State Senate moves to eliminate 1,000 business regulations

A group of state senators Monday unveiled a package of bills that promised to eliminate 1,000 state business regulations by April.

The proposal, which includes 14 bills that the state Senate was poised to vote on Monday, also promises to halt unfunded mandates on school districts and municipal governments and establish a task force to review the state's regulatory process.

The proposal aims to create jobs, cut red tape and improve economic conditions for small businesses, said Sen. Kathleen Marchione (R-Halfmoon), one of the sponsors. Cable business channel CNBC last year ranked New York 50th out of the 50 states for business friendliness.

"New York's overregulation isn't just a problem, it's a crisis," Marchione said. "It makes New York much less economically competitive to other states."

The 14 bills are backed by the Senate Republican Conference and Independent Democratic Conference, supporters said. Seven of the 14 are co-sponsored in the state Assembly, which is controlled by Democrats.

The bill that would direct Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo to repeal at least 1,000 business regulations by April 1 does not have a co-sponsor. The governor would consider the proposal if the bills pass, said Rich Azzopardi, a Cuomo spokesman. "We will review them if they hit our desk," he said.

Assembly and Senate Democratic leadership did not return phone calls seeking comment on the proposal.

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The proposal drew immediate criticism from New York Public Interest Research Group, which released a statement saying the desire to eliminate 1,000 regulations was "arbitrary" and may be impossible. "The more likely outcome will be to tie up agency staff in knots at a time when their resources are stretched the thinnest," it said in a statement.