Issues

  • Economic Development
    One and a half million New Yorkers have left our state since 2000; more than any other state. They have left because of the lack of job opportunities caused by the high cost of doing business -- taxes, energy, health care/Medicaid, etc. -- in our state. Municipalities in New York use their industrial development agencies (IDAs) to lower the cost of doing business in an effort to level the playing field and encourage businesses to invest and create jobs. Economic growth, aided by government policies, must be part of any solution to return New York to fiscal soundness.

    Accordingly:
    • We are concerned that the Empire Zone replacement program proposed by Governor Paterson --The Excelsior Jobs Program -- may not provide the incentives sufficient to overcome New York’s high cost of doing business and therefore do little to retain or attract investment or jobs.
    - Incentives should also be available to existing companies who make significant investments to become more competitive and retain jobs.
    • We oppose mandating a prevailing or "living wage" be paid to all IDA-assisted projects.
    • We support legislation allowing IDAs to make "civic authority" financing available to non-profit organizations permanent, without wage mandates.
    • We reject IDA reform which is aimed at imposing overburdening procedural requirements and operational costs on businesses.
    • We oppose the Commercial Assessment Ratio Bill for Westchester.
  • Energy
    The rising costs of electricity coupled with the lack of new generating capacity are serious concerns for our businesses. The Business Council of Westchester is heartened that New York State has approved a State Energy Plan that should help to guide and improve New York's energy policy. In particular, the plan embraces a fuel-neutral power plant siting law, a critical need to encourage the construction of new electric generating capacity, electric and natural gas transmission and distribution facilities and other energy infrastructure. It also emphasizes improved energy efficiency, exploring the Marcellus shale natural gas formation and upgrading the transmission network.

    At the same time, the plan missed an opportunity to achieve the broader goals of maintaining an affordable, reliable, safe and diverse supply of energy by not explicitly supporting the continued operation of Indian Point, which is critical to the reliability of the downstate electricity supply and economy. However, the report clearly notes that the loss of Indian Point will lead to higher prices and carbon emissions and that further studies are needed. In fact, a study done by the Westchester Business Alliance, which includes The Business Council of Westchester, concluded that closing Indian Point could raise electricity rates in Westchester to over $0.50 per kilowatt hour, over three and one half times the national average, by 2017. The resultant economic impact would be a loss of as many as 11,000 jobs, $2.1 billion in cumulative lost wages and nearly $5.5 billion in cumulative lost economic output.

    To secure New York's increasing energy demands and secure New York's baseload energy supply, we recommend:

    • Relicensing of the Indian Point Energy Center
    - We oppose any local, state or federal efforts to close the facility.
    - Indian Point's continued operations must be included in any credible energy plan proposed or administered at the federal, state or local level.
    • The passage and implementation of a new fuel-neutral power plant siting law
    - This legislation is time sensitive in order to take advantage of various incentives offered under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 which will facilitate the financing and reduce the costs of energy projects.
    - Construction of new power plants will provide substantial economic development benefits for the state and local communities where the facility is built.
    • Creating a permanent Power for Jobs low-cost power program
    • The development of in-state renewable energy projects
    • Greater energy efficiency and funding for cost-effective energy efficiency programs implemented by local utilities and state agencies
    • An increase in the region's power supply through transmission additions and upgrades, capacity additions and the development of safe, secure, reliable and diverse supplies of energy
    • A robust and healthy energy system. If left unchanged, the current regulatory environment and aging infrastructure will jeopardize the delivery companies of providing safe and reliable service
    • The Temporary Assessment (18-a Assessment) that appears on customer electricity bills be repealed.
  • Fiscal Reform

    Reduce Government Spending and Taxes; Promote Fiscal Reform
    • Advocate for a Fiscal 2010-2011 Budget that does not increase taxes or fees and does not impose new taxes or fees
    • Eliminate New York's budget deficit through spending reductions
    • Implement a State Spending Cap based on the rate of inflation to limit the increases in state spending
    • Enact a Property Tax Cap with local mandate relief
    - As recommended by the Commission on Property Tax Relief the cap should limit the annual growth in school property taxes to 120 percent of the consumer price index or 4 percent, whichever is less
    • Reduce the size and cost of the government workforce

  • Government Employee Compensation Spending


    • Align wages and benefits for government employees with private sector levels
    • Increase state and local employees' contributions to their health insurance premiums
    • Support consolidation of local government and services
    • Enforce the existing law requiring the collection of cigarette taxes sold to non-Native Americans that originate from sales on Indian reservations
    • Reduce New York State debt and reform government borrowing practices.
  • Healthcare
    The Business Council of Westchester realizes it will take a fundamental restructuring of our health care system to make health care affordable again. The restructuring will require hard choices and changes to the way health care is delivered. Solutions must involve all stakeholders, acting in a collaborative way, seeking a more efficient system that expands access and improves patient outcomes.

    Our goal in 2010 is to achieve progress in addressing the problem of the escalating costs of health care and Medicaid and at the same time provide for the necessary infrastructure investment.

    Accordingly, we should:
    • Pursue policies to lower costs of health care and health insurance
    - Reduce coverage mandates
    - Reduce taxes and assessments that raise the cost of health insurance
    - Oppose play or pay proposals
    - Promote more efficient health care delivery
    • Change the Department of Insurance regulations to permit multi-employer, experience rated plans
    • Support health care cuts that don't compromise quality of service or patient outcomes
    • Create incentives for the use of electronic medical records
    • Advocate for aligning provider incentives to promote cost-effective primary care; the current reimbursement system rewards providers for high utilization of expensive procedures at the expense of primary and preventive care services
    • Advocate for the development of pay-for-performance programs and centers of excellence that reward providers for delivering higher quality health care
    • Support wellness programs offered by health insurers, featuring incentives and rewards for employers; employee contributions would be voluntary
    • Advocate for restoring flexibility to New York's health insurance regulations to permit more innovative and targeted health plan offerings that meet the consumer's needs; flexibility in health insurance offerings gives businesses more diverse and affordable choices
    • Reform Medicaid to resemble the more typical benefits offered by other states and support a crackdown on Medicaid fraud to restore taxpayer confidence in this program
    • Endorse the enactment of medical liability tort reform to rein in the costs of medical malpractice insurance; it is estimated that the practice of liability and defensive medicine adds 10% to the cost of premiums

  • Labor and Employment
    The Business Council of Westchester opposes harmful legislative proposals such as paid family leave and wage and sick leave mandates. Paid family leave proposals would cover a range of family-related issues, such as caring for a parent or bonding with a newly adopted child. These proposals would use the state's employer-funded disability system to give paid benefits to employees who are not disabled. Paid family leave and wage and sick leave mandates would increase New York's already high job creation costs. Collectively, they are major employer expenses and play a significant role in an employer's competitive position in attracting and retaining high-quality personnel in the job market.
  • Transportation
    Through leadership in the Tappan Zee Bridge Futures Task Force, we will continue to advocate for a new bridge and an effective transportation infrastructure to move goods, services, and people east/west and north/south. Work to identify funding sources for this project will be essential as the Tappan Zee Bridge has been identified as in urgent need of improvement. The ability to guarantee safety for the public traveling over the Tappan Zee is paramount. The planning for an effective East/West BRT system must meet the needs for mobility into the future.
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