What's happening
This bill requires each New York state agency to designate a small business liaison to assist and advocate for small businesses.
Why it matters
Improves access and communication for small businesses. By requiring agencies to post direct contact information and designate a liaison, the bill aims to make it easier for small businesses to get timely answers and help navigating complicated regulations.
Creates a channel for advocacy and feedback. The liaison is tasked not just with answering questions, but also with reporting small business concerns to agency leadership and recommending changes, potentially making agencies more responsive to the real-world challenges small businesses face.
Encourages education and outreach. The liaison is responsible for initiating educational programs and collaborating on regulatory guides, which could help small businesses better understand and comply with state rules, reducing accidental violations and fostering a more supportive environment.
Potential for expanded support. The bill includes a mechanism for agencies to assess whether the liaison role requires a full-time position, allowing for increased resources if demand is high—signaling a long-term commitment to small business advocacy within state government.
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Who cares
Small businesses regulated by state agencies
They would gain a designated contact for regulatory questions, help navigating agency staff and an internal advocate for their concerns.
State agencies and agency heads
Each agency would have to designate an existing employee as liaison, prominently post direct contact information online and assess whether inquiry volume warrants a separate full-time position and budget request.
Agency employees designated as liaisons
They would handle inquiries, recommend solutions to small business concerns, encourage outreach and collaborate on regulatory guides and flexibility analyses.
Department of Economic Development’s division for small business and the small business development center
Agency liaisons would be required to coordinate their activities with these entities.
Headline styles
Require Small Business Liaisons
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
Assembly Member · Assembly District 108
3 Co-sponsors
History
- Referred to ways and means
- Reported referred to ways and means
- Referred to governmental operations
Companion bill
The same bill in the other chamber. A bill becomes law when one version passes both houses and the governor signs it, so either number can carry it.
Assign Small Business Liaisons
In Senate Committee · Commerce, Economic Development And Small Business · Sponsor Fredrick J. Akshar II
Full text
2 pagesUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
7541
2019-2020 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
May 9, 2019
Introduced by M. of A. McDONALD, LUPARDO -- read once and referred to the Committee on Governmental Operations
AN ACT to amend the state administrative procedure act, in relation to each agency designating a small business liaison
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. The state administrative procedure act is amended by adding a new section 102-b to read as follows:
§ 102-b. Small business liaison. Each agency shall designate an existing employee to serve as its liaison to small businesses regulated by such agency. The direct contact information of the small business liaison shall be prominently posted and easily accessible on the agency website. The small business liaison shall:
(a) serve as an initial primary contact for small businesses to contact with any inquiries;
(b) be equipped to provide small businesses with basic information on the agency and its regulations;
(c) help small businesses navigate the agency bureaucracy to identify and contact the appropriate staff person within the agency, either at the state or regional level, for more specific information pertaining to the small business;
(d) hear the concerns of small businesses, report those concerns to appropriate agency staff and offer possible solutions to such concerns;
(e) advocate within the agency on behalf of small businesses, and make recommendations to the agency head on matters affecting small businesses;
(f) initiate and encourage small business education and outreach programs on behalf of the agency, as appropriate;
(g) collaborate with the appropriate agency staff on any small business regulation guide pursuant to section one hundred two-a and any
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD05581-01-9
A. 7541 2
small business regulatory flexibility analysis pursuant to section two hundred two-b of this chapter; and
(h) coordinate his or her activities with the division for small business within the department of economic development, and the small business development center.
§ 2. On or before January 1, 2020, the small business liaison shall report to the agency head the number of inquiries he or she has received from small businesses in 2019, and the agency head shall determine whether a separate full-time employee will be needed for such position going forward and make any appropriate budget request to the governor and legislature for the ensuing fiscal year.
§ 3. This act shall take effect immediately.
Reflowed for reading: line numbers and page breaks removed. Cite the official text.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.