Advocacy

​Today, Governor Cuomo kicked off the 2020 legislative session with the State of the State address. This address is typically an opportunity for the Governor to outline major policy priorities for the coming year. During the address, Cuomo unveiled the broad strokes of an agenda which includes several items of interest to independent agents and brokers. Small Business Tax Cut: The governor has proposed cutting the tax rate for businesses employing fewer than 100 workers and with less than $390,000 in income from 6.5% to 4%. Gig Economy: The governor plans to introduce legislation to reclassify “gig workers" such as rideshare drivers, delivery workers, and…

​​Governor Cuomo has signed legislation that will help ease burdens on small businesses by implementing a “cure period" in which to correct minor regulatory violations. The cure period is granted upon a first-time violation of a state agency's rules or regulations related to paperwork submitted or actions and omissions that are “de minimus". A regulatory agency must provide a small business (defined as a New York resident business with less than 100 employees that is not dominant in its field) no less than 90 days to remedy the violation. If the violation is corrected during the cure period, no penalties are issued. The cure period…

​​We are pleased to announce that Governor Cuomo has signed legislation to require state agencies to consider specific impacts on small businesses when creating new regulations​​. The bill​, sponsored by Assemblywoman Simotas (D, Queens) and Senator Kaplan (D, Nassau County), is an important victory for small independent agencies across the state. Effective November 1, 2020, state agencies will be required to​ conduct an assessment of the minimum time needed by small businesses and local governments to apply with a new regulation, including practical, legal, and economic constraints on compliance. Furthermore, state agencies will be required to actively solicit the participation of small businesses and local governments during the rulemaking process. …