Rachael Fauss
@rachaelfauss.bsky.social
Senior Policy Advisor @reinventalbany.bsky.social focusing on MTA, ethics, campaign finance, transparency & accountability in NY
Watchdog Groups Support Lobbying and Ethics Bills Heading to Gov. Hochul. See our joint memos with @citizensunionny.bsky.social, @lwvnys.bsky.social, @nycbarassociation.bsky.social, and @nypirg.bsky.social here: buff.ly/udEzaCL
Support for Lobbying and Ethics Bills Heading to Gov. Hochul - Reinvent Albany
Bills would require electronic lobby filings and publish candidates’ disclosure statements online
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Reinvent Albany, @citizensunionny.bsky.social @nypirg.bsky.social, and other Watchdog Groups Ask Charter Commission to Give DOI, COIB Independent Budgeting. Read our group letter here: reinventalbany.org/2026/07/watc...
Watchdogs Asks Charter Commission to Give DOI, COIB Independent Budgeting - Reinvent Albany
July 9, 2026 VIA EMAIL Members Commission on Government Efficiency Re: Strengthening Oversight Agencies like DOI and COIB Boosts Fair, Effective Government and Increases Bang for Taxpayer Buck Dear M...
reinventalbany.org
Our @rachaelfauss.bsky.social raises transparency questions about how Amtrak plans to finance the Penn Station overhaul www.nytimes.com/2026/05/29/n...
Natural Light. Soaring Ceilings. At Penn Station? That’s the Plan.
nytimes.com
The Forever Budget Disempowers New Yorkers and their Representatives. Read our statement on the FY27 budget here: buff.ly/3AKDqSL
Reinvent Albany Statement on Approved FY 2027 NYS Budget - Reinvent Albany
The Forever Budget Disempowers New Yorkers and their Representatives In healthy democracies, the details of important legislation are known before they are voted on, and public hearings are held so…
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Our @rachaelfauss.bsky.social is rightfully critical of Amtrak's lack of transparency with the Penn Station proposals, "There should be nothing to hide..." @nytimes.com www.nytimes.com/2026/05/20/n...
Penn Station Renovation Moves Ahead as Developer Is Chosen
nytimes.com
"The leaders of political committees, candidates, and leaders of nonprofits should be prohibited from self-dealing, and that includes contracting with firms where the leaders of those groups stand to gain financial benefits," says our @rachaelfauss.bsky.social in @nytimes.com bit.ly/49J5fO9
Already Facing a Challenge, a Republican Is Accused of Self-Dealing
nytimes.com
New Yorkers can see what lobbyists lobby on, but not where they stand. NY should require lobbyists to report their support or opposition on bills, rule-makings & EOs – bringing us in line with other states like MT, CO, NE & WI. See our analysis:
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“If bidders have seen it, how does releasing it hurt competition?…What it does hurt is Amtrak and the Trump administration’s ability to control the narrative…there are questions they don’t want to answer,” says our @rachaelfauss.bsky.social at yesterday’s Penn Station presser
Reinvent Albany Backs Governor Hochul’s Ban on State Employees Using Insider Information to Profit from Prediction Markets buff.ly/VPdFp57
Statement on Mayor’s NYC DOI Nominee and Council Vetting: Vigorous Council Vetting & Desire for Independent DOI Welcome; Mayor’s Nominee Appears Well-Qualified buff.ly/HD3Acpw
Statement on Mayor’s NYC DOI Nominee and Council Vetting - Reinvent Albany
Vigorous Council Vetting & Desire for Independent DOI Welcome; Mayor’s Nominee Appears Well-Qualified Nominee’s Pledge Not to Discuss Investigations with City Hall is Crucial Because of interest…
reinventalbany.org
See our groups' @cbcny.bsky.social @etany.org @partnership4nyc.bsky.social @rpa.org & Transit Costs Project letter opposing the renewed push to mandate two subway crew members per train here: buff.ly/YCZxQzP
Groups Oppose New Legislative Push on Subway Staffing; One-Person Train Operation the Global Norm - Reinvent Albany
See our groups’ letter below opposing the renewed legislative push on subway staffing, as covered today by Evan Simko-Bednarski in the NY Daily News. April 1, 2026 VIA EMAIL Majority Leader Andrea…
reinventalbany.org
“The problem is we don’t know exactly what Amtrak is asking the bidders to submit to them," @rachaelfauss.bsky.social, says the deal might allow real estate giants to profit. “But there may be a backdoor way for New York taxpayers to pay for it if the feds are proposing development as part of this."
Is Madison Square Garden really moving? Where the arena could wind up
The idea’s been floated for years — move Madison Square Garden so it’s no longer on top of Penn Station.
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We’re heading to NYC School of Data this Saturday, and we’re proud to sponsor sessions like this one hosted by @newyorkstateag.bsky.social. Learn how linking lobbying, campaign finance, and other data can reveal who’s shaping policy in New York. 💸🤝📜 Don’t miss it 👇 sched.co/2I0pC
NYC School of Data 2026: Revamping the NY Open Government Site to...
View more about this event at NYC School of Data 2026
sched.co
NYC School of Data@schoolofdata.nyc · 5mo agoNYC School of Data is powered by partners who believe in open government. Huge thanks to @reinventalbany.bsky.social for joining as a Lead Partner sponsor. 🙌 See the program + grab tickets: schoolofdata.nyc
🎉 Great news today - FOIL Reporting bill passed the Assembly! 🎉 🔆We celebrated Sunshine Week yesterday with key legislators @jamesskoufis.bsky.social @liunewyork.bsky.social @johnmcdonald108.bsky.social @lindabrosenthal.bsky.social @philsteckny.bsky.social AM Raga and transparency advocates 🔆
☀️ Sunshine Week is here and NY can lead ☀️ Our groups to the Legislature: pass 4 key bills to strengthen NY's Freedom of Information Law. Let’s make NY a bright spot against rising secrecy buff.ly/qjkIK9x
See what earns a 👍️ / 👎️ / 😐️ in our take on New York's FY27 One-House budgets: buff.ly/N9hnfUq
Reinvent Albany Take on New York’s FY 2027 One-House Budgets - Reinvent Albany
Big Picture New York State continues to reel from large reductions in federal aid, including to New York’s Medicaid Essential Plan that could leave close to 400,000 New Yorkers without health care,…
reinventalbany.org
Finally a reprieve from the constant terrible news at the federal level. This is great news for congestion pricing and NYC.
Reinvent Albany@reinventalbany.bsky.social · 6mo agoCongratulations to @mta.info @ridersalliance.org @earthjustice.org + our amicus brief partners on the victory for congestion relief today. Judge Liman's decision rejects dangerous arguments from the Trump administration about executive power, such as the "unmistakability doctrine" re: contracts.
Good factoid from the MTA board meeting today - $5B of the $15B in commitments for capital projects in 2025 came from congestion pricing revenues. That's huge - 2024 was their biggest year ever and shows how important CP is as a revenue stream.
We've put together some Key Resources on Amtrak's "New York Penn Station Transformation Project," including answers provided by Amtrak to our questions about the project. Check it out - we will keep updating it as we learn more:
Key Sources for Amtrak’s “New York Penn Station Transformation Project” - Reinvent Albany
Updated February 23, 2026 Reinvent Albany is closely tracking developments regarding Amtrak’s proposed “New York Penn Transformation” project. To aid advocates, stakeholders, and journalists who are…
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NEW: "Listening to FOIL 2026" report shows big gaps between best/worst 11 agencies. We analyzed 16k records requests to evaluate response times, backlogs & more. Agencies aren't publishing commonly requested requested or using electronic appeals features of FOIL software buff.ly/y0UrfBz
Listening to FOIL 2026 Report: Big Gaps Between Best/Worst of 11 NYS Agencies - Reinvent Albany
Listening to FOIL 2026: Lessons from 11 New York State Agencies Big variation in responsiveness suggests a path to improvement by poor-performing agencies – many of which are not using efficiency…
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Check out Reinvent Albany's list of 10 things Mayor Mamdani can do to strengthen transparency, ethics, and democracy: buff.ly/WfRq9qD
Take note reporter friends - more lame duck Adams admin shenanigans, this time on press credentials 🤦♀️
Reinvent Albany@reinventalbany.bsky.social · 8mo agoFor NYC press: Major Changes by Adams Administration to Mayor's Office of Media and Entertainment (MOME) Issuance, Suspension, Revocation of Press Credentials Still Going Through Rule Adoption Process Public Hearing and Comments Due February 4th, 2026 buff.ly/9ISoI4K
Reinvent Albany @cbcny.bsky.social @partnership4nyc.bsky.social @rpa.org and Transit Costs Project thank @governor.ny.gov for vetoing A4873/S4091, the bill that would have prohibited MTA from using one-person train operation (OPTO). See our statement: buff.ly/PI2zEAH
Pretty proud of this report + working with an awesome team to make a searchable database of NYS Senate votes. Hopefully we will get ourselves out of a job on this one and the Senate will start publishing the votes online.
Reinvent Albany@reinventalbany.bsky.social · 8mo agoEver wondered how your NYS Senator voted on a nominee for a judge, commissioner, or board member? Those votes aren't published online by the Senate. We FOILed the records and published them ourselves. 🔍 reinventalbany.org/2025/12/pres...
Gov Hochul should veto S6815/A8292 – giving MTA workers an automatic defense for bus-lane violations meddles in NYC and MTA management and could encourage misuse of agency vehicles. buff.ly/P1MqL0D
Reinvent Albany Urges Governor to Veto Bus Lane Enforcement Carve-Out for MTA Workers - Reinvent Albany
MEMO OF OPPOSITION S6815 (Comrie) / A8292 (Cunningham) No Bus Lane Enforcement Carve-Outs! TITLE OF BILL An act to amend the vehicle and traffic law, in relation to an affirmative defense for bus…
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nyc.streetsblog.org/2025/12/05/w...
Watchdog Group Wants Hochul to Veto Bus Lane Parking Mulligan - Streetsblog New York City
Reinvent Albany thinks a carve-out for bus lane parkers in Co-op gives rule-breaking motorists a free pass.
nyc.streetsblog.org
Reinvent Albany@reinventalbany.bsky.social · 9mo agoGov Hochul should VETO the bill that carves out Co-op City from bus lane enforcement. It slows buses and worsens pollution. The state Legislature should not be getting involved in local transit decisions. buff.ly/01VdEUW
Bus riders in the Bronx deserve faster rides. Gov Hochul should indeed veto this bill.
Reinvent Albany@reinventalbany.bsky.social · 9mo agoGov Hochul should VETO the bill that carves out Co-op City from bus lane enforcement. It slows buses and worsens pollution. The state Legislature should not be getting involved in local transit decisions. buff.ly/01VdEUW
👏👏👏 I've been advocating for a new MTA capital dashboard since 2018 (!) so very happy to see the MTA finally build a new, better dashboard.
Reinvent Albany@reinventalbany.bsky.social · 9mo agoReinvent Albany commends the new @mta.info Capital Dashboard powered by open data. This upgrade shows the MTA's progress on rebuilding and modernizing the subways, buses, and commuter railroads. Check out the top 4 things we like about it! buff.ly/kVdszHb
Let's GOOO! Now it's up for Adams to sign, and the Mamdani admin to implement it. Looks like I will soon have 2 transparency babies to tend. MTA Open Data + NYC FOIL reporting
Reinvent Albany@reinventalbany.bsky.social · 9mo ago🎉🎉 🎉 Transparency Groups Cheer NYC Council Passage of Landmark FOIL Reform Bill Statement on the passage of Intro 1235-A, sponsored by @galeabrewer.bsky.social here: buff.ly/XfnWNK0 Thank you @stopspyingny.bsky.social @beta.nyc @legalaidnyc.bsky.social @citizensunionny.bsky.social + more!
Happy to be back testifying to MTA Board about OPTO! Let's GO Hochul and VETO this bill.
Reinvent Albany@reinventalbany.bsky.social · 9mo agoTestimony to MTA Board: Gov. Hochul Must Veto Two-Person Train Operator Bill Misguided bill will do nothing to improve subway service, and instead add costs that will ultimately be paid by transit riders. Read it here: