S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                    531
 
                        2017-2018 Regular Sessions
 
                           I N  A S S E M B L Y
 
                              January 9, 2017
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by M. of A. GUNTHER -- read once and referred to the Commit-
   tee on Labor
 
 AN ACT to amend the economic development law, in relation  to  requiring
   development  centers and entrepreneurship support centers to track the
   success of program participants; to amend the labor law,  in  relation
   to self employment activities for the purposes of unemployment claims;
   and  to  amend chapter 413 of the laws of 2003, amending the labor law
   relating to the self-employment assistance program and other  matters,
   in relation to extending the expiration of the provisions thereof
 
   THE  PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section 1. Subdivision 1 of section 213 of  the  economic  development
 law,  as added by chapter 839 of the laws of 1987, is amended to read as
 follows:
   1. monitor the performance of each development center and each  entre-
 preneurship  support center and require periodic and annual reports from
 each development center and each entrepreneurship support center at such
 time and in such a manner as prescribed by  the  commissioner,  PROVIDED
 THAT  SUCH  PERIODIC  AND  ANNUAL  REPORTS  SHALL PROVIDE INFORMATION ON
 OUTCOMES, WHETHER SUCCESSFUL OR NOT, FOR ALL INDIVIDUAL PROGRAM  PARTIC-
 IPANTS  OF   EACH DEVELOPMENT CENTER OR ENTREPRENEURSHIP SUPPORT CENTER,
 AND TRACK SUCH OUTCOMES ON A STATISTICAL BASIS FOR A  PERIOD  OF  UP  TO
 FIVE  YEARS SO AS TO HELP ASCERTAIN, TRACK AND DOCUMENT THE SUCCESS RATE
 FOR SUCH PARTICIPANTS;
   § 2. Paragraph (b) of subdivision 2 of section  213  of  the  economic
 development  law,  as  amended  by  chapter  227 of the laws of 1993, is
 amended to read as follows:
   (b) in the case of entrepreneurship support  centers,  the  extent  to
 which the program serves minorities, women, individuals with a disabili-
 ty  and  dislocated  workers; the extent to which the program is coordi-
 nated with other assistance programs targeted to  small  and  new  busi-
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
              

                                                            LBD03026-01-7

 A. 531                              2
 
 nesses;  the ability of the program to leverage other sources of funding
 and support; the success of the training programs  in  aiding  entrepre-
 neurs  to  start up new businesses, including the number of new business
 start-ups  resulting  from  the program, and the quality of supplemental
 technical assistance offered to graduates of the  training  programs;  A
 REGIONAL  ANALYSIS  OF THE EFFECTIVENESS OF A SELF-EMPLOYMENT ASSISTANCE
 PROGRAM, AS ESTABLISHED IN SECTION  FIVE  HUNDRED  NINETY-ONE-A  OF  THE
 LABOR  LAW,  SPONSORED  BUSINESSES  AND BUSINESS ACTIVITY, INCLUDING ANY
 REGIONAL DISPARITIES IN THE PARTICIPATION  RATES  OF  SUCH  CENTERS  AND
 CONDUCTED  AT SUCH CENTERS AND THE NEED FOR MECHANISMS TO ALLEVIATE SUCH
 DISPARITIES; such report shall recommend changes and improvements in the
 program;
   § 3. Subparagraph (iii) of paragraph (c) of subdivision 2  of  section
 591-a  of the labor law, as amended by section 1 of part Z of chapter 57
 of the laws of 2013, is amended to read as follows:
   (iii)  are  participating  in  self-employment  assistance  activities
 approved by the department and by the department of economic development
 which include but need not be limited to entrepreneurial training, busi-
 ness  counseling,  and technical assistance, including financing assist-
 ance for qualified individuals as appropriate, offered by  entrepreneur-
 ship  support centers established pursuant to section two hundred twelve
 of the economic development law, state  university  of  New  York  small
 business development centers, programs offered by community-based organ-
 izations,  local  development  corporations,  and  boards of cooperative
 educational services (BOCES) as  established  pursuant  to  section  one
 thousand  nine hundred fifty of the education law; and, unless otherwise
 required by federal law or regulation, no individual shall be prohibited
 from or disqualified from eligibility for the program if prior to apply-
 ing for the program, an individual has printed business cards or  has  a
 website  that  is designed but not active, and neither are being used to
 solicit or conduct business. SELF-EMPLOYMENT ASSISTANCE  ACTIVITIES  MAY
 INCLUDE  CLASSROOM  TRAINING  FOR UP TO FORTY HOURS AND ONE-ON-ONE COUN-
 SELING FOR UP TO TWENTY  HOURS  FOR  EACH  PARTICIPANT,  INSTRUCTION  ON
 START-UP  BUSINESS  FINANCIAL  MANAGEMENT,  CAPITAL  ACQUISITION AND THE
 DEVELOPMENT OF BUSINESS PLANS TO ESTABLISH A  SUCCESSFUL  BUSINESS,  THE
 PROVISION  OF  INFORMATION ON THE EXISTENCE OF LOCAL PROFESSIONAL ORGAN-
 IZATIONS OR CHAMBERS OF COMMERCE THAT CAN  HELP  TO  PROVIDE  A  SUPPORT
 NETWORK FOR THE SUCCESSFUL ESTABLISHMENT AND OPERATION OF A NEWLY FORMED
 BUSINESS,  AND OFFER THE PROVISION OF FOLLOW-UP ADVICE AND COUNSELING TO
 PARTICIPANTS TO HELP ENSURE THE SUCCESS OF SUCH BUSINESS VENTURE;
   § 4. Section 10 of chapter 413 of the laws of 2003, amending the labor
 law  relating  to  the  self-employment  assistance  program  and  other
 matters,  as  amended  by chapter 457 of the laws of 2015, is amended to
 read as follows:
   § 10.  This act shall take effect immediately; provided, however, that
 sections eight and nine of this act shall expire December 7, [2017] 2020
 when upon such date the provisions of  such  sections  shall  be  deemed
 repealed.
   §  5. This act shall take effect on the first of January next succeed-
 ing the date on which it shall have become a law; provided, however that
 the amendments to section 591-a of the labor law made by  section  three
 of  this  act  shall  not affect the repeal of such section and shall be
 deemed repealed therewith.