S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   3760
 
                        2025-2026 Regular Sessions
 
                           I N  A S S E M B L Y
 
                             January 30, 2025
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by M. of A. STIRPE, JONES, SEAWRIGHT, HEVESI, SAYEGH, BRAUN-
   STEIN, ROSENTHAL, SIMON, DAVILA, JACOBSON, LUNSFORD, McDONOUGH, BRABE-
   NEC, GIGLIO, TAGUE, LUPARDO, LEMONDES -- read once and referred to the
   Committee on Economic Development
 
 AN ACT authorizing the empire state development corporation to develop a
   public awareness campaign promoting businesses  located  in  New  York
   state
 
   THE  PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section 1. 1. The empire state development corporation shall  develop,
 establish and implement a public awareness campaign promoting businesses
 located  in New York state and encouraging individuals and businesses to
 purchase products and services from such businesses, with an emphasis on
 the need to shop at and support local small businesses as defined pursu-
 ant to section 131 of the economic development law, as well as the  need
 to shop at and support local downtown areas.
   2.  The  campaign shall include an internet website providing informa-
 tion on businesses  located  in  New  York  state  and  their  available
 products  and services including a Buy New York Online Networking Direc-
 tory. The owner of any business located and operated in this  state  may
 apply  to  the empire state development corporation to have such owner's
 business included on such directory. The directory  shall  include,  but
 not  be  limited to, participating businesses' names, addresses, contact
 information,  including  telephone  number,  fax,  e-mail  and   website
 address,  products or services offered with a brief description, and any
 additional information, including history, hours and dates of operation,
 and number of employees. The names of businesses participating  in  such
 directory shall be organized by specific categories based on the various
 goods  or  services that such business provides. Such directory shall be
 searchable by such specific categories including, but  not  limited  to,
 small  businesses  as  defined  pursuant  to section 131 of the economic
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD05090-01-5
              

 A. 3760                             2
 
 development law. Such directory shall also include a  search  capability
 to  allow for participating businesses to be searched by the products or
 services they offer.
   3. The public awareness campaign shall be made available to the public
 by  any  means deemed appropriate by the empire state development corpo-
 ration including, but not limited to, internet, radio, and print  adver-
 tising  such as brochures, billboards and posters. The campaign may also
 identify and recruit individuals to serve as visible, public ambassadors
 to promote this message.
   4. The campaign shall begin no later than January 1, 2027. The  empire
 state  development  corporation  shall  prepare  an annual report to the
 governor and the legislature on or before December first of each year on
 the public awareness campaign,  including:  (a)  actions  taken  by  the
 empire  state  development corporation to carry out the public awareness
 campaign and (b) an assessment of the necessary appropriations  for  the
 empire  state  development corporation to meet the needs of the campaign
 in the next fiscal year.
   § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.