Governor Signs Ritchie Bill to Cut Red Tape on Ag Business

New law also a top priority of state’s new agriculture commissioner

State Senator Patty Ritchie announced that Governor Cuomo has signed into law her bill that cuts red tape on nursery businesses, while also streamlining government and cutting costs for taxpayers.

The bill, S.4144, was “Departmental Bill No. 1,” and a top priority of state Agriculture Commissioner Darrel J. Aubertine.

“I am very pleased that Governor Cuomo has signed into law this measure to make state government more efficient and which will provide relief for these small businesses,” Senator Ritchie said.  “As the chair of the Senate Agriculture Committee, I am very pleased to work with Commissioner Darrel Aubertine to enact this legislation.”  

New York State Agriculture Commissioner Aubertine said, “Governor Cuomo has said time and time again he wants to make doing business in New York easier, and this bill is a modest, but excellent symbol of his commitment.  This bill will increase the efficiency of administration and the convenience of registering nursery dealer licenses – a bonus for both the Department of Agriculture and Markets and nursery owners alike.”

The bill allows nursery growers and dealers to file their biennial registrations on a rolling schedule during the year, instead of the current requirement, which mandates that all businesses file by the same day. That deadline created an undue burden on small businesses and created internal administrative problems for the agency.

The bill was sponsored in the Assembly by Agriculture Committee Chair William Magee.

“When I came to Albany, one of my top priorities was to find ways to help state government become more efficient. This common sense law will allow Agriculture and Markets staff to process registrations year round by creating a rolling deadline for small businesses,” Senator Ritchie said. “The old requirement created a log jam for state employees. In the private sector, businesses try to spread out their workload. This will help make the state government more efficient and ultimately saves money for businesses and taxpayers.”