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Lobbying

By Colin Campbell 8/07/12 9:35am

Lobbying

(photo: letsfixalbany.org)

In Testy Exchange, Committee to Save New York’s Spokesman Defends Its Non-Disclosure

The Committee to Save New York, a well-funded lobbying organization that happens to always support Governor Andrew Cuomo’s agenda, has been in the headlines in recent days over whether it should disclose the source of its $17 million in contributions. In particular, Ravi Batra, who sits on the state’s new ethics panel, has made a big deal about whether recently adopted disclosure rules were improperly moved from June to July this year, which, as it’s on the cusp of the six-month filing deadline, has the impact of moving the disclosure period six months ahead.

Mr. Batra, the loan dissenter in the ruling, said the move creates “a net effect of a delayed 6-month stealthy cloaking worthy of a Klingon warship in Star Trek.” Read More

By David Freedlander 12/14/11 1:35pm

Lobbying

In A First, Biz Tops Labor In Albany Lobbying

NYPIRG has come out today with a report detailing the amount of lobbying bucks swirling around Albany for the first ten months this year, and among the surprising findings is that business-backed groups led all comers by lobbying in favor of Andrew Cuomo’s first budget.

Usually it is unions who lead the lobbying push often in opposition to a governor’s budget; this time around however the Committee to Save New York spent nearly $10 million this year, its first in existence. 1199/SEIU, by contrast, spent close to $7 million, nearly double last year’s total and that too was in support of the final proposal Read More