What's happening
This bill creates a grant program for school-based business incubators in New York to train and support local business development.
Why it matters
Targets Real Local Needs. By requiring that grant applications and program designs address gaps in local business markets and community needs, the initiative aims to create incubators that are tailored to the unique economic challenges and opportunities in each participating county.
Prioritizes Underserved Populations. The program explicitly encourages initiatives that focus on training and employing older workers, minorities, women, high-risk populations, seniors, and people with disabilities—potentially expanding entrepreneurial and workforce opportunities for groups often left out of traditional business support systems.
Emphasizes Comprehensive Skill-Building. The mandated curriculum goes beyond basic business education to include financial literacy, marketing, technological training, production efficiency, and collaboration—equipping participants with a broad set of tools needed for business creation and growth.
Ensures Accountability and Knowledge Sharing. The requirement for detailed reporting, progress evaluation, and a final public report with best practices and model curricula could help improve future programs, create transparency, and support the replication of successful approaches across the state.
Albany, before your first meeting.
Every bill that moved yesterday, summarized in a sentence and ranked by impact. The Albany Scorecard follows on Sundays.
Free. Unsubscribe in one click. Want alerts on specific bills? Create an account.
Who cares
Community colleges and workforce training institutions
Qualifying providers could apply for grants of up to $300,000 per project to develop school-based business incubators under a three-year pilot in up to six counties, subject to appropriations.
Local chambers of commerce, small business groups and local governments
They could partner with qualifying institutions to identify community needs and develop collaborative applications.
Older workers, minorities and women
The initiative would include projects emphasizing their training and employment, with instruction in business education, financial literacy and marketing.
- Watching
State education commissioner
The bill would require the commissioner to award grants, establish program rules, monitor results and publish a report at the end of the pilot.
Headline styles
Fund Community Business Training
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
No co-sponsors yet.
History
- Referred to education
- Referred to education
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.
Fund Community Business Training
In Assembly Committee · Higher Education · Sponsor Robin Schimminger
Full text
2 pagesUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
1355
2019-2020 Regular Sessions
IN SENATE
January 14, 2019
Introduced by Sen. SERINO -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Education
AN ACT to amend the education law, in relation to establishing a community business initiative
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. The education law is amended by adding a new section 309-b to read as follows:
§ 309-b. Community business initiative. 1. For the purposes of this section "qualifying institution" shall mean postsecondary providers of career education, vocational or technical education providers, continuing education adult schools, community colleges, or workforce training institutions.
2. Within amounts appropriated, and upon application by qualifying institutions, the commissioner shall award grants equaling up to three hundred thousand dollars per project in up to six counties of the state for three years for the development of a school-based incubator to train applicants in business education, financial literacy, and marketing in order to develop local businesses that contribute to the local economy and address community needs.
3. The commissioner shall promulgate rules and regulations to implement the community business initiative to include, but not be limited to:
(a) application processes for funds for qualifying institutions and evaluation metrics that include, but are not limited to, the ability for initiatives to meet local needs or address gaps in local business markets. Nothing within the application process shall preclude qualifying institutions from partnering with local chambers of commerce, small business groups, or local government to identify needs of the community and establish collaborative applications;
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD06824-01-9
S. 1355 2
(b) descriptions of qualifying community business initiatives that include, but are not limited to, those that place an emphasis on training and employing older workers, minorities, and women, as well as those initiatives that are targeted at servicing high risk populations, seniors, or the disabled;
(c) descriptions of business development curriculum including but not limited to, the development of business plans, technological training, production efficiency, local dialogue and cooperation, and the utilization of local resources;
(d) rules and regulations for the establishment of community businesses including, but not limited to, ownership and liability responsibilities for the qualifying institution and participating students at all stages of the development process; and
(e) reporting requirements for the qualifying institutions to track participant involvement, expenditures, training effectiveness, and best practices for curriculum targeted at local business development.
4. The commissioner shall monitor implementation of programs, evaluate progress, and require reports as needed. At the conclusion of the three year pilot period, the commissioner shall report to the speaker of the assembly, the temporary president of the senate and post on the department website a report that includes a description of the chosen community business initiatives, best practices, identification of key concerns and recommendations for improvement as well as model workforce training curriculum and guidance for training and servicing the identified populations.
§ 2. This act shall take effect on the one hundred twentieth day after it shall have become a law.
Reflowed for reading: line numbers and page breaks removed. Cite the official text.
Sponsor's memo
Title of bill
An act to amend the education law, in relation to establishing a commu- nity business initiative
Purpose
To establish school-based incubators to develop local businesses and address community needs.
Summary of provisions
Section 1: Defines qualifying institutions for the Community Business Initiative and provides for grants of up to $300,000 per project in up to six counties for the development of school-based incubators to devel- op local businesses and address community needs.
The Commissioner of Education would set rules and regulations for the application process and evaluation metrics, including the ability for initiatives to meet local needs or address gaps in local business markets, descriptions of qualifying community business initiatives including those with an emphasis on training and employing older work- ers, minorities, women and high risk populations. The Commissioner would also provide descriptions of business development curriculum, rules and regulations regarding ownership and liability responsibilities as well as reporting requirements for qualifying institutions.
After three years, the Commissioner would report to the New York State Legislature and post on a public website a report including a description of the chosen community business initiatives, best prac- tices, identification of key concerns and recommendations for improve- ment, as well as a model workforce training curriculum and guidance for training and servicing the identified populations.
Section 2: Provides the effective date.
Justification
According to a study by the Pacific Research Institute on "The 50-State Small Business Regulation Index," New York State is identified as state with some of the most regulator burdens for small businesses, ranking in the bottom 10. New York claims to be open for business, but small busi- ness owners especially face an upward battle in navigating the regulato- ry-heavy business environment of the state as they often lack the resources for to hire dedicated staff to handle these issues. Postse- condary providers of career, vocational, technical and continuing adult education, as well as community colleges and workforce training insti- tutions are in a unique position to develop curriculum to provide aspir- ing entrepreneurs with the know-how of running your own business, while meeting the specific needs of local communities. This legislation would establish grants for school-based incubators in up to six counties and help new businesses navigate New York's challenging business climate by providing training in areas such as business education, financial liter- acy and marketing.
Legislative history
2018: S.8686 Referred to Education
Fiscal implications
Subject to appropriation.
Effective date
This act shall take one hundred and twenty days after it becomes a law.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.