Assembly Resolution No. 419

BY: M. of A. Stirpe

MEMORIALIZING Governor Kathy Hochul to proclaim
April 30 - May 6, 2023, 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 these
communities; 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, which
employ 39 percent of the workforce; 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 three years; and

WHEREAS, The COVID-19 pandemic had an enormous effect on New York's
small business; these ramifications continue to be felt by small
businesses across the State; and

WHEREAS, Small businesses showed great ingenuity and resilience by
adapting quickly to pandemic related restrictions and weathered economic
hardship; 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, 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 business owners demonstrate extraordinary resilience
in the face of larger forces beyond their control, such as challenging
economic times, supply chain disruptions, and pandemics; and

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

WHEREAS, The members of the New York State Assembly 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 declare April 30 - May 6, 2023, 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.