Senate Majority Coalition to Hold Public Forums on Regulatory Reform

SYRACUSE, N.Y.—State Senator David J. Valesky (D-Oneida), Chair of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Economic Development, and Small Business, announced a series of industry-specific public forums, including one in Syracuse, on regulatory reform as part of the coalition’s bipartisan effort to identify and eliminate the most costly government regulations that strangle business and job growth and drive up local taxes.

The Senate Committee on Commerce, Economic Development, and Small Business and the Administrative Regulations Review Commission will convene 10 public forums across the state in September and October. The Syracuse hearing will be held on September 20 and will focus on manufacturing.

“We know that businesses in general are affected by over-regulation and bureaucracy. These forums will give us the opportunity to listen to the challenges faced by different sectors and industries, to learn which regulations are most cumbersome, and to find a way to help,” Senator Valesky said. “I look forward to having these conversations and to working with my colleagues in the subsequent legislative session to find long-term solutions that will help New York State businesses thrive.”

Senator Valesky, along with Senator David Carlucci (D-Rockland/Westchester), Senator Patrick Gallivan (R-Elma), and Senator Kathleen Marchione (R-Halfmoon), led the Senate Coalition’s legislative effort this year to pass 14 regulatory reform bills designed to create a more competitive environment for businesses so they can create new jobs and grow for the future. The four Senators are coordinating the statewide public forums.

Each public forum will be industry-specific and will give Senators the opportunity to hear from businesses and local officials and to learn which rules, regulations and mandates affecting their industry are the most useless, most costly, and should be eliminated.

The public forum dates, places and industry to be discussed, are as follows:
(Buffalo): Medical Technology/Health
(Watertown): Agriculture
(Syracuse): Manufacturing
(Long Island): Construction
(New York City): Insurance
(New York City): Banking/Financial Services
(Hudson Valley): Small Business
(Saratoga): Hospitality/Tourism
(Corning): Manufacturing
(Rochester): Biotechnology

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