Bill Text: NY A04312 | 2019-2020 | General Assembly | Introduced


Bill Title: Relates to the operation of entrepreneurship assistance centers; requires minimum instruction time and allows joint applications from a consortium of career education agencies and not-for-profit corporations.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 4-0)

Status: (Passed) 2019-09-13 - SIGNED CHAP.294 [A04312 Detail]

Download: New_York-2019-A04312-Introduced.html


                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________
                                          4312
                               2019-2020 Regular Sessions
                   IN ASSEMBLY
                                    February 4, 2019
                                       ___________
        Introduced by M. of A. THIELE -- read once and referred to the Committee
          on Small Business
        AN  ACT to amend the economic development law, in relation to the opera-
          tion of entrepreneurship assistance centers
          The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and  Assem-
        bly, do enact as follows:
     1    Section  1.  Subdivisions  2,  3  and 6 of section 211 of the economic
     2  development law, as added by chapter  398  of  the  laws  of  2018,  are
     3  amended to read as follows:
     4    2.  The  department  shall establish criteria for selection and desig-
     5  nation of such centers which shall include, but not be limited to:
     6    (a) require that each support center program provide  at  least  sixty
     7  hours  of  instruction  for  each  participant  and that each program be
     8  supplemented by ongoing technical assistance  for  business  development
     9  for those who have completed the program;
    10    (b)  the  level  of  support  for the center from local post-secondary
    11  education institutions, businesses, and government;
    12    [(b)] (c) the level of financial assistance provided at the local  and
    13  federal level to support the operations of the center;
    14    [(c)]  (d)  the  applicant's understanding of program goals and objec-
    15  tives articulated by the department;
    16    [(d)] (e) the plans of the center to supplement state and local  fund-
    17  ing  through  fees  for  services  which may be based on a sliding scale
    18  based on ability to pay;
    19    [(e)] (f) the need for and anticipated impact of  the  center  on  the
    20  community in which it will function;
    21    [(f)]  (g)  the  quality  of  the  proposed work plan and staff of the
    22  center; and
    23    [(g)] (h) the extent of economic distress in the area to be served.
         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD07023-01-9

        A. 4312                             2
     1    3. Application for grants made pursuant to this section shall be  made
     2  in  the manner and on forms prescribed by the [department] commissioner.
     3  Such application shall include, but shall not be limited to:
     4    (a)  a  description  of  the  training  programs  available within the
     5  geographic area to be served by the center to which eligible clients may
     6  be referred;
     7    (b) designation of a program director;
     8    (c) plans for providing ongoing technical assistance to program gradu-
     9  ates, including linkages with providers of other entrepreneurial assist-
    10  ance programs and with providers of small business technical  assistance
    11  and services;
    12    (d) a program budget, including matching funds, in-kind and otherwise,
    13  to be provided by the applicant; [and]
    14    (e)  permit  a joint application from a consortium of career education
    15  agencies and not-for-profit corporations, or  any  combination  thereof,
    16  for establishing a cooperative program; and
    17    (f) such other requirements as deemed necessary by the department.
    18    6.  Grants  made  pursuant  to  this  section  shall be subject to the
    19  following limitations:
    20    (a) no grant shall be made to any one  or  any  consortium  of  career
    21  education  agencies  and  not-for-profit  corporations  in excess of one
    22  hundred seventy-five thousand dollars; and
    23    (b) each grant shall be disbursed for payment of the cost of  services
    24  and expenses of the program director, the instructors of the participat-
    25  ing  career  education agency or not-for-profit corporation, the faculty
    26  and support personnel thereof and any other person  in  the  service  of
    27  providing instruction and counseling in furtherance of the program.
    28    §  2.  Subdivisions 2 and 3 of section 212 of the economic development
    29  law, as added by chapter 398 of the laws of 2018, are amended to read as
    30  follows:
    31    2. Evaluate the entrepreneurial assistance centers  established  under
    32  this  article  and report [quarterly and] annually, on or before January
    33  first, two thousand [eighteen] twenty, and on  or  before  each  January
    34  first  thereafter,  and  submit  the  results  of such evaluation to the
    35  governor and the legislature. Such report shall discuss  the  extent  to
    36  which  the centers serve minority group members, women, individuals with
    37  a disability, dislocated workers and veterans; the extent to  which  the
    38  training  program is coordinated with other assistance programs targeted
    39  to small and new businesses; the ability of  such  program  to  leverage
    40  other  sources of funding and support; and the success of the program in
    41  aiding entrepreneurs to start up new businesses, including the number of
    42  new business start-ups resulting from the  program.  Such  report  shall
    43  recommend  changes  and  improvements in the training program and in the
    44  quality of supplemental technical assistance offered to graduates of the
    45  training programs. [Such reports] The report shall be made available  to
    46  the public on the department's website.
    47    3.  Submit  to  the director of the division of the budget, the chair-
    48  person of the senate finance committee and the chairperson of the assem-
    49  bly ways and means committee an evaluation of the effectiveness  of  the
    50  programs  established under this article prepared by an entity independ-
    51  ent of the department. Such evaluation shall  be  submitted  by  January
    52  first,  two  thousand  [nineteen]  twenty-one and by January first every
    53  [year] two years thereafter.
    54    § 3. This act shall take effect immediately.
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