Update from The Business Council of New York State and MACNY on Energy Chair Cahill Introduction of Economic Development Power Program

Today, Assembly Energy Chair Kevin Cahill (D-Kingston) introduced legislation that would create a new a long term economic development power program for New York State. The legislation intends to replace the current Power for Jobs and other economic development power programs, which are slated to expire May 15th, 2010.

When Assemblyman Cahill assumed the leadership role of the Assembly Energy committee, he committed to proposing a long term power program as a solution to the current short term extensions of New York State’s power discount programs that many manufacturers and businesses have come to depend on in order to remain competitive.

To read more click here.

Elizabeth Cooper of the Utica Observer -Dispatch writes - “We knew salaries for nanotechnology jobs were high.

Just not how high.

Alain Kaloyeros, who is one of the prime movers in the effort to bring a Computer Chip Commercialization Center to Marcy, makes a salary of $734,353 in his position as senior vice president and chief executive officer at the University of Albany’s College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering.

That makes him the second-highest-paid state employee, according to figures provided by the state Comptroller’s Office and to an analysis by Gannett News Service, which reported earlier this week on Kaloyeros’s pay.

Nine others at the College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering make more than $170,000 per year, the Comptroller’s Office figures show.

Such pay levels speak to the new opportunities for well-paying jobs in the Mohawk Valley as the nanotech initiative moves forward at SUNYIT in Marcy.

College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering spokesman Steve Janack said people working at the planned nanotech facility could make anywhere from $40,000 to about $200,000, depending on what their job was.”

To read more click here.

Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.), the ranking member of the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform provides the following op-ed to Politico.com.

“Now that his yearlong partisan push for government-run health care has so far failed to produce legislative results, President Barack Obama wants Republicans to join him for another White House summit to see if he can salvage his proposals. But unless the president and congressional Democrats address the need for tort reform as a critical component of cutting health care costs, a bipartisan solution seems unlikely.

The unsustainable path of rising costs is a serious national problem. Currently, health care spending exceeds $2.5 trillion per year. By 2019, it is expected to top $4.7 trillion per year. Any hope for cost containment would involve comprehensive medical malpractice reform to end the practice of defensive medicine, close the loopholes that allow frivolous lawsuits to clog up the system, and set reasonable limits on jury awards.

The president seems to think that eliminating wasteful spending alone would get Americans on track to more affordable coverage. But the government’s track record of recouping its losses from waste, fraud and abuse leaves something to be desired. In 2008, for example, the government recovered a meager $35 million from criminal prosecution of fraud once enforcement costs were factored in. Real savings would start when Congress tackles the billion-dollar problem of defensive medicine.

Defensive medicine — when doctors order unnecessary and usually expensive tests and procedures in order to avoid lawsuits — is a major contributor to skyrocketing health care costs. As much as $210 billion is spent on defensive medicine annually — equal to $700 for every U.S. man, woman and child. This helps drive up insurance premiums that are already too high for many Americans. And the excessive malpractice litigation inevitably leads to physician shortages — especially among obstetricians, neurosurgeons and emergency room physicians. ”

To read more click here.

Yahoo News gives us an overview of what to expect from today’s health care summit.

Cue the cameras. President Barack Obama and his Republican arch foes will argue their case on health care overhaul at a bipartisan summit expected to stretch out for a solid six hours on live, daytime television Thursday for millions of Americans.
Expect them to collide, not come together. Without a no-nonsense referee to slam the gavel on mind-fogging jargon, not to mention apocalyptic rhetoric, some viewers might wish Judge Judy was presiding.

Obama is hoping to resurrect his signature issue and restore his reputation as a different kind of politician who can deliver real results. Congressional leaders of both parties are worried about self-preservation and political control in the November elections.

The goal for Obama is to draw a glaring contrast between the big bill he’s backing and the limited steps Republicans are willing to take, hoping he can fire up anxious Democrats for what may be their last chance in a generation to provide health insurance coverage to nearly all Americans. They have the votes, but do they have the will?

To read more click here.

Tamara Lytle write on aol.com news - “Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius recently told the story of villainous insurance companies charging double-digit rate increases for health coverage while taking “wildly excessive” profits.

But economists and health experts said the plot is a lot more complicated.

Health insurance premiums are increasing faster than inflation, though for most Americans not by as much as the huge jumps detailed in the report. And the cast of villains is a lot broader than just insurance companies, according to experts.

“Over the last year, America’s largest insurance companies have requested premium increases of 56 percent in Michigan, 24 percent in Connecticut, 23 percent in Maine, 20 percent in Oregon, and 16 percent in Rhode Island, to name just a few states,” Sebelius said in a news conference Thursday. She called the hikes a “wake-up call” that Congress needs to revive the stalled health care reform effort.

But the report detailed increases to the individual insurance market — which is different than the coverage most Americans get through their jobs. According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, those employer-coverage premiums increased about 5.4 percent last year — faster than the ailing economy but not the financial earthquake felt by people who have to buy their own insurance.”

To read more click here.

Kaitlyn Lionti of New 10 Now reports from Corning - “Getting New York’s economy back on its feet. The President and CEO of the Business Council of New York State came to Corning Wednesday to meet with the Corning and Watkins Glen Area Chambers of Commerce.

The visit was a chance to discuss issues and concerns facing businesses across New York, including the current budget proposal.
“If we can get Albany to reduce state spending, live within its means and reduce taxes, we will have private sector job growth, we will have companies hiring again. We don’t want New York to be the poster child for the jobless recovery,” said Kenneth Adams, the President and CEO of The Business Council of New York State.

One issue Adams addressed is the void the ending of the Empire Zone Program will create for small business.

“To have that expire in June of this year and to not have any other kind of incentive to retain our businesses, much less recruit new business, it’s a very huge issue that needs to be looked at,” said Denise Ackley, President of the Corning Area Chamber of Commerce.”

To read more or watch the video click here.

To read Kenneth Adams speech to the chamber click here.

To say no to new taxes and new spending and to tell Albany lawmakers that you are fed up Click here now!

With unemployment in the double digits in New York State there is a potential bright spot in the Marcellus Shale. As reported by Tom Wilber in pressconnects.com, Delta Engineering & Architects in Broome County has recently moved into a larger space and continues to grow partly as a result of Marcellus Shale development in New York and Pennsylvania.

“Growth related to the Marcellus industry in New York and Pennsylvania is the focal point of a new business initiative that specializes in civil and environmental engineering and construction services”, said Robert Harner, director of the division. Harner expects as many as 20 jobs will be added in the coming years related to Marcellus business.
Once the DEC regulations are finalized and permitting begins, thousands more jobs like these will be available. These are good, skilled jobs that will allow New Yorkers to remain here and provide a good future for their families. New York is facing a huge budget gap.

The Marcellus presents and enormous economic opportunity requiring no government program or subsidy. New York needs to move quickly on the regulations and demonstrate that the state wants to encourage job growth and opportunity for its citizens.

In testimony given today before the New York State Senate Labor Committee, Maggie Moree, Director of Federal Affairs at the Business Council provided insight into our members’ feeling toward the Workers’ Compensation Board’s “Managed Adjudication Path” program.

“I appreciate the opportunity you have provided through this hearing to discuss the Workers’ Compensation Board’s “Managed Adjudication Path” program, or MAP, a process being implemented by the Board with the stated goal of reducing backlogs and more effectively using the hearing process for those cases which require a greater degree of attention to achieve resolution.

The Board has described MAP as an internal business process improvement; however, we and our members have concerns that MAP has implications that reach far beyond the Board’s internal workings.

Based on input from our members to date, I cannot today give you a final position regarding MAP. In large part that is because MAP is not widely known, there is little readily available information about MAP, and much of what is known has not been presented in a context that would allow employers to fully understand the Board’s objectives. The Board has not yet clearly articulated MAP to the employer community, nor has it made clear what if any changes employers may need to make to accommodate MAP.”

To read the entire testimony click here.

Michael Tanner, a senior fellow at the Cato Institute writes about the latest Obama health plan in the New York Post.

“In 301 AD, the Roman emperor Diocletian imposed price controls on most commodities and professions in the empire. The penalty for raising prices was death. Yet the controls failed utterly, leading to shortages, more inflation and the near collapse of the imperial economy.
Now, nearly two millennia later, President Obama seems determined to demonstrate how little we’ve learned.

Yesterday, the president proposed giving the federal government the power to regulate insurance premiums. Undoubtedly, this will be politically popular — at least, in the short term. Insurance companies aren’t exactly America’s most loveable industry. Recent premium hikes will result in real hardship for many Americans.”

To read more click here.

Bill Hammond of the Daily News writes - “Question: What single step could Albany lawmakers take that would fight political corruption, democratize the Legislature, ease the budget crisis and promote fairer elections in one fell swoop?

Answer: Putting themselves on a strict pork-free diet.

This isn’t about pig meat, but pork-barrel spending - the age-old but sleazy practice of individual legislators doling out tax dollars to pet projects in their districts.

We’ve tried reforming these giveaways, but they’re still rotten through and through. It’s time for an outright ban…”

To read more click here.