Albany and Small Business Update with Sen. George Borrello on This Week’s State of Greater Western New York Report – May 20, 2021

What’s the latest from Albany and what kind of impact is it having on small businesses in the Greater Western New York Region? State Senator George Borrello sits down with Host Chris Carosa and candidly shares his thoughts on the situation on this week’s State of Greater Western New York Report.

In the first half of the show, Senator Borrello, who represents the 57th district that stretches from the shores of Lake Erie across the Southern Tier and into the southern portion of Livingston County spends some time talking about New York’s new marijuana law and why so many municipalities are having a problem untangling the legislation. He has better words for Nourish New York, an effort that came out during the pandemic to address the concerns of his predominantly agricultural district (although he admits many of his New York City-based Albany colleagues are quite unfamiliar with the farming industry). Finally, he reveals how, rather than stripping the controversy-ravaged Governor of his emergency powers, which were set to sunset on April 29th, the legislature actually extended them.

In the second segment, Senator Borrello dives deep into the state of small business in the Greater Western New York region. He explains what he’s witnessed with his own small business (he and his wife are restaurant owners) and the damage the New York City-centric minimum wage laws are doing to his small business peers. The concepts he mentions won’t surprise you, but the practical detail and consequences will offer the kind of enlightenment you won’t see from an elected official without his hands-on business experience. He ends with strong words about how the Greater Western New York Region may never find itself getting fair representation in Albany and his efforts to move the autonomy bill forward.

That last point came about because of a question from the live audience. Would you like to be a member of our live audience so you can ask our guests questions? Click here to join the growing number of members who share your feelings on StateOf.GreaterWesternNewYork.com because then we can automatically send you the link to watch our shows live.

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