Assemblyman Al Stirpe (D-Cicero) announced that he has been named chair of the Assembly Small Business Committee by Assembly Speaker Carl E. Heastie.
“As a former small-business owner and someone who grew up working in a family restaurant, I know the blood, sweat and tears that go into these ventures,” said Stirpe. “I’m looking forward to taking the helm as committee chair so I can expand opportunity, foster entrepreneurship and slash red tape for the folks driving our economy.”
Since first taking office in 2007, Stirpe has been a strong advocate for New York’s small-business owners. He authored a law creating a two-tiered licensing fee structure for food producers so that small-scale producers aren’t forced to pay the same fee as their larger competitors (Ch. 400 of 2017).
During the 2018 legislative session, Stirpe helped pass a state budget that included $500,000 for the Small Business Innovation Research/Small Business Technology Transfer Technical Assistance Program, which promotes technological advancement and the commercialization of innovations developed through federally funded research.
With this appointment, the assemblyman hopes to help pave the way for greater opportunities across the state.