October is Italian Heritage and Culture Month
This month is an opportunity to celebrate the impact of the Italian American community in the United States. New York State is home to over 2.1 million Italian Americans—the most of any State in the U.S.—more than 1 in 5 of whom reside in New York City. There was no more fitting a place for State Comptroller DiNapoli's annual celebration than in the heart of New York City’s Little Italy, surrounded by the rich cuisine, music, and culture of the Italian American experience.
This year, he honored:
- National Organization of Italian American Women (NOIAW) (Accepted by Donna Corrado, Treasurer)
- John A. Fratta, NYS Chair Commission for Social Justice, Vice President, Figli di San Gennaro.
- Thomas Gesualdi, President Teamsters Local 282, President of Joint Council 16, Director of the Construction Division at the IBT
- Father Zachariah Presutti, Founder and Executive Director of Thrive For Life Prison Project
- Dr. Joseph V Scelsa, Founder and President, Italian American Museum
And two special achievements:
- Posthumous honoree: Vincent Arcilesi, Artist and Professor at Fashion Institute of Technology (Accepted by daughter, Francesca Arcilesi).
- Posthumous honoree: Mario De Gennaro, who always participated in our events and supplied the coffee. (Accepted by wife, Antonella De Gennaro and daughter, Mariella De Gennaro).
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State Agency Mishandled HousingDiscrimination Complaints
DHR officials put some complaints in a filing cabinet labeled the “Twilight Zone,” where they were considered “defective” and not investigated further.
The New York State Division of Human Rights (DHR) failed to properly investigate dozens of housing discrimination cases, according to an audit released by State Comptroller DiNapoli.
“New Yorkers who face housing discrimination are told they can report it to the State Division of Human Rights and that it will be investigated, but the agency often failed to do its job,” DiNapoli said. “It lost cases due to carelessness and failed to properly or quickly investigate others. Tenants whose complaints were mishandled may have been left to face continued discrimination or forced to move. The agency should establish new procedures that ensure complaints are handled with the attention and respect they deserve. It is encouraging that the agency is taking steps to address the issues raised by this audit.”
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DiNapoli Report Highlights Where New Yorkers Work
A report by State Comptroller DiNapoli shows the State’s employment picture has changed in significant ways since 2000 with the health care and social assistance industries increasing their share of total employment as manufacturing and financial activities shrank. Employment in health care and social assistance had the greatest increase in jobs since 2019, with the sector now comprising nearly one in five jobs statewide. This sector was also the top employer in 2023 in every region of New York except the Southern Tier, and had an average annual wage of $65,407, 28.5% below the state average of $91,427.
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NYC Metro Transportation Costs Rose 56% Over Past Decade, Slower Than Other Major Areas
Transportation costs for households in the New York City metropolitan area grew by about 56% between 2012-13 and 2022-23, less than in the Los Angeles, Miami and San Francisco metropolitan areas according to a report released by State Comptroller DiNapoli. Transportation made up the second-largest cost for New Yorkers, behind housing, at 14% of household spending.
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State Tax Receipts Tracking Close to Projections Through First Half of the Year
State tax receipts totaled $54.6 billion through the first six months of State Fiscal Year (SFY) 2024-25, $682.1 million higher than the State Division of the Budget estimates in the First Quarterly Update to the SFY 2024-25 Enacted Budget Financial Plan. On a year-over-year basis, tax collections were $3.1 billion higher than those through September 2023, primarily driven by the Personal Income Tax according to the monthly State Cash Report released by State Comptroller DiNapoli.
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DiNapoli Op-Ed in City & State: NY ABLE Celebrates Seven Year Anniversary
City & State published an op-ed from State Comptroller DiNapoli on Saturday (10/12) on the importance of the NY ABLE program and efforts by his office to increase access to the program.
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ALSO IN THE NEWS THIS WEEK
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Tom DiNapoli @NYSComptroller
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