Assemblyman Brian Manktelow (R,C,I-Lyons) is pleased to announce he is joining his colleges in the Assembly Minority Conference to unveil a “Jump-Start New York: A Plan for Economic Recovery,” a plan set to restore New York’s failing economy due to the pandemic.

“In order to ensure our economy will thrive after reopening the state, we must work together and take a bold step toward doing so,” said Manktelow. “We need to provide assistance and relief to small businesses, manufacturers, farmers, and their employees who have been harshly affected by the shutdowns due to COVID-19. Getting New Yorkers back to work, in a safe manner with proper protocols in place to limit the spread of the virus, is a step in the right direction to get our economy back on track. On top of being a health crisis, the pandemic has also caused a mental and financial crisis, resulting in a significant drop to our economy. Relief should have been provided in a much more aggressive and helpful manner months ago, so it is imperative that we move forward in assisting those who need it now, rather than worrying about projects that are not as critical to New York’s survival.”

The following proposals are including in “Jump-Start New York: A Plan for Economic Recover:”

• Limiting the governor’s expanded powers and increasing local authority during future emergencies;
• Implementing the “NY Business Emergency Relief Act of 2021” to direct all unallocated settlement funds and any further settlement money to business relief purposes;
• Utilizing Regional Economic Development Councils for disaster recovery instead of general economic development purposes;
• Repurposing and utilizing capital programs like those from state and municipal facilities, special infrastructure, the New York Works Economic Development Fund and START-UP NY;
• Implementing a 180-day “regulatory amnesty” period to allow small businesses to remedy violations without being subjected to fines or penalties;
• Establishing the Division of Regulatory Review & Economic Growth (DRREG) to establish a framework to reduce regulatory burdens on businesses;
• Providing a tax credit to landlords for any loss of rental income due to actions taken to suspend rent as a result of COVID-19;
• Increasing rural internet accessibility to ensure equality in access to telehealth, remote learning and work-from-home capabilities; and
• Supporting New York farmers and agricultural businesses by loosening regulatory expenses and requirements, broadening eligibility standards for funding and expanding markets to foster greater opportunities to move their products.

In a recent survey completed by the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) it was found that 22% of small business owners have said they do not think they will be able to continue operations beyond seven or 12 months given the current economic climate. It was also found by the New York Farm Bureau that 65% of farms and those in the agricultural businesses have been negatively impacted by the pandemic.

“It is already hard enough to thrive as a business or individual in New York due to the high tax and regulatory policies but adding a pandemic on top of it definitely did not help the situation. If we ever hope to recover and encourage business growth and job creation, I strongly encourage the governor to look at our proposals, which contain common-sense measures, to help revitalize New York.”