Assemblyman Karl Brabenec (R,C,I-Deerpark) today voiced his support for the “Jump-Start New York” initiative introduced by the Assembly Minority Conference. The initiative was rolled out to provide economic relief to the small businesses and employees affected by the COVID-19 outbreak.

Just one day after Gov. Cuomo extended the timeframe for “New York State on Pause,” the “Jump-Start New York” stimulus plan was released to immediately assist New Yorkers with federal and state money. Some of the provisions include:

• Non-essential businesses re-evaluated, so they would be able to remain open
• State regulations extended and/or waived for an additional year (ex: alcohol being sold with take-out)
• Suspended fees for occupational licenses for one year following the emergency period’s end
• Recovery loans provided to businesses and not-for-profits
• Unallocated state settlement money used as cash for non-essential businesses
• Repurposed capital programs
• Increased rural internet accessibility
• State tax filing dates aligned with federal tax dates
• Federal stimulus aid to local governments and school districts
• Zero-percent interest rates for all small business administration loans

“Oversight is the name of the game for Gov. Cuomo’s ‘New York State on Pause,’ said Brabenec. “The decision to extend our state’s shutdown until May 15 instead of April 29 will have devastating effects on upstate communities. This is a premature ordinance that fails to distinguish regionally based needs. We are responding to this as best we can, with a stimulus plan to largely help smaller businesses.

“‘Jump-Start New York’ is for everyone who is struggling with the idea of a longer statewide shutdown. New York City is its own animal. The virus is hitting that region hard, but other parts of the state cannot be expected to adhere to the same precautions. Upstate economies will not survive if the state in its entirety is forced to put a pause on business operations because of the situation in the city.

“The first step toward getting back on track is ‘Jump-Start New York.’ From there, we need to regionalize our strategy in New York state. We will not bounce back from COVID-19 if we do not treat our economic recovery as a two-tier approach between upstate and downstate. Maybe the governor should’ve paused before releasing his plan.”