ALBANY, NY — Joseph Hernandez, Republican candidate for New York State Comptroller, today blasted Governor Kathy Hochul’s proposal to weaken the independent oversight authority of the State Comptroller.
As contained within the Executive Budget, Governor Hochul’s proposal would roll back the State Comptroller’s oversight over state contracts. Hernandez said the move represents a significant step backward for transparency and accountability in state government.
“Governor Hochul is proposing to take billions of dollars in state contracts and move them outside independent review,” Hernandez said. “When government tries to reduce oversight over its own spending, taxpayers should immediately ask why.”
Under the Executive Budget proposal, discretionary purchasing thresholds would be raised to $300,000, an increase from $50,000 for most agencies, $85,000 for certain OGS-related entities, and $125,000 for centralized contracts. The proposal would also eliminate the requirement that the Comptroller review and approve procurement transactions issued under Office of General Services (OGS) centralized contracts exceeding $200,000.
It’s predicted that the impact would allow for more than $3 billion in taxpayer dollars to be spent without Comptroller oversight through contracts under the $300,000 threshold and transactions under OGS. In addition, the Executive Budget proposes to exempt another $1 billion in contracts executed for specific programs from Comptroller review and remove $1.3 billion from competitive bidding requirements which are long-standing pillars of New York’s procurement safeguards.
“In total, $4 billion will be exempted from oversight under Governor Hochul’s proposal,” Hernandez explained. “Weakening pre-audit authority increases the risk of waste, fraud and undue political influence over state government contracts. It’s like giving Governor Hochul a blank check paid by taxpayers.”
In 2022, the Legislature restored full pre-audit authority to the Comptroller’s Office precisely because prior limits on oversight had raised serious concerns about accountability.
Hernandez pledged that, as State Comptroller, he would fight to protect the constitutional independence of the office.
“As State Comptroller, I would use every tool available, including the pre-audit process and formal budget objections to protect taxpayers,” Hernandez said. “Let’s be clear, removing scrutiny from billions in contracts is unacceptable and doesn’t respect our hardworking residents.”