White Plains CitizeNetReporter - <i>Amy Paulin's Albany:</i> Economic Development Programs Vital to County, WP

Amy Paulin's Albany by Assembly woman Amy Paulin of the 88th. April 15, 2002. 4 PM EDT:Amy is back in Albany Monday and filed this report to WPCNR on the Assembly's effort to support new small businesses in Westchester County and White Plains. Ms. Paulin writes exclusively for the CitzeNetReporter.

To reinvigorate our economy, we must make New York – and Westchester – a more affordable place to do business. That means providing the resources and support new businesses need to grow and create good-paying jobs for our working families.

Helping small businesses succeed

The importance of small businesses to our state economy is immeasurable – they make up nine out of every ten businesses in New York. The Assembly recognizes their crucial role by passing legislation to help them access capital, cut red tape and meet environmental standards.

Small businesses often face difficulties accessing much-needed funding for start-up and expansion goals. I supported the law that made permanent the Excelsior Linked Deposit Program, enabling small businesses to secure low-cost loans (Ch. 14 of 2001). This year, I want to take the next step and invest $100 million more in this important program.

To cut through the red tape that hinders small business in New York, I supported a measure that streamlines how the Urban Development Corporation (UDC) – in cooperation with the Empire State Development Corporation (ESD) – administers the state’s Regional Revolving Loan Trust Fund. The fund is a great source of capital for businesses, but giving greater local control to ESD’s eleven regional corporations will make the program more flexible and responsive to our small businesses.

And to help small business owners comply with state and federal environmental laws, I supported legislation requiring the state to help small businesses understand and meet environmental and pollution prevention standards (A.4169); and creating funding programs to purchase pollution control devices (A.2008c and A.606c).

Investing in high-tech industries and creating a skilled 21st century workforce

High-tech innovations have the potential to create countless jobs for our families. Small businesses are often the first to develop and promote new technology. To encourage high-tech job growth, I helped pass legislation (A.5172) that creates the Technology Innovation Partnership Investment Program to provide seed and start-up financing to small and medium-sized technology companies.

This legislation builds on my efforts to make our state a high-tech leader. Last year I passed the Assembly’s Jobs Agenda 2001 plan, which would invest in biomedical research and biotechnology development and create the Metropolitan Area Center of Excellence in Software Information Technology to promote collaboration between learning institutions and industry technology. Our proposal also invests in the Centers for Advanced Technology to help our businesses gain a technological edge. It also invests in many downstate medical facilities, such as the SUNY Downstate Medical Center Advanced Biotechnology Incubator Facility and New York University’s School of Medicine.

It is imperative to staff well-trained workers capable of meeting the ever-changing demands of the technology industry. That’s why I’m working to expand the Assembly’s Strategic Training Alliance Program, which links colleges and training providers with businesses. In addition, I helped secure $8.9 million for workforce retention and training for five local health care facilities.

Rebuilding Lower Manhattan

Many Westchester residents work in Lower Manhattan and rebuilding that area is vital to our own economic health. That’s why I helped create the Liberty Zone and Resurgence Zone – to save Lower Manhattan businesses $6 million in power costs (Ch.383 of 2001) and give New York City the ability to issue $2.5 billion in bonds to help reconstruct Lower Manhattan (Ch.297 of 2001).

Ongoing efforts to attract businesses and create jobs for working families

These measures are part of my continuing efforts to help boost our economy and make New York a better place to do business, including expanding the Power for Jobs program – which provides low energy costs for businesses that create jobs for hard-working New Yorkers.

I remain committed to building on this strong record and look forward to finding new, innovative ways to ensure the economic prosperity for Westchester businesses and families.


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