ALBANYDennis
Ross, president of Mitchell Ross Associates Architects of Voorheesville, has
been named Small Business Advocate of the Year. Governor George Pataki presented
the award today during at The Business Council's annual Small Business Day
at the Empire State Plaza in Albany
ALBANYA
new bill that would make affordable health insurance more accessible for sole
proprietors of businesses is a major step forward in the ongoing effort to
make employment-based health insurance affordable, available, and widespread,
Business Council President Daniel B
Manufacturing remains the
key component of the upstate economy, and state economic policies must continue
to reflect the priorities and realities of manufacturing, Governor Pataki's
chief economist told The Business Council this week.
Addressing The Council's
Government Affairs Council (GAC) March 20, Stephen Kagann said it is wrong
to assume that some decline in manufacturers' job share upstate means that
manufacturing is losing importance upstate
What New York's
energy market needs most is more power plants and a faster process for siting
them, a panel of top economists, utility executives, and industry and labor
leaders concluded in a panel discussion today.
During the
discussion, a consensus also emerged about what New York's energy markets
need least: new legislative intrusion into energy markets to legislate prices,
redo deregulation, or re-regulate energy
The
state Assembly has unveiled a $85.97 billion budget resolution
for 2001-02 that includes $519 million in tax cuts and a new
commitment of $2.17 billion to the state's general reserves.
"The
budget resolution . . . responsibly supports education, health
care and job creation, and provides prudent tax cuts to help
working families," Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver (D-Manhattan)
said
New York State
Attorney General Eliot Spitzer has issued a new report on
energy in New York that repeats his previous calls for siting
more power plants in New York.
"This is a
critical moment in New York," Spitzer said
The Senate
Majority's 2001-01 budget resolution includes a $1.8 billion tax-cut package,
investments in economic development in biotechnology, an expansion of the
state's Empire Zone program, and a major new proposal for Superfund refinancing
and reform.
Senate Majority
Leader Joseph Bruno released information on the resolution at a Monday press
conference
New York State should approve
between 4,000 and 5,000 megawatts of new electricity generating capacity
this year to avoid serious electricity shortages, according to a new report
from the New York State Independent System Operator (ISO).
The report, Power Alert:
New York's Energy Crossroads, also urged New York to increase its total
capacity by 8,600 megawatts by 2005
New York is making available
$7.5 million in state grants to help New York State manufacturers provide
on-the-job training for workers.
The grant money is intended
to help manufacturers give their workers opportunities to stay current
in information technologies, processes and innovations, Governor Pataki
said Tuesday in announcing the availability of the grants
The state Legislature
has approved a bill that would make permanent a 1998 law that exempts telecommunications
companies from certain regulatory requirements related to services and products.
The Business
Council strongly supports the bill (S.2241-Alesi; A. 4446-Vann).
In 1998, the
Legislature passed, and Governor Pataki signed, a law that changed the requirements
governing how telecommunications companies were required to file schedules
describing products and services they planned to offer in accordance with
the State Administrative Procedures Act (SAPA)