Our pledge: Pursue New York public records relevant to readers' well-being

Happy New Year! Welcome to what we're declaring to be the Year of Government Transparency in New York state.

Reporters across our USA TODAY Network sites upstate and downstate are committing in 2022 to pursue government records relevant to the public's health and welfare.

We will publish new searchable databases of these records and write more stories holding our leaders and institutions accountable for how well or poorly they are serving New Yorkers.

Perhaps most important, we seek to empower citizens to learn about the impact of government actions on their communities and to make their own inquiries for public records.

Click here to read more.