ALBANY Governor George Pataki is scheduled to deliver the keynote address during the luncheon at the annual Small Business Day Tuesday, March 26 at the Empire State Plaza in Albany.
The luncheon is scheduled to begin at 1:15 p.m. in the Empire State Plaza Convention Center.
Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno and Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver are also scheduled to talk during the meeting beginning at 12:15 p.m., also in the Convention Center.
Small Business Day this year will focus on a range of issues related to insurance, including the availability and affordability of health insurance and general liability insurance. These issues are considered especially significant this year because the volatility of these costs is creating significant pressures on many small businesses, said Kerry Kirwan, a legislative analyst for The Council who is coordinating the event.
The agenda also includes:
- A discussion of insurance issues featuring state Sen. James L. Seward and Assemblyman Alexander Grannis, chairs of the Senate and Assembly insurance committees, respectively, and Gregory V. Serio, superintendent of the state Insurance Department. This session is scheduled for 9:30-10:45 a.m.
- Lt. Governor Mary Donohue has been invited to discuss initiatives that emerged from the work of the Small Business Task Force. That session is scheduled for 11:15-11:45 a.m.
- A discussion of a range of small business issues with state Sen. James S. Alesi and Assemblyman Darryl C. Towns, chairs of the Senate and Assembly small business committees, respectively. This session is scheduled for 11:45 a.m.-12:15 p.m.
- Opportunities for participating small businesses proprietors to have personal visits with key legislators and their staff.
Insurance-related priorities: Legislative priorities related to insurance that are of special concern to small business this year include: the rising cost of general business insurance; the need to repeal strict liability for employers in connection with worksite injuries; and the need for legislation to enable sole proprietors to buy health insurance at small-group rates through chambers of commerce and other business associations.
Other top legislative priorities of New York's small business community include: implementing already-approved tax cuts on schedule this year; the need to accelerate business tax cuts for small businesses; support for Governor Pataki's proposal to increase funding in the state's Excelsior Linked Deposit Program, which enhances small businesses' access to capital; and expanding the state's STAR property-tax relief program to include the small business community.
Background on Small Business Day: This event is cosponsored each March by The Business Council with the Chamber Alliance of New York State and the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB). Its purpose is to give small-business operators a chance to discuss priority issues with key lawmakers and staff.
The event typically attracts several hundred representatives of small businesses and local chambers of commerce. In past years, these meetings have been critical to business' efforts to convince lawmakers to reduce taxes, reform workers' compensation and unemployment insurance, and make other critical improvements to New York's business climate.
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