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
________________________________________________________________________
2825
2011-2012 Regular Sessions
IN SENATE
February 2, 2011
___________
Introduced by Sens. STEWART-COUSINS, ESPAILLAT, HANNON, MONTGOMERY,
OPPENHEIMER, SMITH -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed
to be committed to the Committee on Commerce, Economic Development and
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.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD04600-01-1
S. 2825 2
1 § 217. Micro business outreach centers. 1. There is hereby established
2 within the department a micro business outreach center assistance
3 program. The department is authorized, within amounts appropriated, to
4 provide direct technical and financial assistance to the micro business
5 outreach center network, a not-for-profit corporation, for the following
6 activities:
7 (a) to assist the micro business outreach center in setting up, or to
8 assist the center in helping local sponsor organizations and/or new
9 organizations to set up additional micro business outreach centers, in
10 geographic areas of the state that are widely-separated from each other
11 but are in need of, and would likely benefit from, the establishment of
12 such center;
13 (b) to assist the micro business outreach center in providing aid for
14 the operation and maintenance of the additional micro business outreach
15 centers so created as well as for the operation and maintenance of its
16 presently existing affiliated micro business outreach centers; and
17 (c) to assist the micro business outreach center to expand the
18 center's coordination of networking and technical assistance activities
19 among all micro business outreach centers.
20 2. The department shall provide monies, within available appropri-
21 ations, in response to a community need for the micro business outreach
22 centers network. The department shall establish criteria for selection
23 and designation of such micro business outreach centers which shall
24 include but not be limited to:
25 (a) communities that are geographically and/or socially isolated from
26 the mainstream economy;
27 (b) a coordinated network of client information systems, regional
28 linkages, and operational guidelines;
29 (c) a model that maximizes the efficient use of scarce existing
30 economic development resources, addresses the recognized need for pre-
31 loan and post loan technical assistance for growing small business;
32 (d) facilitating access to the complex infrastructure of economic
33 development programs and small business services, connecting small busi-
34 ness to needed information and capital technical assistance.
35 3. Assistance, services and data as will enable the department to
36 properly carry out its functions, powers, and duties under this article
37 shall be provided by the commissioner and to accomplish the same, the
38 commissioner may request the assistance of other agencies and public
39 corporations and districts.
40 § 218. Micro business outreach center network. 1. There is hereby
41 established within the department a micro business outreach center
42 network. The department is authorized within amounts appropriated to
43 provide direct technical and financial assistance to the micro business
44 outreach center network, a not-for-profit corporation, for the following
45 activities:
46 (a) to assist the micro business outreach center network in setting
47 up, or to assist the center in helping local sponsor organizations
48 and/or new organizations to set up additional micro business outreach
49 centers, in geographic areas of the state that are widely-separated from
50 each other but are in need of, and would likely benefit from, the estab-
51 lishment of such center;
52 (b) to assist the micro business outreach center network in providing
53 aid for the operation and maintenance of the additional micro business
54 outreach centers so created as well as for the operation and maintenance
55 of its presently existing affiliated micro business outreach centers;
56 and
S. 2825 3
1 (c) to assist the micro business outreach center network to expand the
2 center's coordination of networking and technical assistance activities
3 among all micro business outreach centers.
4 2. The department shall provide monies, within available appropri-
5 ations, in response to a community need for the micro business outreach
6 centers network. The department shall establish criteria for selection
7 and destination of such micro business outreach centers which shall
8 include but not be limited to:
9 (a) communities that are geographically and/or socially isolated from
10 the mainstream economy;
11 (b) a coordinated network of client information systems, regional
12 linkages, and operational guidelines;
13 (c) a model that maximizes the efficient use of scarce existing
14 economic development resources, addresses the recognized need for pre-
15 loan and post loan technical assistance for growing small business;
16 (d) facilitating access to the complex infrastructure of economic
17 development programs and small business services, connecting small busi-
18 ness to needed information and capital technical assistance.
19 3. Assistance, services and data as will enable the department to
20 properly carry out its functions, powers, and duties under this article
21 shall be provided by the commissioner and to accomplish the same, the
22 commissioner may request the assistance of other agencies and public
23 corporations and districts.
24 § 219. Reporting requirement. The department shall monitor the effec-
25 tiveness of the direct technical and financial assistance it provides to
26 the micro business outreach center network, incorporated, in order to
27 determine and report to what extent the goals specified in this section
28 have been achieved. The commissioner shall make and file an annual
29 report to the governor, temporary president of the senate and speaker of
30 the assembly within thirty days following the close of the state's
31 fiscal year containing the results of such monitoring pursuant to this
32 section. Such annual report shall contain recommendations for further
33 legislation to implement the purposes of this article if in the judgment
34 of the commissioner new legislation to further effectuate the purposes
35 of this article is warranted.
36 § 2. This act shall take effect on the one hundred eightieth day after
37 it shall have become a law.
