Bill Text: NY S01033 | 2023-2024 | General Assembly | Introduced


Bill Title: Establishes the coronavirus pandemic small business and not-for-profit organization loan program.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 2-0)

Status: (Introduced) 2024-01-03 - REFERRED TO FINANCE [S01033 Detail]

Download: New_York-2023-S01033-Introduced.html



                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________

                                          1033

                               2023-2024 Regular Sessions

                    IN SENATE

                                     January 9, 2023
                                       ___________

        Introduced  by Sens. JACKSON, PERSAUD -- read twice and ordered printed,
          and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Finance

        AN ACT in relation to establishing the coronavirus pandemic small  busi-
          ness and not-for-profit organization loan program

          The  People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-
        bly, do enact as follows:

     1    Section 1. Definitions. As used in this act, the following terms shall
     2  have the following meanings:
     3    (a) "Affected business or organization"  means  and  includes  both  a
     4  small  business  and  a small not-for-profit organization located within
     5  this state during the coronavirus pandemic;
     6    (b) "Bank" means a bank as such term is defined in  subdivision  1  of
     7  section 2 of the banking law;
     8    (c)  "Credit  union"  means  a credit union as such term is defined in
     9  subdivision 9 of section 2 of the banking law;
    10    (d) "Department" means the department of financial services;
    11    (e) "Eligible financial institution" means a bank or credit union that
    12  has a physical presence in this state and is in good standing;
    13    (f) "Grace period" means the ninety-day period after  the  coronavirus
    14  pandemic is over;
    15    (g)  "Small  business" means a business with not more than one hundred
    16  employees that has experienced a loss in sales of 25 percent or more  as
    17  a result of the coronavirus pandemic;
    18    (h)  "Small not-for-profit organization" means a not-for-profit organ-
    19  ization with not more than one hundred employees; and
    20    (i) "Coronavirus pandemic" means the period of time during  which  the
    21  presence of coronavirus disease 2019 in this state exists in significant
    22  enough  numbers  for  which  the threat of the spread of such disease is
    23  considered a pandemic.
    24    § 2. Coronavirus pandemic small business and not-for-profit  organiza-
    25  tion  loan  program.  (a)  The department shall administer a coronavirus

         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD03532-01-3

        S. 1033                             2

     1  pandemic small business and not-for-profit loan program to guarantee the
     2  repayment of loans made by  an  eligible  financial  institution  to  an
     3  eligible  affected  business  or  organization  pursuant  to  this  act.
     4  Subject to the cessation of new claim approvals under subdivision (d) of
     5  section  five  of  this  act,  the  department shall submit all approved
     6  claims to the comptroller, who shall pay from the general fund  any  and
     7  all claims submitted by the department.
     8    (b)  Any  bank  or credit union may apply to the department to partic-
     9  ipate in the loan guarantee program. Not later  than  one  business  day
    10  after  receiving the application, the department shall determine whether
    11  the financial institution is an eligible financial institution and imme-
    12  diately notify the bank or  credit  union  of  such  determination.  Any
    13  eligible financial institution may make loans to affected businesses and
    14  organizations in accordance with this act.
    15    (c)  Each eligible financial institution that makes a loan pursuant to
    16  this act, shall notify the department in  writing  not  later  than  one
    17  business  day  after  making the loan, specifying such information about
    18  the borrower as the department may request.
    19    § 3. Loan eligibility. An eligible financial institution  may  make  a
    20  loan to an affected business or organization, provided:
    21    (a) The affected business or organization has provided to the eligible
    22  financial  institution  proof satisfactory to such institution that such
    23  affected business or organization is an affected business  or  organiza-
    24  tion located within the state of New York.
    25    (b)  The  amount  of  the  loan shall not exceed seventy-five thousand
    26  dollars.
    27    (c) The loan is made in accordance with the eligible financial  insti-
    28  tution's  underwriting  policy  and standards, provided further that the
    29  affected business or organization's  creditworthiness  shall  not  be  a
    30  factor used for the purposes of determining eligibility.
    31    (d)  The  loan  agreement  shall  not (i) require repayment during the
    32  grace period, or (ii) charge interest on the principal amount before  or
    33  during  the  grace period or for one hundred eighty days after the grace
    34  period, provided after such one hundred eighty-day period, the  eligible
    35  financial  institution  may  charge  interest or fees in accordance with
    36  such financial institution's lending policy and the terms of the  under-
    37  lying loan agreement.
    38    (e)  The  loan  agreement  shall require that the affected business or
    39  organization repay the loan in full not later than  one  hundred  eighty
    40  days  after the end of the grace period by making at least three, and no
    41  more than six, equal installment payments. The loan agreement shall  not
    42  contain  a  fee  or  penalty  for the prepayment or early payment of the
    43  loan.
    44    (f) The eligible financial institution shall offer  credit  counseling
    45  services  or  refer  such affected business or organization to nonprofit
    46  credit counselors.
    47    § 4. Additional loans. An affected business or  organization  who  has
    48  received  a  loan  pursuant  to  this act may apply to the same eligible
    49  financial institution for an additional loan for each thirty-day  period
    50  such  small  business or not-for-profit organization remains an affected
    51  business or organization, provided no affected business or  organization
    52  may  receive  more  than  three loans under the program. Each additional
    53  loan shall be made in accordance with section three of this  act.    The
    54  total  amount of all loans received by an affected business or organiza-
    55  tion shall not exceed seventy-five thousand dollars.

        S. 1033                             3

     1    § 5. Collection of loans. (a) On and after  one  hundred  eighty  days
     2  from the end of the grace period, an eligible financial institution that
     3  has made a good-faith effort to collect the outstanding principal from a
     4  loan  issued pursuant to this act may make a claim to the department for
     5  recovery  of an amount equal to the outstanding principal for such loan.
     6  Prior to the department's approving and submitting a claim to the  comp-
     7  troller,  such  eligible  financial institution shall demonstrate to the
     8  satisfaction of the department that the eligible  financial  institution
     9  has  made  a good-faith effort to collect the outstanding principal from
    10  the eligible small business or not-for-profit organization  employee  in
    11  accordance   with   such  financial  institution's  loan  servicing  and
    12  collection policies. Upon payment of a claim, the loan shall be assigned
    13  to the state, and the  department  shall  have  the  right  to  continue
    14  collection efforts on the loan.
    15    (b)  The  department  shall  maintain records in the regular course of
    16  administration of the loan guarantee  program,  including  a  record  of
    17  loans  issued and of payments made to honor loan guarantees issued under
    18  this act. The department shall regularly review such records  to  deter-
    19  mine total loans issued and identify duplicative applications.
    20    (c)  The  department  may terminate any loan guarantee if the eligible
    21  financial institution misrepresents any information  pertaining  to  the
    22  guarantee  or  fails  to  comply  with  any  requirements of this act in
    23  connection with the guarantee of the underlying loan.
    24    (d) If the amounts expended to honor loan guarantees under the program
    25  exceed ten percent of total loans issued,  the  department  shall  imme-
    26  diately  cease  to  approve  claims and shall notify the comptroller and
    27  each eligible financial institution of the total amount of payments made
    28  and that the department has ceased honoring loan guarantees.
    29    (e) Any interest deferred or not charged  related  to  a  loan  issued
    30  pursuant  to  this  act shall be exempt from all state taxes that may be
    31  applicable to such interest amounts as they relate to an affected  busi-
    32  ness or organization.  Eligible financial institutions shall disclose to
    33  affected  business  or organization borrowers in the signed affidavit or
    34  loan documents that there may be federal tax consequences to the program
    35  loans.
    36    (f) No new loan applications shall  be  submitted  under  the  program
    37  after  the  coronavirus pandemic ends. The program shall expire upon the
    38  repayment of all loans made under the program  and,  for  all  loans  in
    39  default,  the  repayment of claims made under the program, or the cessa-
    40  tion of new claim approvals under subdivision (d) of this section.
    41    § 6. This act shall take effect immediately.
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