Business Council Action Agenda 2010

Here is a snapshot of our current priorities:

Reduce Government Spending and Taxes; Promote Fiscal Reform

• Fight for a budget agreement with no new taxes
• Eliminate New York’s budget deficit by cutting spending
• Impose a State Spending Cap (limit annual increases in state spending)
• Enact a state-wide Property Tax Cap (with local mandate relief)
• Reduce size and cost of the government workforce
• Adopt a hard hiring freeze for state and local agencies
• Increase state and local employees’ contributions to their health insurance premiums
• Align wages and benefits for government employees with private sector levels
• Support consolidation of local governments and services
• Reduce NYS debt and reform government borrowing practices

Support Economic Recovery and a Competitive Business Climate

1. Health Care/Health Insurance

• Pursue policies to lower costs of heath care and health insurance
• Reduce coverage mandates
• Promote more efficient health care delivery
• Reform Medicaid
• Create incentives for the use of electronic medical records
• Reduce taxes and assessments that raise the cost of health insurance

2. Energy

• Reduce the cost of energy in NYS
• Create a permanent Power for Jobs low-cost power program
• Support nuclear power in New York, including Indian Point
• Support drilling for natural gas in the Marcellus Shale
• Support new electrical generation and transmission infrastructure

3. Labor and Employment

• Complete Workers’ Comp Medical and Treatment Guidelines
• Oppose Paid Family Leave and Paid Sick Leave mandates

4. Economic Development

• Restore IDA Civic Authority without “wage mandates”
• Support the Wine Industry and Liquor Store Revitalization Act
• Create new incentives for:

1. Capital investment in manufacturing
2. Inner-city/Downtown revitalization
3. R&D tax credits for science and technology

5. Civil Justice Reform

• Enact Medical Malpractice Reform

Support Small Business Growth

• Pursue new approaches to lower the cost of health insurance
• Lower energy costs
• Tax relief
• Streamline regulations and reduce mandates

Respond to Federal Issues that Impact New York

• Support Health Care Reform that lowers premium costs
• Oppose “Card Check”