New York taxpayers should not be rewarding companies that send jobs out-of-state or overseas with tax breaks and financial incentives. That’s why I am sponsoring legislation in the Assembly to discourage outsourcing jobs from New York State (A.1213). This legislation is designed to keep jobs in New York by preventing companies that outsource jobs from cashing in at the taxpayers’ expense. Companies should be rewarded for creating jobs – not exporting them.

The bill, known as the State Financial Incentive Protection Act, prohibits companies from receiving financial incentives if they are sending jobs out of the state. It also requires that, if a company has received state economic development money and then outsourced jobs outside the state, it will return any money it has received.

The outsourcing problem is only getting worse as companies look to cut their costs by relying on lower-paid workers. The outsourcing of jobs initially impacted manufacturing workers, but all sectors of our economy – increasingly white-collar, high-tech jobs – are being affected.

Stimulating economic growth through University-Industry Collaboration

To capitalize on our strengths and improve the overall economy in this state, the Assembly has pushed to solidify and energize the collaborative ventures between businesses and institutions of higher education. This is something I have worked very hard to promote as Chairman of the Assembly’s Task Force on University-Industry Cooperation. With our first-class university system and dynamic businesses, the economic development resources here in New York are second to none.

To harbor job growth here in New York, I have authored a bill requiring research institutions and other entities applying for or receiving certain state economic development grants to first consider New York companies as primary suppliers of products or services necessary to accomplish the funded project goals (A.5597). This bill also mandates a written description from the reward recipients detailing New York’s economic growth potential as a result of their project.

To assist New York universities in marketing their available technologies, I’ve also sponsored legislation to coordinate an annual Statewide University Patent Fair through the New York State Office of Science, Technology and Academic Research (A.5598). This patent fair will increase visibility of emerging technologies by commercializing New York university patents for licensing.

New York is an uncontested leader when it comes to high-tech research and development, but the governor has done a poor job turning our brain power into economic power. We have one of the best-trained, best-educated workforces anywhere, with a work ethic that other areas would be hard pressed to match. Yet the current administration has failed to invest in New York’s outstanding workforce. We need to do everything we can to keep jobs in New York and that means investing in economic ventures that provide job opportunities to New Yorkers. I urge my colleagues in the Senate and the governor to pass these critically important pieces of legislation to help keep jobs where they belong – in the Empire State.