New Report Echoes BCW’s Legislative Priorities to Improve New York’s Business Climate

The Public Policy Institute of New York State, an affiliate of the Business Council of New York State, released a report last week that calls for immediate action to rescue our state’s business environment.

The report, New York State Must Take Action Immediately to Fix Its Business Climate or Risk Additional Economic Issues, not only validates BCW’s long-standing advocacy efforts but also provides clear recommendations for achieving a more competitive and prosperous New York.

As an original partner with the Business Council of New York State regarding this project, The BCW played an important role in formulating this blueprint by hosting a roundtable discussion with Westchester business leaders to learn about the daily challenges that they face.

BCW members’ feedback helped to inform the report, which highlights the challenges to growth in the Hudson Valley, including:

• A regional loss of talent.
• Reduced demand for office space.
• A lack of ecosystem support, particularly around life sciences and hospitality development.
• New wetlands regulations posing a major roadblock to residential and commercial projects already under consideration.
• The lack of coordination among workforce boards, with little effectiveness to address the talent pipeline and skills gap.

The report’s authors also surveyed more than 550 businesses leaders statewide. Key findings of the survey revealed that:

• Only 21% of business leaders surveyed said New York State is on the right track.
• 72% of businesses do not see the current economic conditions of New York as good.
• 3% of business leaders feel regulators and lawmakers fully understand and support their business.
• 2% of New York business leaders feel lawmakers represent their interests in Albany.
• Only 8% say government actively supports innovation in their respective industries.

The BCW plays an important role in addressing these challenges through its daily advocacy program, which includes the annual Albany Lobby Day and its annual Legislative Agenda that promotes business-friendly policies.

Regarding the ongoing deluge of laws and regulations that businesses must comply with, The BCW has always stated that the state legislature must refrain from passing legislation that imposes costly unfunded mandates on businesses of all sizes.

On the energy front, the BCW formed the Clean Energy Action Coalition to accelerate clean energy adoption across Westchester County. The coalition engages decision-makers on the state, county and municipal levels, prioritizing outreach and education, creating uniform standards to expedite clean energy development, and building a central resource for stakeholders.

Regarding land use, the BCW has lobbied the governor and the state legislature to amend the State Environmental Quality Review (SEQR) process, and in some cases, eliminate land use regulations that cause unnecessary delays for important projects throughout the state. This is especially needed now as we are moving to building sustainable energy infrastructure.

The scaffold law continues to be one of the major legislative priorities for the BCW. The reform of this outdated law would assist the state’s economy and free up millions of dollars in state and municipal budgets, save hundreds of millions in infrastructure costs, and release an estimated $200 million a year into education budgets across the state.

The report outlined almost 40 recommendations to make the state more competitive, including:

• Recommending and participating in comprehensive regulatory review to identify out-of-date and duplicative state regulations, specifically those related to business establishments, investments, and operations.
• Continuing to oppose new or increased taxes on businesses of all sizes and industry types and oppose new or revised legislation reducing business rights and protections.
• Creating opportunities for subject matter experts from the private sector to participate in the discussion and development of new regulations and guidelines for implementation.
• Convening energy providers, regulators, and developers to identify solutions to meeting the energy capacity and affordability needs for all New Yorkers and revisit the state’s clean energy goals and mandates based on these outcomes.
• Advocating for the consideration of all energy options to provide adequate and affordable energy to communities throughout the state.
• Encouraging creative financing programs and new partnerships to support new ways to bring affordable housing online.

The report’s conclusions serve as a powerful reminder that while New York has been a place of innovation and growth, we face the risk of driving away the industries that built us. By removing the bureaucratic barriers and roadblocks, we have an opportunity to create long-term economic success.

The BCW urges the governor and the legislature to use this report as a positive road map for adopting meaningful changes that will help New York State recruit and retain businesses of all sizes. 

To review the full report, please click here.

If you have any questions about the report, contact me at jravitz@thebcw.org.