Assembly Resolution No. 2047

BY: M. of A. Woerner

MEMORIALIZING Governor Kathy Hochul to proclaim
April 28-May 4, 2024, as Small Business Week in the
State of New York

WHEREAS, From Montauk to Buffalo, Plattsburgh to Binghamton and
every community in-between, small businesses are the heart of our
communities and the American economy, employing more than half of our
Nation's workers; and

WHEREAS, Historic investments made through the President's American
Rescue Plan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, CHIPS and Science
Act and Inflation Reduction Act will ensure small businesses have access
to federal capital support, technical assistance, contracting
opportunities, and other resources to help lead the way as we rebuild
America's roads and bridges and build a clean energy economy for the
future; and

WHEREAS, When we support small businesses, jobs are created, and
local communities preserve their unique culture: and

WHEREAS, According to the 2022 Annual Small Business Report prepared
by Empire State Development, small businesses continue to be a
significant economic driver in New York State with an estimated 98
percent of New York businesses having fewer than 100 employees,
employing 39 percent of the workforce; and

WHEREAS, The Upstate New York District offices of the U.S. NY Small
Business Association, which services 34 counties in New York State with
offices in Syracuse, Elmira and Albany, facilitated over 580 loans in
Fiscal Year 2023, with a value over $240 million dollars; and

WHEREAS, New York State continues to actively support minority and
women-owned business enterprises and veteran-owned and service-disabled
veteran-owned businesses; and

WHEREAS, Small businesses of all kinds, from family-owned
restaurants and farmers markets to antique stores and landscapers, are
crucial to the health of our communities and to the State's economy
overall, but have been greatly tested during these past few years; and

WHEREAS, The innovation, diversity, competitive strength, job
creation, and quality of life that small businesses bring to our economy
are vital elements for our State's long-term economic health; and

WHEREAS, The entrepreneurial spirit of New York residents has led to
the creation and growth of emerging agricultural industries in New York,
such as craft beverages, artisanal foods, and the production of hemp,
hops and adult-use cannabis; and

WHEREAS, Small businesses showed great ingenuity and resilience by
adapting quickly to pandemic related restrictions and weathered economic
hardship; and

WHEREAS, The future welfare of our State depends on the continued
development of small businesses; and

WHEREAS, By renewing our commitment to supporting small businesses,
we can maintain our global competitiveness and build a stronger Nation
where everyone can succeed; and

WHEREAS, When we join National Small Business Week, celebrated since
1963, we join in our country's recognition of the contributions of small
businesses to the American economy and their importance in ensuring our
local communities remain as vibrant as tomorrow as they are today; and

WHEREAS, The members of the New York State Legislature wish to
proclaim their recognition of small businesses as a crucial element in
the economy of New York State; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to
memorialize Governor Kathy Hochul to proclaim April 28-May 4, 2024, as
Small Business Week in the State of New York; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be
transmitted to The Honorable Kathy Hochul, Governor of the State of New
York.