ALBANY—The Business Council is preparing a legislative agenda for
2006 that outlines a range of policy objectives designed to help New York
build a robust, innovation-driven economy and remove long-standing obstacles
to economic growth.
The members and staff of the Council have been developing the agenda
since early autumn; the Council’s Board of Directors will finalize
the 2006 legislative agenda next month
The third annual New York State Hospital Report Card has been issued
by the Alliance For Quality Health Care (AQHC) and the Niagara Health
Quality Coalition (NHQC). The report card is an independent source
of information for consumers and community leaders concerned about
health care quality and value
New York's population declined slightly from 2004 to 2005, as residents continued moving out of the Empire State, new population estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau show.
As of July 1, 2005, New York's population was an estimated 19,254,630, the Census Bureau said. That represented a loss of some 26,000 residents, or just over 0
The Business Council and Center for Economic Growth will co-sponsor
a conference on homeland security, Tuesday, January 17, at the Crowne
Plaza Hotel in Albany.
The Homeland Security Convergence Conference will bring together
the buyers of homeland security and defense-related technology with
the providers of such products, including New York small businesses
and research centers in New York State
Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney’s decision to withdraw from a controversial energy pact correctly reflects the plan's risk of significantly higher energy prices, and New York Governor George Pataki should reconsider those risks as well, Business Council President Daniel B. Walsh said in a December 16 letter to the Governor
The state Public Service Commission (PSC) has approved five more
years of a program that will add $175 million a year to the energy
bills of business and residential ratepayers. The decision means
a $25 million-a-year increase in the so-called "systems benefit
charge" (SBC)
Studies confirm that Americans migrate from high-tax to low-tax
states, according to an article by a professor of economics at Ohio
University, Richard Vedder, for the nonpartisan Heartland Institute.
“[P]eople are fleeing high-tax, big-government states for
low-tax havens where they can keep more of their income,”
Vedder wrote in the December 1 article
Business Council members are now eligible for a 25 percent discount
on a service that offers businesses pertinent information on more
than 813,000 New York companies.
“Harris InfoSource can help businesses find new customers
and grow existing sales by combining detailed records with location-specific
company profiles,” said Ellen Fobare, director of finance
for the Council's Insurance Fund
Business Council members are now eligible for discounted products
from OfficeMax, a leading office products supplier.
“We’re very pleased to be able to offer our members
this new benefit,” said Daniel B. Walsh, president and CEO
of The Business Council “The Council has joined with OfficeMax
making our members eligible for substantial discounts on office
supplies
State Comptroller Alan Hevesi has proposed new regulations to require
“more transparent, timely and accurate financial reporting”
by 215 public authorities in New York State that have statewide
or regional significance.
Similar regulations were issued for the Metropolitan Transportation
Authority (MTA) last year, the comptroller’s release said