
Accountability
580
Open Government
581
The News Media
583
Performance Measurement in New York
585
Does Measurement Improve Performance?
588
Performance Measurement on the Rise Nationally
589
federalism What Is the Role of State Governments?
591
Shifts in the Balance of Powers
593
Federalism Today
595
Expanding the Public Sector?
596
Interstate Activities
597
Continuing Debate Over the Balance of Power
600
The Future of Federalism
602
Education Policy
603
Insurance Regulation
604
A Legislative Case Study Domestic Relations Law
607
Copyright

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About the author (2006)

Robert B. Ward is Director of Research at the Public Policy Institute of New York State.

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