Senator James Alesi (R-Monroe) and Assemblyman Robin Schimminger (D-Erie)
have introduced legislation that would allow Industrial Development Agencies
(IDAs) to offer reduced-rate power as an incentive to companies considering
locating or expanding in New York through IDA-funded projects
The Public Policy Institute, The Business Council's research affiliate,
has created its own web site, www.ppinys.org.
The Institute's new home page includes a brief description of The Institute
as well as the complete text of its research reports, facts and figures
on New York's economy, and press releases
Bulletin #14: June 22, 1999
More school aid from Albany won't cut property taxes
It's clear that the new state budget will include another big increase in school aid. According to data from the New York State School Boards Association, Governor Pataki's budget would bring total aid to $11
Bulletin #13: June 15, 1999
Hospitals want still more money. How much is enough?
How much could ever be enough money for New York hospitals? Based on the complaints from the hospital lobbyists and unions, there seems to be no answer. After all, New York is already the leader in state spending on hospitals, well ahead of larger states such as California and Texas
The Public Policy Institute, The
Business Councils research affiliate, has taken the New York Times to
task for two recent stories on tort reform.
The Institute, strongly criticized the two stories in a letter to
the Times June 8.
He noted that a June 6 story cited tort-reform advocates "misleading" use
of anecdotes
The Business Council has formed a new committee that will focus on electronic
commerce.
Edmund F. Perry, director of government relations and growth strategies
for IBM and former director of government affairs for The Business Council,
will serve as the first chair of the "e-commerce"committee
Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver Wednesday proposed a "Health Care Reform
Act 2000 " that would:
Increase state aid to hospitals and create a new government-funded
health insurance plan for some 300,000 adult New Yorkers.
Expand support for graduate medical education by increasing the funding
to account for inflation
The state Senate Wednesday passed a major tax-cut package and a budget
bill that includes $782 million in funding to create jobs by investing
in research, infrastructure, education, and worker re-training.
The Senate tax package includes:
Cuts in taxes on utilities for generating, transmitting, and distributing
electricity ($270 million)
The state Senate has voted to repeal the ton mileage tax, one of the
priorities in The Business Council's 1999 tax reduction proposals.
"New York's ton mileage tax increases the costs to businesses throughout
the state, particularly in upstate New York, that rely heavily on trucks
to deliver products," Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno said
Governor Pataki remains committed to two key workers' compensation reforms
that were not part of the 1996 reform package, aides to Governor Pataki
said Wednesday.
The reforms are a cap on benefits on permanent partial disability payments
and the use of objective medical guidelines to determine the level of
impairment in these cases