The New York State Legislature's session finished last week, and the Rochester Business Alliance and its Unshackle Upstate partners were actively engaged in the debate until the very end.

From our perspective, results of this session were mixed. In terms of legislation that was passed, some critical issues were addressed, while others were not. On the flip side, we were successful in blocking some laws we felt would have been harmful to business growth in our region. Since many of these bills will likely surface again, perhaps later this year if the Legislature is called back into session, we promise to remain vigilant in representing our members' interests, supporting only legislation that will positively impact our economic climate, and opposing legislation harmful to employers and individual taxpayers.

Here's a quick update on some key issues addressed this session:

Brownfields Reform: As the result of an aggressive advocacy campaign, legislation was passed on this issue which was a priority on Unshackle Upstate's economic development agenda due to its importance to revitalizing upstate cities. The new law is a step in the right direction because it ends the moratorium on brownfield project applications, increases site preparation tax credits and provides greater fiscal certainty to the state. However, there is still much work to be done- including passage of tax increment financing legislation to help municipalities fund portions of brownfield cleanup at no additional expense to taxpayers.

Property Tax Cap: Following the recommendations of the state Commission on Property Tax Relief - the "Suozzi Commission" - Gov. Paterson introduced a bill recommending a property tax cap. Neither house took action on the governor's bill. We strongly support the tax cap, and have signed on to the Tax Cap Now Coalition being led by the Business Council of the New York State, which will aggressively push for adoption of the cap.

Wicks Reform: Efforts were made - unsuccessfully - to correct components of the Wicks legislation passed earlier this year that we and others believe will add significant expense to public projects, specifically the requirement that project labor agreements be used for public works projects.

Paid Family Medical Leave: Thanks to significant lobbying efforts with legislators, including letters from our members through an e-advocacy campaign, this legislation was not passed this session. Unshackle Upstate partnered with the Business Council to oppose this legislation, which would have significantly increased the cost of doing business and disrupted operations, particularly for small employers.

Industrial Development Agency Reform: No action was taken on this bill, which the Rochester Business Alliance and our Unshackle Upstate partners aggressively opposed because of costly provisions backed by organized labor, such as prevailing and "living wage" requirements on all IDA projects. The proposal would have increased public construction costs by as much as 30 percent.

Public Retiree Benefit Protection Moratorium: Unshackle Upstate is urging Gov. Paterson to stick to his pledge and veto this bill, which was passed by both houses. This legislation would prohibit public employers from diminishing benefits (i.e., health insurance) to retirees and dependents during a one-year moratorium. If passed, the long-term cost to taxpayers was estimated to amount to $50 billion. This bill was previously vetoed by former governors Pataki and Spitzer.

As always, we thank you for your support of our public policy efforts. If you have any questions on the above legislation, please feel free to contact Sandy Parker, or Chris Wiest, vice president public policy and advocacy, at Chris.Wiest@RBAlliance.com.