State comptroller Tom DiNapoli is warning that Gov. Hochul is up to her old tricks: keeping billions in state outlays out of the main budgeting process and protected from vital independent oversight.
In his latest report, DiNapoli cites legitimate concerns over several new proposed budget items, such as Hochul’s exclusion of $160 million in contracting from vetting rules, and an additional $3.3 billion in spending without competitive bidding.
The gov, in other words, is giving herself sole discretion to spend what amounts to a potentially $3.3 billion pay-to-play pot of money.
It’s not the first time she’s done something like this.
In 2022, The Post reported that Hochul used her pandemic emergency powers to suspend state contracting rules to buy stunningly overpriced COVID test kits — from a campaign donor.
Is she planning to reward favorite donors again with lucrative state business?
And she kept extending those pandemic-era powers month-after-month, preventing the Legislature and the state comptroller from scrutinizing any of her COVID-related spending.
Hochul’s budget also severely restricts DiNapoli’s oversight of certain state bond issuances.
As the comptroller notes, that conflicts with his constitutional obligation to protect against borrowing that saddles New York taxpayers with too much debt at too-high interest costs.
Meanwhile, the gov continues to circumvent state debt limits, mushrooming IOUs.
That’s got DiNapoli so alarmed he’s demanding a “binding constitutional state debt reform to restore accountability to state taxpayers.”
Hochul promised “transparency” and rigorous budgeting but her proposals show she never meant it.
Good for DiNapoli for flagging such gimmicks.
If Hochul insists on them, the Legislature should heed his advice and reject any proposals that restrict his oversight or potentially harm taxpayers.
The pandemic’s long over. There’s no excuse for hiding spending and debt, handing out contracts without proper vetting or steering taxpayer dollars to friends, allies and donors.