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Home > NEWS > Email from the President > NYS Session Priorities

NYS Legislature Session Homestretch
May 20, 2008
 
One of the key principles that came out of the Partnership’s recent Advocacy Boot Camp was the importance of agenda setting. Especially in that context, I want our members to know the Partnership’s agenda for the remaining five or so weeks of the 2008 state legislative session:
 
Playing Offense - Brownfields
 
Primary among the Upstate business community’s reform agenda for the remainder of this session is brownfields. Moreover, due to a statewide moratorium on new entries into the Brownfield Clean-up Program, some sort of action is needed as soon as possible. Both the Partnership – using our own staff and lobbyists – and Unshackle Upstate have dived into the issue, and are pushing for resolution and reform that makes the program work for Upstate.
 
You’ve already heard the story, but let me reiterate it – in the past five years, out of $1B in brownfields incentives that have been awarded, $700M went to a total of six projects downstate. For perspective, during that time, Erie County received approximately $2M, and Niagara County, a whopping $100,000. Clearly, the intent of the program has not been fulfilled (though the conspiracy theorist in all of us must admit that legislation is always carefully scripted for a reason!). It is imperative that reform be made to the brownfields program that includes better clarity for developers, clearer eligibility requirements to ensure that more sites are remediated and redeveloped, and a “sharing of the wealth.”
 
This can be one of those “win-win” issues. From the business community’s view, a better, smarter brownfields program means more opportunity for economic development. On the environmental side, more opportunity means more clean-ups. Thus, we’re working with a large coalition of individuals and organizations in business, law, labor and government to send a unified message to Albany on this important issue.
 
Playing Defense (and the list shouldn’t be this long…)
 
There are a number of proposed anti-business and anti-economic development legislative items which we’ll be continuing to advocate to prevent in the next five or so weeks:
 
IDA “Reform” - In January, a component of the Industrial Development Agencies (IDA) expired that had previously allowed civic facilities – such as hospitals, schools and nursing homes – to receive IDA incentives. This hole in IDA legislation is being used as leverage by labor to attach a prevailing wage component to any IDA incentives that are given. A Center for Governmental Research (CGR) report released in June details how prevailing wages cost 28% more than in comparable communities. Should this “reform” legislation pass, our ability to attract new business investment – and, importantly, jobs – will diminish.
 
The Partnership has taken a leadership role in this issue, and will continue to push for the reinstitution of the civic facilities component – to allow projects in our region such as Women’s and Children’s Hospital, Tapestry Charter School and D’Youville College to move forward – of the IDA legislation without the cost burden of prevailing wage.
 
Paid Family Leave – Unshackle Upstate has weighed in on a bill that would mandate businesses to pay for disability insurance compensation for employees who take extended time off work for family reasons. Employers have serious concerns about the economic and operational impact of mandated leave – that it will encourage absenteeism, resulting in disrupted work schedules and staffing issues for companies, particularly small businesses.
 
Employee Retirement Benefit Moratorium – A union-backed law calling for a one-year moratorium prohibiting public employers from diminishing benefits provided to retirees and their dependents has been passed by the state legislature in years past and vetoed by both Governors Pataki and Spitzer. Governor Paterson has said that he will not support the bill, which carries a $50B price tag for taxpayers, if it comes before him. Unshackle Upstate is urging the legislature to not act on this legislation and has applauded the Governor’s intended veto.
 
Upstate Empire State Development (ESD) – As mentioned last week, and though not related directly to the legislative session, the Partnership is working to ensure that Upstate remains a focus of Empire State Development. It is imperative that whatever the make-up of ESD is going forward, Upstate’s executive has the authority to hire and fire staff, allocate resources and approve projects. We have been extremely vocal on this issue, and will continue to be so.
 
Declaring your agenda is one thing – advocating for it is another. Thus, I urge you to get involved by sending an e-mail to the members of the WNY state delegation to let them know that these are the Upstate business community’s priorities for the next five weeks.
Andrew J. Rudnick
President & CEO