Mission Statement

Basis in Statute

The Authorities Budget Office (ABO) was created as an independent office pursuant to Chapter 506 of the Laws of 2009 (“The 2009 Public Authorities Reform Act”).

Organizational Structure

The ABO is an independent office that, by law, receives administrative assistance and support from the Department of State for the effective and efficient execution of its powers and duties. The ABO is supported through a special fee on public authorities that is assessed by the State Division of the Budget.

ABO Mission

The mission of Authorities Budget Office is to make public authorities more accountable and transparent, and to act in the public interest consistent with their intended purpose. The ABO carries out its mission by:

• Collecting, analyzing and disseminating to the public information on the finances and operations of state and local public authorities;
• Conducting reviews to assess the operating and governance practices of public authorities and compliance with state laws;
• Promoting good governance principles through training and technical assistance, and the issuance of policy guidance and recommended best practices; and
• Investigating complaints made against public authorities for non-compliance or inappropriate conduct.

Powers and Duties

The powers and duties of the ABO include, but are not limited to:

• Overseeing the operations and finances of public authorities to assure they are acting in the public interest and consistent with their intended public purpose.
• Collecting, analyzing and disseminating organizational, operational, performance and financial information on public authorities for the purpose of making this information available to the public.
• Evaluating the compliance of public authorities with their mission statements and the laws of New York State and advising and guiding public authorities concerning their compliance.
• Making recommendations to the Governor and the Legislature on debt, compensation, procurement practices, property transactions, structure and mission, and other issues related to improving the performance and transparency of public authorities.
• Promulgating regulations to carry out the purposes for which the ABO was created.
• Enforcing compliance with statutory requirements, including publicly warning and censuring authorities for non-compliance and recommending the dismissal of officers and directors.
• Investigating and acting on complaints concerning the failure of a public authority to comply with State law.
• Issuing reports of its activities, findings, analysis and recommendations.