STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 7357 IN SENATE January 21, 2020 ___________ Introduced by Sens. KAPLAN, AKSHAR -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Commerce, Econom- ic Development and Small Business AN ACT to amend the state administrative procedure act, in relation to designating a small business liaison The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows: 1 Section 1. The state administrative procedure act is amended by adding 2 a new section 102-b to read as follows: 3 § 102-b. Small business liaison. The departments of agriculture and 4 markets, environmental conservation, labor, transportation, and taxation 5 and finance shall designate an existing employee to serve as the liaison 6 to small businesses regulated by such agency. The direct contact infor- 7 mation of the small business liaison shall be prominently posted and 8 easily accessible on the agency website. The small business liaison 9 shall: 10 (a) serve as an initial primary contact for small businesses to 11 contact with any inquiries; 12 (b) be equipped to provide small businesses with basic information on 13 the agency and its regulations; 14 (c) help small businesses navigate the agency bureaucracy to identify 15 and contact the appropriate staff person within the agency, either at 16 the state or regional level, for more specific information pertaining to 17 the small business; 18 (d) hear the concerns of small businesses, report those concerns to 19 appropriate agency staff and offer possible solutions to such concerns; 20 (e) advocate within the agency on behalf of small businesses, and make 21 recommendations to the agency head on matters affecting small busi- 22 nesses; 23 (f) initiate and encourage small business education and outreach 24 programs on behalf of the agency, as appropriate; 25 (g) collaborate with the appropriate agency staff on any small busi- 26 ness regulation guide pursuant to section one hundred two-a and any EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [] is old law to be omitted. LBD14240-01-9S. 7357 2 1 small business regulatory flexibility analysis pursuant to section two 2 hundred two-b of this chapter; and 3 (h) coordinate his or her activities with the division for small busi- 4 ness within the department of economic development, and the small busi- 5 ness development center. 6 § 2. On or before January 1, 2021, the small business liaison shall 7 report to the department head the number of inquiries he or she has 8 received from small businesses in 2020, and the department head shall 9 determine whether a separate full-time employee will be needed for such 10 position going forward and make any appropriate budget request to the 11 governor and legislature for the ensuing fiscal year. 12 § 3. This act shall take effect immediately.