Bill Text: NY S07718 | 2023-2024 | General Assembly | Introduced


Bill Title: Establishes the rural equity assistance program to promote and facilitate community and economic development in the small towns and rural areas of the state.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 2-0)

Status: (Introduced) 2024-01-03 - REFERRED TO CORPORATIONS, AUTHORITIES AND COMMISSIONS [S07718 Detail]

Download: New_York-2023-S07718-Introduced.html



                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________

                                          7718

                               2023-2024 Regular Sessions

                    IN SENATE

                                    October 18, 2023
                                       ___________

        Introduced  by  Sen.  GRIFFO -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
          printed to be committed to the Committee on Rules

        AN ACT to amend the New York state urban development corporation act, in
          relation to establishing the rural equity assistance program

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

     1    Section  1. Section 1 of chapter 174 of the laws of 1968, constituting
     2  the New York state urban development  corporation  act,  is  amended  by
     3  adding a new section 16-ii to read as follows:
     4    § 16-ii.  Rural equity assistance program.  1. As used in this section
     5  the following terms shall have the following meanings:
     6    (a) "Rural area" shall have the same meaning as such term  is  defined
     7  in subdivision 8 of section 260 of the agriculture and markets law.
     8    (b)  "Small  town" means a town in the state with a population of less
     9  than 5,000 at the date of the most recent United  States  census  bureau
    10  decennial census.
    11    (c) "Municipality" means a city, county, town, village, or other poli-
    12  tical subdivision of the state of New York located within a rural area.
    13    (d)  "Not-for-profit organization" means a domestic corporation incor-
    14  porated pursuant to or otherwise subject to  the  not-for-profit  corpo-
    15  ration law.
    16    2.  There  is  hereby created within the corporation, the rural equity
    17  assistance program to promote  and  facilitate  community  and  economic
    18  development  in  the small towns and rural areas of the state. The rural
    19  equity assistance program shall collaborate with  municipalities,  busi-
    20  nesses,  regional  development  corporations, not-for-profits, and other
    21  appropriate entities to access funding and other assistance available to
    22  rural areas of the state.
    23    3. (a) The rural equity assistance program shall provide the following
    24  services to small towns and municipalities in rural areas:

         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD11439-02-3

        S. 7718                             2

     1    (i) identification of grants or other funding opportunities  available
     2  which  may  facilitate business development, siting of businesses, work-
     3  force development, broadband deployment, infrastructure development,  or
     4  other economic and community development opportunities; and
     5    (ii) technical assistance in writing grants, accessing, and completing
     6  the  application process for identified grants or other funding opportu-
     7  nities, including writing applications  for  grants  or  other  funding,
     8  coordination  with providers of grants or other funding, strategic plan-
     9  ning for the implementation or timing of activities funded by grants  or
    10  other  funding,  and compliance with the requirements of grant awards or
    11  awards of other funding.
    12    (b) The rural equity assistance program  shall  provide  small  towns,
    13  municipalities,  and  not-for-profits  in  rural  areas with services to
    14  facilitate economic development in  such  areas.  These  services  shall
    15  include,  but not be limited to recommending available grants, tax cred-
    16  its, or other incentives that a small town, municipality or not-for-pro-
    17  fit in a rural area can use  to  attract  businesses,  support  existing
    18  businesses  and improve the quality of life for residents in that commu-
    19  nity.
    20    (c) In providing services under this subdivision, rural equity assist-
    21  ance centers, as established in subdivision 4  of  this  section,  shall
    22  coordinate  with  the  regional  economic development council within the
    23  same region to avoid duplication of business recruitment  and  workforce
    24  development services already provided.
    25    4.  (a)  The  empire state development corporation is hereby empowered
    26  and shall establish rural equity assistance centers in each of  the  ten
    27  economic  development regions throughout the state. Rural equity assist-
    28  ance centers shall:
    29    (i) serve as a center for information regarding  economic  development
    30  resources  available  from the state, federal government, local agencies
    31  and private investment;
    32    (ii) coordinate the economic development programs  and  activities  of
    33  state agencies and authorities within the region;
    34    (iii)  provide  or  arrange  for  assistance  for small towns, munici-
    35  palities, and not-for-profits in rural areas of the  state  in  applying
    36  for assistance from state, federal, local and/or private economic devel-
    37  opment programs; and
    38    (iv)  provide  technical assistance in applying for necessary licenses
    39  or permits to comply with federal,  state,  or  local  rules  and  regu-
    40  lations.
    41    (b)  Each  rural equity assistance center shall consist of a dedicated
    42  representative from the empire state development  corporation,  a  grant
    43  writer,  and  all  necessary  staff to carry out the duties of the rural
    44  equity assistance center. All costs to operate  such  centers  shall  be
    45  paid for out of existing resources of the corporation.
    46    (c)  Applications  for assistance provided by the rural equity assist-
    47  ance program shall be submitted to the rural  equity  assistance  center
    48  for  that  region, for no fee. In providing services under this subdivi-
    49  sion, a rural equity assistance center shall give priority  to  projects
    50  that  have  received  necessary state or municipal approval and that are
    51  ready for construction or implementation.
    52    5. Beginning on January 1, 2025, and annually thereafter,  the  presi-
    53  dent  of  the  corporation  shall submit to the governor, speaker of the
    54  assembly, minority leader of the assembly, temporary  president  of  the
    55  senate, and minority leader of the senate, a report regarding the activ-
    56  ities  and  progress  of the rural equity assistance program. The report

        S. 7718                             3

     1  shall summarize the program's activities from the preceding year; evalu-
     2  ate the effectiveness of the services provided by the  program;  provide
     3  an  accounting  of  the grants or other funding that the program facili-
     4  tated  or  helped  secure;  and  recommend any changes to the program to
     5  further economic development in small towns and municipalities in  rural
     6  areas of the state.
     7    § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
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