Creates the micro business outreach center assistance program within the department of economic development, and provides for its functions, powers and duties; further creates the micro business outreach center network; establishes a reporting requirement by the commissioner of economic development.
STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
7796
2015-2016 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
May 27, 2015
___________
Introduced by M. of A. THIELE -- read once and referred to the Committee
on Small Business
AN ACT to amend the economic development law, in relation to creating
the micro business outreach center assistance program
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. The economic development law is amended by adding a new
2 article 9-B to read as follows:
3 ARTICLE 9-B
4 MICRO BUSINESS OUTREACH CENTER ASSISTANCE PROGRAM
5 Section 216. Definitions.
6 217. Micro business outreach centers.
7 218. Micro business outreach center network.
8 219. Reporting requirement.
9 § 216. Definitions. For the purposes of this article the following
10 terms shall have the following meanings:
11 1. "Micro business" shall mean a sole proprietorship, partnership or
12 family business that has fewer than five employees.
13 2. "Micro business outreach centers" shall mean a business outreach
14 center that serves the business development needs of specific communi-
15 ties.
16 3. "Micro business outreach center network" shall mean a network of
17 business outreach centers that provides services throughout a region and
18 helps develop and assist individual micro-enterprise/small business
19 development organizations in the delivery of customized business
20 services to entrepreneurs, as well as capacity-building services to
21 organizations establishing and operating community and micro-enterprise
22 development programs.
23 § 217. Micro business outreach centers. 1. There is hereby established
24 within the department a micro business outreach center assistance
25 program. The department is authorized, within amounts appropriated, to
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD02739-01-5
A. 7796 2
1 provide direct technical and financial assistance to the micro business
2 outreach center network, a not-for-profit corporation, for the following
3 activities:
4 (a) to assist the micro business outreach center in setting up, or to
5 assist the center in helping local sponsor organizations and/or new
6 organizations to set up additional micro business outreach centers, in
7 geographic areas of the state that are widely-separated from each other
8 but are in need of, and would likely benefit from, the establishment of
9 such center;
10 (b) to assist the micro business outreach center in providing aid for
11 the operation and maintenance of the additional micro business outreach
12 centers so created as well as for the operation and maintenance of its
13 presently existing affiliated micro business outreach centers; and
14 (c) to assist the micro business outreach center to expand the
15 center's coordination of networking and technical assistance activities
16 among all micro business outreach centers.
17 2. The department shall provide monies, within available appropri-
18 ations, in response to a community need for the micro business outreach
19 centers network. The department shall establish criteria for selection
20 and designation of such micro business outreach centers which shall
21 include but not be limited to:
22 (a) communities that are geographically and/or socially isolated from
23 the mainstream economy;
24 (b) a coordinated network of client information systems, regional
25 linkages, and operational guidelines;
26 (c) a model that maximizes the efficient use of scarce existing
27 economic development resources, addresses the recognized need for pre-
28 loan and post loan technical assistance for growing small business;
29 (d) facilitating access to the complex infrastructure of economic
30 development programs and small business services, connecting small busi-
31 ness to needed information and capital technical assistance.
32 3. Assistance, services and data as will enable the department to
33 properly carry out its functions, powers, and duties under this article
34 shall be provided by the commissioner and to accomplish the same, the
35 commissioner may request the assistance of other agencies and public
36 corporations and districts.
37 § 218. Micro business outreach center network. 1. There is hereby
38 established within the department a micro business outreach center
39 network. The department is authorized within amounts appropriated to
40 provide direct technical and financial assistance to the micro business
41 outreach center network, a not-for-profit corporation, for the following
42 activities:
43 (a) to assist the micro business outreach center network in setting
44 up, or to assist the center in helping local sponsor organizations
45 and/or new organizations to set up additional micro business outreach
46 centers, in geographic areas of the state that are widely-separated from
47 each other but are in need of, and would likely benefit from, the estab-
48 lishment of such center;
49 (b) to assist the micro business outreach center network in providing
50 aid for the operation and maintenance of the additional micro business
51 outreach centers so created as well as for the operation and maintenance
52 of its presently existing affiliated micro business outreach centers;
53 and
54 (c) to assist the micro business outreach center network to expand the
55 center's coordination of networking and technical assistance activities
56 among all micro business outreach centers.
A. 7796 3
1 2. The department shall provide monies, within available appropri-
2 ations, in response to a community need for the micro business outreach
3 centers network. The department shall establish criteria for selection
4 and destination of such micro business outreach centers which shall
5 include but not be limited to:
6 (a) communities that are geographically and/or socially isolated from
7 the mainstream economy;
8 (b) a coordinated network of client information systems, regional
9 linkages, and operational guidelines;
10 (c) a model that maximizes the efficient use of scarce existing
11 economic development resources, addresses the recognized need for pre-
12 loan and post loan technical assistance for growing small business;
13 (d) facilitating access to the complex infrastructure of economic
14 development programs and small business services, connecting small busi-
15 ness to needed information and capital technical assistance.
16 3. Assistance, services and data as will enable the department to
17 properly carry out its functions, powers, and duties under this article
18 shall be provided by the commissioner and to accomplish the same, the
19 commissioner may request the assistance of other agencies and public
20 corporations and districts.
21 § 219. Reporting requirement. The department shall monitor the effec-
22 tiveness of the direct technical and financial assistance it provides to
23 the micro business outreach center network, incorporated, in order to
24 determine and report to what extent the goals specified in this section
25 have been achieved. The commissioner shall make and file an annual
26 report to the governor, temporary president of the senate and speaker of
27 the assembly within thirty days following the close of the state's
28 fiscal year containing the results of such monitoring pursuant to this
29 section. Such annual report shall contain recommendations for further
30 legislation to implement the purposes of this article if in the judgment
31 of the commissioner new legislation to further effectuate the purposes
32 of this article is warranted.
33 § 2. This act shall take effect on the one hundred eightieth day after
34 it shall have become a law.
