NY State Senate Bill 2025-S8248

Senate Bill S8248

2025-2026 Legislative Session

Authorizes the empire state development corporation to develop a public awareness campaign promoting businesses located in New York state

download bill text pdf

Current Bill Status - In Senate Committee Commerce, Economic Development And Small Business Committee

Introduced
- In Committee Assembly
- In Committee Senate
- On Floor Calendar Assembly
- On Floor Calendar Senate
- Passed Assembly
- Passed Senate
Delivered to Governor
Signed By Governor

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Actions

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	Assembly Actions - Lowercase Senate Actions - UPPERCASE
May 27, 2025	referred to commerce, economic development and small business

2025-S8248 (ACTIVE) - Details

See Assembly Version of this Bill:: A3760
Current Committee:: Senate Commerce, Economic Development And Small Business
Law Section:: Economic Development
Versions Introduced in Other Legislative Sessions:: 2015-2016: S6668
2017-2018: S622
2019-2020: S5239
2021-2022: S704, A8932
2023-2024: A6673

2025-S8248 (ACTIVE) - Summary

Authorizes the empire state development corporation to develop a public awareness campaign promoting businesses located in New York state with an emphasis on small businesses and the need to shop in downtown local areas; requires the creation of the Buy New York Online Networking Directory to connect purchasers with businesses located in New York.

2025-S8248 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

                                 
BILL NUMBER: S8248

SPONSOR: BASKIN
 
TITLE OF BILL:

An act authorizing the empire state development corporation to develop a
public awareness campaign promoting businesses located in New York state

 
PURPOSE OR GENERAL IDEA OF BILL:

The purpose of this bill is to establish and implement a public aware-
ness campaign to promote New York's businesses and stimulate its econo-
my.

 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:

Section 1: Establishes a public awareness campaign by the Empire State
Development Corporation ("ESDC") to include the promotion of businesses
located in New York State and the creation of an Internet website direc-
tory for the purposes of business networking. This section also requires
the ESDC to prepare an annual report to the Governor and the Legislature
on the actions taken by ESDC to carry out the campaign and an assessment

of the necessary appropriations for ESDC to meet the needs of the
campaign in the next fiscal year.

Section 2: Establishes the effective date.

 
JUSTIFICATION:

Frequently, businesses within the State buy goods and services from
companies outside of their community when the same goods and services
are available locally at competitive rates. A public awareness campaign
will help spur economic development by providing useful information
including a directory exclusively for New York's businesses and detailed
information on the products and services they provide. The campaign will
also promote local businesses, create a place' for businesses to
network, generate sales of New York State products, and create more tax
revenue for our State.

 
PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:

2023: referred to economic development

2024: reported referred to ways and means

 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS FOR STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENTS:

To be determined.

 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect immediately.

2025-S8248 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

                             
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   8248
 
                        2025-2026 Regular Sessions
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                               May 27, 2025
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by  Sen.  BASKIN -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
   printed to be committed to the Committee on Commerce, Economic  Devel-
   opment and Small Business
 
 AN ACT authorizing the empire state development corporation to develop a
   public  awareness  campaign  promoting  businesses located in New York
   state

   THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section  1. 1. The empire state development corporation shall develop,
 establish and implement a public awareness campaign promoting businesses
 located in New York state and encouraging individuals and businesses  to
 purchase products and services from such businesses, with an emphasis on
 the need to shop at and support local small businesses as defined pursu-
 ant  to section 131 of the economic development law, as well as the need
 to shop at and support local downtown areas.
   2. The campaign shall include an internet website  providing  informa-
 tion  on  businesses  located  in  New  York  state  and their available
 products and services including a Buy New York Online Networking  Direc-
 tory.  The  owner of any business located and operated in this state may
 apply to the empire state development corporation to have  such  owner's
 business  included  on  such directory. The directory shall include, but
 not be limited to, participating businesses' names,  addresses,  contact
 information,   including  telephone  number,  fax,  e-mail  and  website
 address, products or services offered with a brief description, and  any
 additional information, including history, hours and dates of operation,
 and  number  of employees. The names of businesses participating in such
 directory shall be organized by specific categories based on the various
 goods or services that such business provides. Such directory  shall  be
 searchable  by  such  specific categories including, but not limited to,
 small businesses as defined pursuant to  section  131  of  the  economic
 development  law.  Such directory shall also include a search capability
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD05090-01-5

 S. 8248                             2
 
 to allow for participating businesses to be searched by the products  or
 services they offer.
   3. The public awareness campaign shall be made available to the public
 by  any  means deemed appropriate by the empire state development corpo-
 ration including, but not limited to, internet, radio, and print  adver-
 tising  such as brochures, billboards and posters. The campaign may also
 identify and recruit individuals to serve as visible, public ambassadors
 to promote this message.
   4. The campaign shall begin no later than January 1, 2027. The  empire
 state  development  corporation  shall  prepare  an annual report to the
 governor and the legislature on or before December first of each year on
 the public awareness campaign,  including:  (a)  actions  taken  by  the
 empire  state  development corporation to carry out the public awareness
 campaign and (b) an assessment of the necessary appropriations  for  the
 empire  state  development corporation to meet the needs of the campaign
 in the next fiscal year.
   § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.

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