GE
today announced plans to invest more than $100 million in
a multi-year project to modernize its research and development
headquarters in Niskayuna, Schenectady County.
The
newly renamed GE Global Research Center will be a state-of-the-art
research lab and hub for new technology innovations at GE,
GE said in a release
The
Chamber Alliance of New York State (CANYS) has honored two
state legislators and a key executive in the Pataki administration
for their work in 2001 on insurance-related issues.
State
Senator James Seward (R-Otsego County) and Assemblyman Joseph
Morelle (D-Monroe) were named "Legislators of the Year" by
CANYS, an association of New York's local and regional chambers
of commerce that is affiliated with The Business Council of
New York State
State
lawmakers have approved hundreds of millions of dollars in
new health-care spending intended largely to fund raises for
health-care workers. The Business Council opposed the plan.
However,
one provision of the original plan to which The Business Council
specifically objected, a reduction in state reimbursements
to pharmacies for Medicaid prescriptions, was drastically
revised in the final bill
A letter to Senate Majority Leader Joseph L. Bruno, January 11, 2002 (Similar letter to the other legislative leaders and to Governor Pataki.)
Hon. Joseph L. Bruno
President Pro Tem
New York State Senate
Room 909 Legislative Office Building
Albany, New York 12247
Dear Senator Bruno:
RE: Our concerns about reported health-care legislation
I am writing to express The Business Council's very grave concerns about the health-care legislation that is reportedly now being negotiated for early enactment
Saying New York State will once again "turn crisis into comeback,"
Governor Pataki called today for going forward with scheduled
tax cuts, restraining state spending, and creating new economic
development efforts to stimulate business and job growth statewide
"The Governor's message contains the right prescription for our economy
and the right inspiration for our future. Yes, we face challenges, but we
can meet them by focusing, as Governor Pataki did today, on our faith in a
bright future.
Governor Pataki wisely insists that New York stay on the path that has enhanced
our prosperity in recent years
ALBANY, N.Y.Local taxes in New York State rose 53 percent, significantly more
than inflation, during the 1990s, according to a Public Policy Institute analysis
of data just released by the Office of the State Comptroller.
If local tax
increases had been held to the level of inflation over the decade, around
30 percent, taxpayers would have saved some $6
The
state Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) has released
a series of recommendations to address concerns about how
minority and low-income communities are treated in environmental
decision-making.
The
report was developed by an 18-person Environmental Justice
Advisory Group which included representatives from environmental
and "environmental justice" organizations, businesses
(including The Business Council and several member firms),
municipalities, and state agencies
Businesses
in New York State have spent some $3.1 billion since 1979
to clean Superfund sites for which they were liable, a new
state report shows.
That
figure represents 62 percent of the nearly $5 billion spent
on Superfund sites since 1979, said Ken Pokalsky, The Council's
environmental specialist
The
Business Council in March will reprise seminars designed to
help businesses understand property-tax assessments and how
they can be challenged to reduce property taxes.
The
one-day seminars will take place March 5, 6, and 7 in Buffalo,
Waterloo & Saratoga Springs, respectively