Transportation
An integrated, customer-friendly transportation system is paramount to the retention and recruitment of employees in Westchester. The Business Council of Westchester is a leader in the Westchester Rockland Futures Task Force, which has raised public awareness and accelerated the presentation of alternatives to the Tappan Zee Bridge and the I-287 corridor. We encourage that a locally preferred alternative be identified as early as possible in 2008 and that the draft environmental impact statement (DEIS) is released as soon as possible.
Our goal is to deliver a safe river crossing and adequate infrastructure to provide new mobility that is not auto-dependent. The Business Council of Westchester has been a strong proponent of Option 4a which calls for a new bridge and commuter rail across the I-287 corridor.
Health Care
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 2008 is to achieve progress in addressing the problem of the escalating cost of health care coverage and broad reforms in the state’s health care system. Accordingly:
- We oppose play or pay proposals that call for new taxes on businesses that cannot afford to purchase health insurance for their workers.
- We support 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.
- We endorse the enactment of medical liability tort reform to rein in the costs of medical malpractice insurance.
- We support utilization of the mandate-review commission to evaluate the potential impact of proposed health insurance mandates on costs and quality before taking legislative action. We further support the commission’s reviewing all existing mandated benefits with the intent of eliminating all needless mandates.
- We 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.
- We favor the development of pay for performance programs and centers of excellence that reward providers for delivering higher quality health care.
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 supports a comprehensive statewide energy policy that encourages an affordable, reliable, safe and diverse supply of energy. The most critical aspect of this policy must include a new Article X power plant siting law to encourage the construction of new electric generating capacity, electric and natural gas transmission and distribution facilities and other energy infrastructure. The continued operation of existing, economically viable, generating facilities, including nuclear and coal, is vital to ensure stable and competitive prices and supply diversity.
We support S.5908 which provides for a fuel-neutral siting process, with no emissions-based eligibility requirements.
We encourage funding for cost-effective energy efficiency programs as advanced by NYSERDA and support incentives for developing new and/or alternative forms of energy.
We endorse efforts to utilize low-cost energy for job creation and retention and capital expansion programs; therefore we advocate for making the Power for Jobs program permanent.
Medicaid
As of 2008, New York’s Medicaid budget totals $47.8 billion, the most expensive in the country. New York spends nearly twice the national average per Medicaid recipient. The inability to control these costs is limiting the state’s ability to meet other pressing needs while burdening taxpayers at the state and local levels. Fundamental reforms are essential to improve health outcomes and reduce costs. We support reforms which will increase the percentage of the Medicaid population in managed care and allow local counties the option to tailor Medicaid benefits to the needs of their Medicaid populations. Additionally we advocate for a crackdown on Medicaid fraud to restore taxpayer confidence in this program.
Taxes
Businesses in New York State are subject to a combined state and local tax burden that is among the highest in the nation, providing an environment that is more costly to conduct business than in neighboring states. The Business Council of Westchester supports the adoption of an on-time, fiscally responsible budget that limits the increase in state-financed spending to the rate of inflation and avoids any increases in broad-based taxes, fees, permits and licenses.
We advocate for the repeal of the state’s outdated Wicks Law as a means to reduce construction costs for public works projects, including school district projects. The repeal will reduce the property taxes.
We oppose A.6099/S.3298 which creates a special commercial assessment rate for Westchester. This legislation would shift the tax burden to commercial property tax owners, providing a disincentive for future commercial development.
We oppose S.3836 which would give statewide authorization to towns to impose a real property transfer tax of up to 2% for open space preservation purposes. This proposed legislation would drive up the already exorbitant price of housing in Westchester and for commercial property owners it will only add to the high cost of doing business in New York.
Tort Reform
Lawsuits cost New York State businesses millions of dollars each year and create a hostile business environment. The Business Council of Westchester supports tort reform which will minimize the effects of nuisance lawsuits and eliminate a barrier to businesses considering relocation to New York.
We oppose A.8299 and S.6365 which would mandate pre-judgment interest in personal injury cases.
New York’s consumer protection laws are in need of reform. While New York courts have recognized a plaintiff must prove causation, the statute doe not clearly articulate the scope of the causation requirement. This has opened the door to flimsy claims on the basis of merely “being aware” of advertisements they alleged were deceptive but which they might not have each seen or heard. Reform should also provide that plaintiffs cannot recover damages without showing that they suffered an “out-of-pocket” loss.
Workforce Housing
The ability for Westchester employers to recruit and retain a skilled workforce to ensure economic stability in the future is severely compromised by the high cost of housing in the county. We support legislation modeled after the successful Long Island initiative – Homeownership and Economic Stabilization for Long Island Program (HELP Long Island). This program allows businesses to assist employees with down payments on new homes. The $25 million grant enables three-to-one matching contributions from the state, up to $40,000. It can also provide up to $20,000 for repairs and rehabilitation of existing homes.
Economic Development
The Business Council of Westchester is opposed to A.8307 that will restrict the activities of IDAs and impose new procedural requirements and operational costs on businesses receiving IDA support. We support legislation allowing IDAs to make “civic authority” financing available to non-profit organizations permanent. We endorse A.8399/S.5430A to make IDA financing available to qualified multi-family condominiums We advocate for A.6033A/S.3852A which prevents municipalities from changing regulations governing development projects during the review process after a developer has made a substantial investment in the project.
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