December 30, 2024
From Assemblyman Phil Palmesano: Assemblyman Phil Palmesano (R,C-Corning) is voicing his displeasure with Gov. Kathy Hochul for signing the Climate Change Superfund Act (A.3351). This will require businesses in New York to pay the state to the tune of $75 billion over the course of 25 years to fight climate change. Palmesano argues this is unfair and ultimately the costs will end up falling to the consumers. “New York currently leads the nation in outmigration. It is well known that New York is hostile to business and has one of the highest tax burdens and worst business climates in the country. This also sends a terrible message to the business community. The last thing we should be doing is making it harder for businesses to stay here, operate here and locate here. Unfortunately, it appears Gov. Hochul lacks the will to stand up to radical progressives in the Legislature to prevent it. What this law does is punish businesses retroactively that had followed the rules, regulations and laws with proper permits that we all have benefited from—businesses, manufacturers, families, farmers, etc. We are now empowering the very agency (Department of Environmental Conservation) that approved these permits for operation to penalize, assess and fine these businesses. This is clearly an anti-business and anti-consumer law.” said Palmesano.
From Senator George Borrello: In the wake of Governor Hochul’s recent announcement regarding an “inflation refund” plan, Republican Senators George Borrello, Dean Murray, and Pam Helming, all members of the Senate Committee on Small Business, Commerce and Economic Development, have called on the governor to take decisive action to alleviate the burdens facing New York’s small businesses.
In a joint letter, the Senators urged Governor Hochul to dedicate state funds to paying off the roughly $6 billion in Unemployment Insurance (UI) Fund debt that is still owed to the federal government, a critical step that they argue would provide a more effective and long-term solution to alleviating inflation and reducing consumer costs.
The senators highlighted that New York State’s UI Fund debt, accrued during the COVID-19 pandemic, has placed an undue financial burden on small businesses, forcing them to shoulder higher unemployment insurance premiums. These increased costs threaten to stifle recovery efforts for small businesses that are already grappling with inflation and other economic pressures.
“Instead of following the commonsense approach of other states and using some of the billions in federal COVID aid to pay down the unemployment debt, the governor unfairly shifted the burden to businesses and employers through the Unemployment Insurance Assessment Surcharge (UIAS),” said Senator George Borrello, 57th District. “Since the UI deficit stems from the government-mandated shutdown during the pandemic, it is only fair that employers are not left to shoulder these costs.”
