It is essential for Kathy Hochul to keep eliminating expensive benefits for public employees.

Each spring, state lawmakers pass bills to increase pension benefits for public employees in an attempt to gain favor with powerful unions; Governor Hochul recently vetoed one and is reviewing another 11 that should also be vetoed.

The trend is concerning: The Citizens Budget Commission notes that while governors only vetoed 25% of the proposed benefits from 2014 to 2019, a staggering 48% became law from 2021 to 2023.

Governor Hochul has the opportunity to reverse this trend: She vetoed one of the 12 proposed benefits flagged by the CBC as needing to be rejected this year.

Will she veto all twelve?

The remaining 11 would cost taxpayers at least $19.8 million initially, and $103 million annually in the future — with potentially higher costs as the Legislature failed to estimate the financial impact of four of them.

Escalating pension costs hinder local governments’ ability to provide essential services and can result in tax hikes.

However, since lawmakers are not responsible for paying these costs themselves, they view them as a series of free benefits.

The Legislature has worsened the situation by imposing an additional $438 million annually in pension costs on state and local governments by reversing two “Tier 6” reforms; other proposed changes could add $1.5 billion annually in costs to taxpayers.

The continual increase in pension benefits consumes a significant portion of state and local budgets as unions persistently seek more, the Legislature complies, and governors allow some to pass through.

This behind-the-scenes game played in Albany contributes to making New York less livable for its residents.

Hochul has expressed her commitment to curbing the outmigration from New York; if she is sincere about this, she must start vetoing every proposed benefit that reaches her desk.