Directs the division for small business to maintain a small business portal on the department of economic development's internet website; provides such portal shall be a one-stop source of information to existing and prospective small businesses.
STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
5618--B
2009-2010 Regular Sessions
IN SENATE
May 21, 2009
___________
Introduced by Sen. VALESKY -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
printed to be committed to the Committee on Commerce, Economic Devel-
opment and Small Business -- committee discharged, bill amended,
ordered reprinted as amended and recommitted to said committee --
recommitted to the Committee on Commerce, Economic Development and
Small Business in accordance with Senate Rule 6, sec. 8 -- reported
favorably from said committee and committed to the Committee on
Finance -- committee discharged, bill amended, ordered reprinted as
amended and recommitted to said committee
AN ACT to amend the economic development law, in relation to directing
the division for small business to maintain a small business portal on
the department of economic development internet website
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. Subdivisions 7, 8, 9, 10 and 11 of section 134 of the
2 economic development law, subdivision 7 as added by chapter 547 of the
3 laws of 1976, subdivision 8 as amended and subdivision 11 as added by
4 chapter 361 of the laws of 2009, subdivision 9 as amended by chapter 490
5 of the laws of 1993, subdivision 10 as added by chapter 543 of the laws
6 of 2002, are amended and a new subdivision 12 is added to read as
7 follows:
8 7. review pending legislation affecting small-businesses and report
9 its findings to the commissioner; [and]
10 8. initiate and encourage small-business education programs in general
11 and to coordinate with the functions of the office of general services
12 an information and outreach program directed toward informing small-bu-
13 sinesses in the state of procedures necessary for competing for state
14 purchases and to coordinate with the functions of every state agency,
15 department or authority described in section one hundred thirty-nine-g
16 of the state finance law, pursuant to subdivision (b) of section one
17 hundred thirty-nine-g of the state finance law, an information and
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD05538-05-0
S. 5618--B 2
1 outreach program directed toward informing small-businesses in the state
2 of procedures necessary for competing for state contracts, including
3 without limitation educating small contractors about surety bonding
4 requirements on state contracts, and identifying resources available to
5 such contractors in obtaining their first bond and in increasing their
6 bonding capacity, including but not limited to the federal small busi-
7 ness administration bond guarantee program[.];
8 9. the commissioner and the commissioners of agriculture and markets
9 and the office of general services shall initiate and encourage small-
10 business education programs and coordinate with the functions of the
11 office of general services, pursuant to subdivision [(b)] six of section
12 one hundred [sixty-one-b] sixty-three of the state finance law, an
13 information and outreach program directed toward informing eligible
14 businesses in the state of procedures necessary for competing for
15 purchases of food products pursuant to subdivision four of section one
16 hundred [seventy-four-a] sixty-five of the state finance law and subdi-
17 vision eight-a of section one hundred three of the general municipal
18 law, and to coordinate with the functions of every state agency or
19 department described in subdivision (b) of section one hundred thirty-
20 nine-g of the state finance law, an information and outreach program
21 directed toward informing eligible businesses in the state of procedures
22 necessary for competing for contracts for the purchase of food products
23 pursuant to subdivision four of section one hundred [seventy-four-a]
24 sixty-five of the state finance law and subdivision eight-a of section
25 one hundred three of the general municipal law[.];
26 10. conduct a survey of all business incubators in the state and
27 assess the need for additional incubator facilities to nurture the
28 growth and development of small businesses[.];
29 11. provide assistance to small business in the state, and facilitate
30 access to programs serving small business, to ensure that such busi-
31 nesses benefit, as needed, from technical, managerial, financial, and
32 general business assistance; training; marketing; organization and
33 personnel skill development; project management assistance; technology
34 assistance; bond and insurance education assistance; and other business
35 development assistance. In addition, either independently or in conjunc-
36 tion with other state agencies:
37 (a) develop a clearinghouse of information on programs and services
38 provided by entities that may assist such businesses; and
39 (b) seek to maximize utilization by small businesses of available
40 federal resources including but not limited to federal grants, loans,
41 loan guarantees, surety bonding guarantees, technical assistance, and
42 programs and services of the federal small business administration[.];
43 and
44 12. maintain a small business portal on the department's internet
45 website. Such portal shall be a one-stop source of information on
46 assistance to small businesses. The portal shall provide existing and
47 prospective small businesses with information on services provided by
48 local, state and federal agencies, including assistance with and
49 provision of online applications for permits and permit renewals,
50 financing, tax exemptions, relocation and property acquisition, locating
51 and training employees, health and business insurance, environmental
52 compliance, other technical assistance, minority and women business
53 entities and issues facing veteran owned small businesses.
54 § 2. The opening paragraph of section 135 of the economic development
55 law is designated subdivision 1 and a new subdivision 2 is added to read
56 as follows:
S. 5618--B 3
1 2. Any department, division, board, bureau, commission or other agency
2 subject to the provisions of subdivision one of this section shall also
3 provide such assistance, services and data as will enable the division
4 for small business to properly carry out its responsibilities under
5 subdivision twelve of section one hundred thirty-four of this article,
6 including but not limited to, the maintenance of the small business web
7 portal and the provision of links to relevant agency websites.
8 § 3. The division for small business shall periodically assess the
9 extent to which the small business web portal provided for in subdivi-
10 sion 12 of section 134 of the economic development law is serving the
11 needs of existing and prospective owners and operators of small busi-
12 nesses, through such measures as user surveys, online feedback and
13 soliciting input from the advisory board provided for in section 133 of
14 the economic development law. Such division shall update the services
15 offered through such portal to reflect additional needed services iden-
16 tified through such assessments.
17 § 4. This act shall take effect on the one hundred twentieth day after
18 it shall have become a law.
