A recent independent study by the University of Buffalo outlined what many of us have been saying for years now: New York’s regulations regarding hydraulic fracturing will go a long way to keep shale development safe and prosperous.

The Binghamton Press & Sun Bulletin ran a front-page article noting this very impactful study which recognizes that New York will benefit from the experiences in Pennsylvania. John martin, director of  UB’s Shale Resources and Society Institute was quoted, saying “To me, New York has the adequate understanding and experience to manage this industry.”

To that I say, “ditto.”  Proponents of shale development have long held that the Department of Environmental Conservation will maintain the utmost regard for the environment while enabling the development of an important energy resource.

Shale gas development must play a key role in New York’s energy picture. It goes hat in hand with being ”open for business.”  Having access to clean, local energy will aid in the growth of existing businesses – from the largest energy users to a small mom & pop shop.  It will also put New York at the forefront in attracting new and innovative companies.

I believe strongly that New York will get this right. We’ve had the benefit of time. Now it’s time to move New York forward.

In state government, we recognize and pay tribute to a litany of commendable individuals, groups, causes and occasions. We vote on resolutions that designate specific weeks as a time to focus on an issue of great importance to New Yorkers. This week, one of my personal favorites has arrived. Since my pro-jobs record in the state Assembly has earned me the nickname “The Jobs Guy,” it should come as no surprise that I am thrilled to celebrate Small Business Week 2012.
 
Without a doubt, small business owners are the backbone of our communities and the state economy. We’ve seen what skyrocketing taxes and big government stimulus packages deliver for New Yorkers – less money, more debt and staggering unemployment. In truth, if we’re going to restore our status as the Empire State and get New Yorkers back to work, we need look no further than to our own neighbors who are operating the mom-and-pop shops and businesses that can make the wheels of our economy turn.
 
According to the Department of Labor, there are 7.3 million New Yorkers currently employed in the private sector. This is due to the innovative, entrepreneurial minds that are willing to fight tooth-and-nail to make their dream of owning and operating a successful small business become reality. This used to be an attainable goal for the average American and was looked upon as a most honorable way to earn a living for an individual and their family. These days, however, it takes the heart of a champion to persevere through the uphill battle that comes with life as a business owner in New York state.
 
Every year, the Tax Foundation releases a study titled the State Business Tax Climate Index. The project compares every state in five areas of taxation that impact business; corporate taxes, individual income taxes, sales taxes, unemployment insurance taxes and property taxes, including residential and commercial property.
 
In 2012, New York was ranked 49^th by the Tax Foundation’s index. We have undoubtedly made strides over the last two years to improve the business climate in our state, but the numbers don’t lie. There is still a tremendous amount of work to be done if we want our children and grandchildren to realize the dream so many of us held as youngsters of owning a business and being able to raise our families in the communities that we grew up in.

I take my commitment to our small business owners and job creators seriously. In 2011, The Business Council of New York State ranked me the #1 pro-jobs legislator out of all 212 members of the state Legislature. I know that it takes more than seven days to free small business owners from New York’s skyrocketing taxes and 49,000 pages of job-killing regulations. Even so, I hope we can all celebrate what our local entrepreneurs mean to our economy and our community during Small Business Week. Let’s make the extra effort to shop locally and give small business owners the shot in the arm they so desperately need.

- Assemblyman Steve McLaughlin

The Senate and Assembly are in session Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.

School board and school budget votes will be held tomorrow, Tuesday, May 15.   Be sure to go out and vote.

On Tuesday, May 22, the Assembly committees on Government Operations and Oversight, Analysis and Investigation and the Legislative Commission on Government Administration are holding a public hearing in Albany on the state’s information technology infrastructure.

On Wednesday, May 23^rd, the Senate Finance and Social Services committees, along with the Assembly Ways & Means, Social Services and Government Operations committees, are holding a public hearing in Albany on the state’s 2013-14 Community Services Block Grant (CSBG) Program.

Rochester-Area Senator Will Not Run for Re-Election

Sen. Jim Alesi (R-Perinton) announced last week that he will not run for re-election this fall to the 55^th Senate District seat he has held since 1996.  In 2011, Alesi was the first Senate Republican to announce his support for same-sex marriage, and was one of four Republican senators who voted for the bill. His vote won him supporters in the gay community and has been a windfall for his campaign fund, but cost him the support of the Conservative Party.

Assemblyman Sean Hanna (R-Mendon) has announced that he intends to run for the seat.  On the Democratic side, Monroe County Legislator Ted O’Brien has announced his intent to run for the seat as well.

Bill Nojay, a conservative radio host in the Rochester area, and Richard Burke, former Mayor of Avon in Livingston County, both say they plan to run to replace Hanna in the 133^rd Assembly District.

Congressional Primaries Set

The state Board of Elections has certified candidates for New York’s June 26 Congressional primaries for the U.S. Senate and various House seats.

In the Republican primary for the U.S. Senate, Manhattan attorney Wendy Long, New York City Congressman Bob Turner and Nassau County Comptroller George Maragos are competing to challenge incumbent Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand in November.

In the 18^th Congressional District in the Hudson Valley, Sean Patrick Maloney, Rich Becker and three other candidates are competing to take one first-term Republican incumbent Nan Heyworth.

In the 27^th Congressional District in Western New York, Republicans Chris Collins and David Bellavia are competing to take on incumbent Democrat Kathy Hochul.  Hochul won the seat in a special election in 2011.

A partner in Let New York Work coalition, Best4NY, has an online petition dedicated to the issues of mandate relief for local governments.  Best4NY is based in Westchester County, but its issues are the same as ours.  They want affordable communities that we are all proud to call home.
Please take a moment to sign their petition.  It will only help us show the broad, across the state support for meaningful and significant mandate relief.  You can complete the petition at http://www.gopetition.com/petitions/mandate-relief-now.html.

The state has updated its Regional Council Manual to reflect the resources available, following Gov. Cuomo’s recent announcement that a second round of grants are being made through the Regional Economic Development Councils.

There is $750 million available to qualified applicants in this round, including:

Ÿ  $70 Million in Excelsior Job Program credits and refunds;

Ÿ  $150 Million for capital improvements;

Ÿ  $530 Million available through 21 state economic development programs in the form of grants, tax incentives, low-interest loans and capital dollars to qualified businesses, municipalities, non-profits, school districts, etc.

The state is also conducting workshops on the state’s “consolidated funding application” (CFA) throughout the state.  These workshops are intended to provide more information on available assistance from State agencies as well as guidance on successfully completing the application. These training workshops are open to local economic development officials, municipalities, non-profits and businesses.  The schedule for the workshops can be found here.

Applications must be submitted through the CFA web site by 4:00 pm on July 16.

Last Thursday, the Public Policy Institute, the Business Council of New York State’s research arm, released a report which supports more state government support for the state’s bioscience sector.  This sector includes drugs and pharmaceuticals, research, testing, and medical laboratories; and medical devices and equipment.

The report, Cultivating the Next Generation of Discoveries and Development in New York Bioscience, discusses the opportunities and barriers facing companies in various stages of development.  It notes that the bioscience industry supports a total of 250,000 jobs – including 66,568 in the industry itself – in New York State, generating $5.3 billion in wages and $309 million in state income taxes.  It also notes that the industry attracts substantial research funding to the state.

In order to make New York more competitive with other states in this growing sector, report recommends:

• Creating a Governor’s Council to spearhead development and marketing of the state’s bioscience industry.
• Establishing a Small Business Innovation Research matching grant program for bioscience companies as well as a dedicated Biosciences Commercialization Fund.
• Increasing the amount of affordable incubator and lab space for startups and early-stage bioscience companies.

Last Monday, Gov. Cuomo announced legislation “to establish the strongest standards and practices in the nation for protecting people with special needs and disabilities.”

The governor’s office also released a long-awaited report from his Special Advisor on Vulnerable Persons, which provides an in-depth analysis of the problems and recommends reforms.

The governor has proposed the creation of the new Justice Center for the Protection of People with Special Needs as part of his plan to overhaul how the state protects the more than one million New Yorkers in State operated, certified or licensed facilities and programs. 

The Justice Center will have a Special Prosecutor and Inspector General for the Protection of People with Special Needs; it will be responsible for investigating reports of abuse and neglect and prosecuting matters that are criminal in nature.  The proposal includes an around-the-clock abuse hotline and a statewide database to track abuse and neglect reports.  It will also include a statewide registry of persons who have been convicted of abusing or neglecting persons under their care, which is intended to prevent such persons from working with people with disabilities or special needs.

If enacted into law, the new agency will oversee people in facilities operated, certified or licensed by the Office of Mental Health (OMH), the Office of People With Developmental Disabilities (OPWDD), the Office of alcoholism and Substance Abuse (OASAS), the Department of Health (DOH), the Office of Children and Family Services (OCFS), and the State Education Department (SED).  It will have concurrent criminal jurisdiction with district attorneys, and is expected to have some 400 employees.

At a cabinet meeting later in the week, Gov. Cuomo announced that he will travel around the state to build support for his plan ensure that the Legislature acts on it before the end of the legislative session in June.

Last week, a coalition of advocacy groups that include business organizations representing small and large businesses, contractors, farmers and local government called for reforms to the state’s so-called Scaffold Law.  That law makes contractors and property owners absolutely liable for workplace injuries, even where they were not at fault.  This drives up insurance costs – and consequently building costs – across the state. New York is the only state to have such a law in place.

Unshackle Upstate is a member of the coalition.  We see the Scaffold Law as driving up both private and public construction costs, and view reform as critical.

Scaffold Law reform legislation has been introduced by Sen. Patrick Gallivan (R-Elma) and sponsored in the Assembly by Assemblyman Joseph Morelle (D-Irondequoit).  We look forward to seeing it acted upon this session.

Thumbtack.com and the Kauffman Foundation surveyed more than 6,000 small business owners across the country, and New York did not fare well.  We ranked among the 10 worst in the nation.

New York received an overall grade of D in small business friendliness, an F for its regulations, tax code, zoning and licensing policies. The state received a D for its lack of ease in starting a business as well as issues relating to health, safety and the environment. New York received its highest marks in hiring costs and training programs, with each receiving a B-.

This is just another reminder that despite the progress that New York State in the past 16 months towards improving its business climate, much, much more work needs to be done.