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A04550 Summary:

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A04550 Floor Votes:

A04550 Text:

 
                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                          4550
 
                               2009-2010 Regular Sessions
 
                   IN ASSEMBLY
 
                                    February 4, 2009
                                       ___________
 
        Introduced  by  M.  of A. TOWNS, SPANO, JAFFFEE, SCHROEDER, CHRISTENSEN,
          LUPARDO, DelMONTE, CASTRO,  RAMOS,  MILLMAN,  FIELDS,  CLARK,  GORDON,
          WRIGHT  --  Multi-Sponsored  by -- M. of A. ALFANO, BARCALLES, CROUCH,
          ERRIGO, GUNTHER, KOLB, KOON, MOLINARO, OAKS, PEOPLES-STOKES, ROBINSON,
          SCARBOROUGH -- read once and referred to the Committee on Small  Busi-

          ness
 
        AN ACT to amend the New York state urban development corporation act, in
          relation  to  creating  niche  market  assistance  projects to promote
          economic development
 
          The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and  Assem-
        bly, do enact as follows:
 
     1    Section 1. Statement of legislative intent. Small manufacturing enter-
     2  prises are responsible for an estimated twenty-eight to forty percent of
     3  employment  in  the manufacturing sector. They tend to be more effective
     4  at job creation and job replacement, more innovative in the  development
     5  of  products  and  process  improvements,  more  flexible, and thus more
     6  competitive, in terms of the ability to produce small quantities. All of
     7  these factors help to explain the shift to  smaller  and  average  sized

     8  plants  and  the  national  trend toward more of the total production of
     9  goods coming from small manufacturers.
    10    Small manufacturing enterprises, often owned  by  minorities  and  new
    11  immigrants,  have  been  growing. Leading this expansion in New York are
    12  specialty and ethnic food manufacturers, which have grown by  more  than
    13  eight  percent over the past year. Other evidence suggests that there is
    14  similar growth in construction; specialty apparel for niche markets  and
    15  other  design-based  manufacturing  industries  such  as luxury consumer
    16  goods like jewelry; medical instruments;  suppliers  to  service  indus-
    17  tries;  and  companies  serving  local  markets,  such as makers of food
    18  products or suppliers of construction materials.
    19    Often, small manufacturers can not only survive, but grow, if they can
    20  identify and develop niche markets - targeted markets composed of  indi-
 

         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
        A                                                          LBD08036-01-9
        A. 4550                             2
 
     1  viduals  and businesses that have similar interests and needs, which can
     2  be readily identified, and that can be easily targeted and reached, or a
     3  group of potential customers who  share  common  characteristics  making
     4  them especially receptive to the company's product, service, or opportu-
     5  nity.
     6    §  2.  Section  1 of chapter 174 of the laws of 1968, constituting the
     7  New York state urban development corporation act, is amended by adding a
     8  new section 16-t to read as follows:
     9    § 16-t. Niche market assistance projects. 1. The corporation is hereby

    10  authorized to provide assistance to  niche  market  assistance  projects
    11  designed to encourage and assist small and medium-sized manufacturing or
    12  food  processing  businesses with fewer than two hundred fifty employees
    13  to identify and develop niche markets for their products.
    14    2. For the purposes of this  section,  "niche  market"  shall  mean  a
    15  targeted market composed of individuals and businesses that have similar
    16  interests  and  needs,  which  can be readily identified and reached, or
    17  group of potential customers who  share  common  characteristics  making
    18  them  especially receptive to the company's product, service or opportu-
    19  nity.
    20    3. The corporation  shall  actively  seek  to  identify  entities  and

    21  disseminate  information  to  such  entities  which  may  be eligible to
    22  receive assistance pursuant to  this  section  and  shall  make  awards,
    23  subject  to  available  appropriations,  for  niche marketing assistance
    24  projects on a competitive basis to such entities.
    25    (a) Entities eligible to apply for funding for a niche market  assist-
    26  ance  project  shall include not-for-profit corporations, local develop-
    27  ment corporations, trade associations, educational  institutions,  tech-
    28  nology  development  corporations established pursuant to section 3102-d
    29  of the public authorities  law  which  operate  manufacturing  extension
    30  programs,  and other not-for-profit organizations which promote economic
    31  development.

    32    (b) Applicants shall be required to demonstrate:
    33    (i) their ability to provide the services proposed;
    34    (ii) the potential for manufacturing or food processing industries  in
    35  their area of service to develop niche markets;
    36    (iii)  the  possibility  that  the  services to be funded would become
    37  self-sustaining;
    38    (iv) the participation of  local  and  regional  economic  development
    39  organizations; and
    40    (v) to provide a program budget, including matching funds, in-kind and
    41  otherwise, to be provided by the applicant.
    42    (c)  A  project  eligible  to be a niche market assistance project may
    43  include, but not be limited to,  research,  market  analysis,  marketing

    44  assistance,  and  identifying  sources  of financial assistance to enter
    45  into new markets.
    46    4. No single grant for a niche market assistance project shall  exceed
    47  two hundred thousand dollars.
    48    § 3. This act shall take effect immediately.