BCW Goes to Albany

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As Westchester County’s most influential economic development and advocacy organization, The Business Council of Westchester provides its members with unparalleled access to today’s top leaders, diverse business development opportunities and lawmakers at all levels of government.

That was most evident this week as a delegation of 52 BCW members traveled to Albany as part of the BCW’s Annual Lobby Day where they met with state legislators and presented the BCW’s Annual Legislative Agenda which outlines key issues impacting the business community.

Led by BCW President and CEO Marsha Gordon, BCW Executive Vice President and COO John Ravitz and BCW Chairman Heidi Davidson, this year’s delegation met with lawmakers on February 11. During the course of the day, sessions were held with members of the Westchester Assembly Delegation, Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins, the Westchester Senate Delegation, Governor’s Budget Director Robert Mujica, a senior official from NYSERDA and EJ McMahon, President of the Empire Center for Public Policy who gave a detailed overview on the 2020 State Budget. Political reporter Dave Lombardo gave an overview on the key issues he will be covering on his nightly television show during the course of the 2020 Legislative session.

As part of the annual trip to Albany, the BCW presented legislators with copies of the BCW’s 2020 Legislative Agenda. The BCW’s top priority issues are opposing prevailing wage legislation and urging the Legislature to escalate the process of granting Empire City Casino in Yonkers a full gaming license. Other key issues include prohibiting new mandates; enhancing tax credits for small businesses; reducing burdensome regulations; passing on-time budgets in the “light of day”; repealing the Wicks Law; reforming the Scaffold Law; reforming the SEQR environmental review process; passing public-private legislation; allowing state agencies to use “design-build for big projects; and bolstering the state’s Minority and Women’s Business Enterprise program. For a complete copy of the 2020 Legislative Agenda visit thebcw.org

Commenting on this week’s highly successful Lobby Day, BCW Executive Vice President John Ravitz stated,  “This year we had the largest  group  of members representing businesses of all sizes join us in Albany to engage in important conversations with our state elected officials to discuss issues that are critical to their respective industries. As the county’s only business membership organization focusing on economic development and advocacy, this week’s day in Albany is one of the key programs that the BCW has implemented to allow Westchester’s business community to have a strong voice in our State Capitol.”