STATE OF NEW YORK
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10295
IN ASSEMBLY
May 13, 2022
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Introduced by COMMITTEE ON RULES -- (at request of M. of A. Solages) --
read once and referred to the Committee on Small Business
AN ACT to amend the economic development law, the New York state urban
development corporation act and the executive law, in relation to
small business crime prevention services
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-
bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. The economic development law is amended by adding a new
2 section 139-a to read as follows:
3 § 139-a. Small business crime prevention services program. 1. There
4 is hereby established within the division a small business crime
5 prevention services program.
6 2. The small business crime prevention services program, directly and
7 in conjunction with other divisions of the department and with other
8 agencies of the state, federal agencies or local governments, shall
9 provide small businesses with access to the following services:
10 (a) information on strategies, best practices and programs offering
11 training and assistance in prevention of crimes in and around the prem-
12 ises of small businesses or otherwise affecting small businesses,
13 including but not limited to: assault, arson and other violent felony
14 offenses; robbery, burglary, theft, identity theft, counterfeiting,
15 check and credit card fraud and other fraud; and vandalism, graffiti and
16 other property damage;
17 (b) information on eligibility and applications for financial assist-
18 ance for small business crime prevention services under paragraph (o) of
19 subdivision one of section sixteen-m of section one of chapter one
20 hundred seventy-four of the laws of nineteen hundred sixty-eight;
21 (c) information on eligibility and applications for other programs of
22 financial assistance for small business crime prevention that may from
23 time to time be available from the department or other agencies of the
24 state, federal agencies or local governments;
25 (d) information on protecting the assets of small businesses from
26 crime, including risk reduction strategies and insurance availability;
27 and
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD15547-01-2
A. 10295 2
1 (e) information on responses to crime, including reporting of crimes,
2 submitting insurance claims and crime victim assistance programs.
3 3. The small business crime prevention services program shall, with
4 the assistance of the small business advisory board and other appropri-
5 ate state agencies, identify issues relating to crime affecting small
6 businesses and assist the advisory board and the division in making
7 recommendations for legislative, regulatory and programmatic actions to
8 address such issues.
9 § 2. Paragraph (n) of subdivision 1 of section 16-m of section 1 of
10 chapter 174 of the laws of 1968, constituting the New York state urban
11 development corporation act, as added by chapter 298 of the laws of
12 2012, is amended and a new paragraph (o) is added to read as follows:
13 (n) Loans, loan guarantees, interest subsidies and grants to busi-
14 nesses, municipalities, industrial development agencies and local and
15 regional economic development corporations, not-for-profit corporations,
16 business improvement districts, regional marketing authorities and agri-
17 cultural cooperatives organized pursuant to the cooperative corporations
18 law, and other entities for the construction, reconstruction, improve-
19 ment, expansion or rehabilitation of wholesale regional farmers' markets
20 or food hubs that facilitate the sale and promotion of farm products
21 grown or produced in New York state.
22 For the purposes of this paragraph a wholesale regional farmers'
23 market or food hub is a market, business or organization that actively
24 manages the aggregation, distribution and marketing of source-identified
25 food products primarily from local or regional producers to satisfy
26 wholesale, retail and institutional demand for such products[.]; and
27 (o) Loans, loan guarantees, interest subsidies and grants to small
28 businesses, municipalities, not-for-profit corporations or other organ-
29 izations for the purpose of preventing crimes against small businesses
30 or on the premises or in the vicinity of small businesses, including
31 such activities as initiating or maintaining business watch programs,
32 installation of lighting, security equipment and other physical improve-
33 ments to prevent or deter criminal activities, and the development and
34 dissemination of information to owners, operators and employees of small
35 businesses on effective crime prevention strategies. Preference in
36 awarding assistance pursuant to this paragraph shall be given to
37 projects that will benefit distressed areas or other areas with a demon-
38 strated need based on crime statistics, projects that provide a local or
39 private-sector match, and projects that demonstrate a likelihood of
40 positive impact on crime prevention. The division of criminal justice
41 services shall provide assistance in the development of the program of
42 small business crime prevention assistance.
43 § 3. Section 837 of the executive law is amended by adding a new
44 subdivision 23 to read as follows:
45 23. Provide advice and assistance to the division for small business
46 in developing and operating a program of small business crime prevention
47 services pursuant to section one hundred thirty-nine-a of the economic
48 development law, and provide advice and assistance to the urban develop-
49 ment corporation in the development of the program of small business
50 crime prevention assistance pursuant to paragraph (o) of subdivision one
51 of section sixteen-m of section one of chapter one hundred seventy-four
52 of the laws of nineteen hundred sixty-eight.
53 § 4. This act shall take effect on the first of April next succeeding
54 the date on which it shall have become a law; provided, however, that
55 the department of economic development, the New York state urban devel-
56 opment corporation and the division of criminal justice services shall
A. 10295 3
1 be immediately authorized to take any and all actions necessary to fully
2 implement the provisions of this act on such date; and further provided
3 that the amendments to section 16-m of the urban development corporation
4 act made by section two of this act shall not affect the expiration of
5 such section and shall be deemed to expire therewith.