Suffolk lawmakers advance bill to limit exec pay for nonprofits that rely on county aid

Suffolk lawmakers voted Tuesday to advance a bill that would tie county funding of nonprofits to how much those organizations pay their executives.

The Budget and Finance Committee voted to hold a public hearing on the bill on Sept. 4 before the full legislature. The vote came after the panel held a hearing where several nonprofit leaders expressed concerns the legislation was intrusive and could curtail key services.

"When it comes to organizations that are not-for-profits, that are asking for taxpayer money to run their organization and their output and their productivity is not sufficient, that's the review that I’d like," said Legis. Trish Bergin (R-East Islip), a co-sponsor of the legislation.

Legis. Rob Trotta (R-Fort Salonga), also a sponsor the legislation, said a nonprofit "supposedly doing God's work and helping people" shouldn't be paid salaries that allow staff to become millionaires. 

The measure would prohibit the county from providing funding for nonprofits whose employees earn more than New York's governor, which currently stands at $250,000. It would also demand nonprofits detail their donors.

A 2012 executive order from then-Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo sought to restrict executive pay at agencies that took state funds to roughly $200,000. The Court of Appeals later struck down much of the order and Gov. Kathy Hochul repealed it in 2022.

Supporters of the county legislation say the oversight is needed to save taxpayer money and ensure that nonprofit organizations are serving their intended missions. 

Several Long Island nonprofit leaders contend the legislation would raise privacy concerns for donors and that their pay is in line with the size and scope of the organizations they run.

"This bill is a solution looking for a problem," said Jeffrey Reynolds, president and CEO of not-for-profit Family and Children’s Association. "It’s going to do more harm than good. And quite frankly, it's going to have a wide range of unintended consequences."

Laura Granelli Gerde, chair of the board of directors of the nonprofit Family Service League, also noted the legislation poses "the real unintended risk of creating greater expenses to the county and the provision of inferior programs."

With Vera Chinese

By Tiffany Cusaac-Smith

tiffany.cusaac-smith@newsday.com@T_Cusaac

Education: Howard University 

Tiffany Cusaac-Smith came to Newsday in 2023 after being a race and history reporter at USA TODAY, where she wrote enterprise and spot articles examining how the past shapes the present. Previously, she worked as the race and justice reporter at the USA TODAY Network of New York, covering issues such as criminal justice reform, housing, environmental justice, health care and politics. At The Journal News/lohud.com in Westchester County, she covered Yonkers, the state's third-largest city. She also worked at The Associated Press in Atlanta.

Honors and Awards: Criminal justice reporting fellowship with the National Press Foundation;  New York News Publishers Association award for distinguished investigative reporting;  Contributed reporting for Best of Gannett honor; Member of Table Stakes, a program funded by the Knight-Lenfest Local News Transformation Fund and managed by the American Press Institute to transform local news.