Governor Andrew Cuomo signed into law on Dec. 6 a bill sponsored by Astoria Assemblywoman Aravella Simotas that will reform the way the government enforces regulatory measures.
The measure will require state agencies to study the impact of the rules on small businesses and local governments and make a judgment about the time those entities will need to comply with changes.
“It is my hope that with this new law, small businesses can breathe a sigh of relief because they will be given a fair chance to comply with new regulations. These efforts are an important step in the right direction to provide the necessary support and guidance our small businesses need,” Simotas said.
The law is aimed to address “practical, legal and economic or fiscal constraints” of complying with the new regulations. The goal is to save small businesses unnecessary costs or burdens in conforming with new laws.
In addition to providing more time for compliance, it will also require more effort from the government to keep businesses in the loop about new regulations.
Simotas introduced this legislation in response to concerns she frequently heard from restaurant owners in the community who experience overly aggressive enforcement of new regulations. Simotas said that small businesses and local restaurant owners consistently say aggressive enforcement of newly enacted regulations without proper guidance makes New York State one one of the most difficult places to operate a business.
“As a daughter of small business owners who helped my parents operate their delicatessen, I remember the difficulty of keeping up with, and interpreting countless new and existing regulations set by state agencies without much guidance,” Simotas said. “It angers me to hear that many local businesses encountered the same problem and that some of my favorite local restaurants have been trampled with fines for not understanding new regulatory measures. We need to do right by our small businesses and provide them with the tools they need to succeed.”
The new law is set to take effect in 120 days.
