Business Council of Westchester Lobbies in Albany

A group from the Business Council of Westchester traveled to Albany Feb. 25 to meet with industry leaders, public officials and members of Westchester’s delegation including Senator Terrence Murphy, Senator David Carlucci, Assemblywoman Sandy Galef, Assemblyman Steve Otis and Assemblyman David Buchwald.

Their purpose: to draw attention to laws and regulations that hurt businesses and stifle economic growth.

“Public policies have an enormous impact on a businesses’ bottom-line and its ability to serve its stakeholders,” said John Ravitz, executive vice president and COO of The Business Council of Westchester, in a press release. “Reforms in Albany -- either enacted or ignored -- are directly related to the fiscal health of our state. That’s why The Business Council’s Government Action Council takes such an active role in speaking to leaders and lobbying on behalf of our members. With our legislative agenda in hand, we will ensure that Westchester County’s business community is heard at all levels of government.”

The BWC presented officials with copies of their 2015 Legislative Agenda, which covers essential areas including:

Fiscal reforms, mandate relief and spending controls:

• Making the pensions system more predictable and affordable for municipalities and school districts
• Redefining the arbitration system so that the state considers the ability of localities and taxpayers to pay for such union arbitration awards
• Reducing the cost of construction by reforming the Scaffold Law and Public Construction Act and repealing the Wicks Law
• Establishing minimum health insurance contributions for employees and retirees.

Energy:

• Passage of a law that would provide incentives extend natural gas distribution lines in New York
• Eliminating burdensome energy taxes such as 18-a, a 2 percent tax on electricity bills that was introduced in 2009 as a temporary revenue generator
• Reforming the Energy Vision, or REV, by promoting efficiency, renewable energy production and utilizing micro-grids, on-site power supplies and storage
• Support the continued operation of Indian Point Energy Center, which provides 25 percent of energy used in the New York Metropolitan area.

Education:

• Focusing on high quality assessments aligned to Common Core standards
• Supporting passage of Education Investment Tax Credit to increase charitable donations for education-related entities
• Enhancing BOCES Aid.

Download a complete copy of the 2015 Legislative Agenda at www.westchesterny.org.

Photos: (from l to r): Business Council board member George Lence, Lt. Governor Kathy Hochul, Tony Justic, chairman of The Business Council; Marsha Gordon, president and CEO of The Business Council; and John Ravitz, executive vice president and COO of The Business Council.

Talking with Lt. Governor Kathy Hochul.