NYS ASSEMBLY Notice of Roundtable The Role of State Programs for Micro-business Assistance in Developing the Upstate Economy
South Side Innovation Center
Monday ROUNDTABLE DESCRIPTION |
The Assembly Committees, Commissions and Task Forces are sponsoring this roundtable to examine micro-business issues in the upstate economy. The roundtable will bring together experts from micro-business development organizations, micro-loan programs, community development funding institutions, marketing co-operatives and business owners, and library business centers to discuss strategies for improving the State's assistance to micro-businesses. The Assembly panel welcomes recommendations on how the state can promote entrepreneurship within the workforce development system upstate, where plant closings and corporate downsizing in small cities have limited the potential for re-employment. In addition, the Assembly would like to improve assistance for entrepreneurs and new businesses in rural communities that have suffered from loss of farms and other employers. BACKGROUND Micro-enterprise development is a proven, viable grassroots strategy for achieving significant gains in the incomes and assets of citizens excluded from the economic mainstream, yet the State has heretofore done relatively little to encourage it. Micro-businesses, generally defined as businesses enterprises with five or fewer employees, account for 88% of all businesses in New York State, and employ approximately 20% of the State's workforce. There are currently 1.6 million micro-businesses operating in New York, generating approximately $58 billion in annual revenues. Micro-businesses generate jobs, often in communities with high unemployment, and provide route to economic self-sufficiency. Home-based and part-time micro-businesses can be an innovative way for families, and in particular women, to combine child-rearing with income generation. From an economic development perspective, serving micro-businesses and small businesses is labor intensive relative to the size of grants and loans given out. However, costs per job created have been shown to be low compared to many economic development programs. The State has a number of programs in statute to encourage micro-enterprise development, including the Minority-Owned Business Development and Lending Program, the Entrepreneurial Assistance Program (EAP), the SUNY Small Business Development Centers, the Self-Employment Assistance Program, and the Rural Revitalization Program under the Urban Development Corporation. However, these programs may not be as effective as they could be. Overall budget allocations for these programs are relatively low, and are inconsistent from year to year. Actual expenditures by the State are difficult to track, due to the broad funding streams through which micro-business development monies flow. Finally, restrictions in statute such as the caps on micro-loan amounts and eligible populations may need to be re-visited. The roundtable will help us to learn more about how to best assist micro-businesses, and to make the case for robust state support. |
Members of Assembly |
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Mark Weprin, Chair
William Magee, Chair
Joan L. Millman, Chair
Barbara Lifton, Chair |
Joan Christensen, Chair
David Koon, Chair
Jose Rivera, Chair |
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SELECTED ISSUES TO BE ADDRESSED:
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PUBLIC HEARING REPLY FORM If you have any questions or concerns please contact either Brenda Carter or Paul Kuteesa at the Legislative Commission on Skills Development & Career Education.
Brenda Carter |
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I plan to participate in the roundtable on The Role of State Programs for Micro-business Assistance in Developing the Upstate Economy be conducted by the Assembly Standing Committee on Small Business, the Assembly Commission on Skills Development & Career Education, the Assembly Standing Committee on Agriculture, Legislative Commission on Rural Resources, Assembly Task Force on Women's Issues, and the Assembly Commission on Government Administration, the Assembly Task Force on Food, Farm and Nutrition and Policy. | |
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I do not plan to attend the above roundtable. | |
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