Saying that the economic survival of New York State is at risk, the Rochester Business Alliance today released a report spelling out solutions for 10 critical economic challenges that officials should act on immediately in the 2011 legislative session.

The report, New York State Economic Survival Guide - Ten Essential Reforms We Can't Live Without, uses research to show the toll that high taxes and government spending have taken on the state's economy. Among the bad news, more than 120,000 jobs moved from New York to other states from 1993 to 2008, and more 1.7 million people moved to other states in the past decade - the largest outmigration in the United States.

"This report makes a compelling case for Governor-elect Cuomo and the new legislature to hit the ground running when they take office in January," said Thomas F. Judson Jr., chairman of the Rochester Business Alliance. "New York employers can create jobs and compete successfully in the global marketplace, but only if our state leaders are willing to make changes now to control taxes and government spending."

The New York State Economic Survival Guide calls out 10 critical areas for reform:

1. Cap property taxes and state spending at no more than 2 percent
2. Reduce unfunded mandates, using existing structures to assess the impact of laws or regulations and make needed reforms
3. End the double standard of public-employee compensation versus private employees
4. Trim the cost of New York's Medicaid program - the most expensive in the nation
5. Control the debt burden through a cap on increases and a ban on back-door borrowing by state authorities
6. Improve the competitive climate for employers by completing Workers' Compensation reform while rejecting costly increases in unemployment insurance and other mandates
7. Reform economic development through regional councils under the leadership of the lieutenant governor
8. Encourage innovation in education by eliminating the cap on charter schools and passing the SUNY Public Higher Education Empowerment and Innovation Act
9. Reduce the number of state agencies, authorities and commissions by 20 percent
10. Lower the cost of energy through reduced utility taxes and assessments

Sandy Parker, president and CEO of the Rochester Business Alliance, said that some of the ideas put forth in the Survival Guide were proposed by Gov.-elect Andrew Cuomo and Lt. Gov.-elect Robert Duffy during their recent campaign.

"The Rochester Business Alliance is meshing the ideas put forth during the campaign with the economic and community development platform we've been championing all along," Parker said. "Our goal with this report is to make sure these reform ideas become more than just campaign rhetoric, and are a significant part of the public conversation so that our governor and legislative representatives must address them and act on them."

To capture the attention of state lawmakers and influencers, the design of the report mimics a wilderness survival guide, complete with thematic illustrations and "Steps to Survival" actions for each subject area. Starting with the 2011 budget process, the report says that many of the solutions are as simple as just saying no: No to new taxes, no to spending programs the state can't afford, and no to increased costs on employers.

"It's time we insisted that our state government take the essential steps that will allow employers to create jobs and improve the economic climate for families," Parker said. "We'll be reporting on these issues throughout the year, garnering grassroots support in a continuing campaign to ensure that meaningful action is taken."

See a separate summary of the report here.

A PDF of the full report is available here.

View the video from the press conference here.