ALBANY, N.Y. — New York Assemblyman Al Stirpe (D–Cicero) recently 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,” Stirpe said in a new release. “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.”
The previous chair of the Small Business Committee, which is a standing committee of the Assembly, was Fred W. Thiele, Jr., an Assemblyman from the eastern end of Long Island.
Since first taking office in 2007, Stirpe contends he 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,” per the release. In the 2018 legislative session, Stirpe helped pass a state budget that included $500,000 for the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR)/Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Technical Assistance Program, which promotes technological advancement and the commercialization of innovations developed through research funded by the federal government.
Stirpe represents the 127th Assembly District, which covers the towns of Clay, Cicero, Manlius, Pompey, Fabius, and Tully in Onondaga County. He won reelection to this seat in early November, by defeating Republican Nicholas Paro, 58 percent to 42 percent.
Contact Rombel at arombel@cnybj.com
Photo credit: Assemblyman Al Stirpe’s website
