BCW Joins with Groups Statewide Urging Funds to Address Issues Impacting Business Community

The Business Council of Westchester is among 43 business organizations representing tens of thousands of businesses of all sectors and sizes across New York urging the Senate and Assembly to allocate funding in the Fiscal Year 2025 budget to address the unemployment insurance debt; as well as support the Governor’s proposals to sunset the state’s outdated COVID Sick Leave law, address the eruption of lawsuits over frequency of pay claims for manual workers, and combat the rise in retail theft.

“It is imperative that these issues are addressed in the FY 2025 budget. Businesses drive New York’s economy, provide essential tax revenue, create, and maintain jobs for New Yorkers, and support local charities and communities. New York businesses cannot afford additional regulations and a high tax environment, while also seeing sensible policies rejected and ignored. The state must focus on working with the business community to help improve the business climate to achieve an economy in the Empire State that is prosperous, fair, and accessible for all New Yorkers. That goal starts with supporting policy to advance the interests of the business community, the jobs they create and the communities they sustain,” read the letter sent this week to Speaker Carl Heastie, Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins, Assembly Minority Leader Will Barclay and Senate Minority Leader Rob Ortt. Copies of the letter were sent to the entire New York State Senate and New York State Assembly.

The letter noted that in the post-pandemic economy, employers, particularly small businesses, continue to face unprecedented financial challenges. The letter cited NFIB’s Small Business Economic Trends report that 22 percent of small business owners reported that inflation was the single most important problem in operating their business, 62 percent are experiencing significant supply chain issues, and nearly half of small businesses report job openings that cannot be filled.

Click here for a copy of the full letter: NY-Business-Community-Letter-to-Legislature-Budget-Requests-FINAL-Feb-2024.pdf (windows.net)