Delaying an increase in the minimum wage upstate, halting an expansion of farmworker labor benefits and reducing sales and income taxes are among the proposals from the pro-business Unshackle Upstate in a report meant to boost growth in the region's economy.

The report comes as upstate New York, like the rest of the country, is struggling amid the recession created by the coronavirus pandemic.

The NFIB on Thursday is set to release its voting record report, assessing two years' worth of economic and small business issues put before lawmakers in Albany.

The group, which represents small businesses, included measures for small business regulatory reform, expanded labor rights and benefits for farmworkers, an expansion of the prevailing wage and a measure meant to reduce the state's carbon footprint.

New York City's mass transit system is in dire need of a federal aid package or risk a potentially costly borrowing plan and fare hikes, state officials on Thursday warned.

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority's finances were devastated by the coronavirus pandemic and subsequent shutdown. Commuters stayed home or largely avoided trains, buses and subways and fares plummeted to levels never seen before, starving the MTA of revenue.

When you meet Sister Betsey Van Deusen the first impression you get is she's tough to keep up with.

It's understandable given how busy she is these days as the coronavirus pandemic has taken its toll on the economy. Millions of people are out of work. Social safety nets spread thin. People on the margins can fall through the cracks.

New York's unemployment rate continued to climb, reaching 15.9% in July even as the private sector added jobs last month, the state Department of Labor on Thursday reported.

The state saw an increase of 244,200 jobs, a 3.6% increase in July. But issues remains as the coronavirus pandemic-induced recession lingers across the economy.

Revenue from the sales tax for local governments fell $116 million or 8.2 percent during a similar period last year, Comptroller Tom DiNapoli on Wednesday said, as the economic fallout from the coronavirus pandemic continues.

The revenue decline is the latest monthly drop in sales taxes amid a pandemic that has closed businesses and left millions of people out of work.

New York City was not in a good position to withstand the economic headwinds created by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Tourism has disappeared. Broadway has shuttered. Restaurants have been severely curtailed and many have closed. Sure, the stock market is doing well, but that's wholly different from middle and low-income jobs that have been lost or small businesses that have closed.

The Restore Mother Nature Bond Act, which would have been the largest in state history, was supposed to reduce the risk of flooding for vulnerable communities, restore habitat, and prepare the state for climate change.

It’s become another victim of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Undocumented immigrants and excluded workers who do not currently qualify for unemployment aid should receive assistance through a special state fund, a progressive group found in a report to be released later Thursday.

The report from the Fiscal Policy Institute outlines the argument for the fund, which would affect about 5 percent of the state's workers and the 40,000 people who are being released from incarceration.

County governments and New York City have lost a combined $13.5 billion in economic activity over two fiscal years that could lead to cuts in spending for services as well as a permanent loss of jobs, the New York State Association of Counties warned in a report released on Monday.

The report comes as Congress is negotiating the next coronavirus stimulus package that could include billions of dollars in aid to governments on the state and local level around the nation after their finances were devastated by the pandemic-induced recession.

New York's unemployment rate increased to 15.7 percent last month, despite the private sector adding jobs to the economy, the state Department of Labor on Thursday announced.

In New York City, which had been an epicenter of the coronavirus pandemic, more than one in five people are unemployed, a rate of 20.4 percent.

As New York's economy was in the process of reopening last month, state tax revenue still lagged, a report released Thursday by Comptroller Tom DiNapoli's office found.

Tax receipts in June were down $1.5 billion from the previous year, missing the mark by 17.3 percent.

The Town of DeWitt Planning Board has approved a second proposed Amazon warehouse.

The future site splits the area off of Interstate 481 and Kirkville Road into two separate lots.

New York City should have "limited" authorization for a loan to bolster its coffers as the pandemic has ripped through the ciity's finances, but Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins also urged patience in developing a plan.

The top Democrat in the state Senate over the weekend in a statement backed the concept of granting loan approval for New York City, a key step for Mayor Bill de Blasio's administration.

A bill would expand the state's earned income tax credit in order to benefit low-income households that were likely hit hard by the economic fallout created by the coronavirus pandemic.

The measure, sponsored by Assemblywoman Pat Fahy, is meant to provide a boost to those households amid widespread job losses and virtual lack of economic activity during the spring months in New York that shriveled tax coffers at all levels of government in the state.

In Erie County, 40 percent of its 2018 revenues came from the sales tax. Onondaga County's sales tax share was nearly 43 percent. And Broome County's sales tax accounted for more than a quarter of the cash it took in that year.

The coronavirus pandemic has created a significant budget problem for county and local governments that rely on sales taxes as a source of revenue as commerce drew to a standstill in mid-March and the economy is slowly reopening over the last several weeks in New York, a report released this week by Moody's found.

New York's richest residents should see their taxes increased in order to shore up a budget battered by the coronavirus pandemic, according to statement backed by 99 members of the state Assembly and Senate to be released on Thursday.

The statement, also backed a range of politically key labor unions and progressive organizations, calls for tax increases to offset the revenue losses in order to avoid deep cuts to spending to areas like health care and schools.

Congressional lawmakers on Wednesday announcd a propsal that would create a tax credit of up to $25,000 for small businesses to purchase personal protective equipment.

The tax credit would also benefit non-profits, veterans' organizations, independent contractors, farmers and those who are self-employed.

State tax receipts for May were down 19.7 percent compared to the year before, according to the monthly state cash report.

Comptroller Tom DiNapoli announced the state was down $766.9 million in monthly tax earnings, pointing to a closed economy as the reason for this decline in revenue.

Five regions of New York will enter the third phase of the economic reopening on Friday, Governor Andrew Cuomo announced Thursday, as the state's progress on turning back the coronavirus continues to show gains.

The North Country, Central New York, Southern Tier, Finger Lakes, and Mohawk Valley regions will enter the next phase, as tens of thousands of tests statewide show an average infection rate of less than 2 percent.

New York's Capital Region is set to begin the second phase of the economic reopening from the coronavirus pandemic today as hospitalizations from COVID-19 continue to plummet statewide.

The reopening means office workers can return, retail stores can open for customers in their stores and, yes, you can get a haircut.

The coronavirus has not just created a massive health crisis. It has also created a huge fiscal crisis for the city, one experts say hasn’t been seen in generations.

Governor Andrew Cuomo will meet with President Donald Trump on Wednesday to discuss ways of jump starting the New York economy through major infrastructure projects.

Cuomo on Tuesday sought to highlight efforts of reviving the flagging economy in New York, which has been brutally damaged by the coronavirus pandemic over the last two months.

Monthly records were broken in New York state as the number of unemployed continues to skyrocket and numerous businesses start to close their doors for good.

Unemployment rates in New York rose to 14.5 percent in April, according to data released Thursday by the Department of Labor.

A socially distant "cheers" could still be in order after the current state of emergency ends for restaurants and bars.

State Senator Brad Hoylman on Thursday proposed allowing eateries and bars to continue offering wine, beer, and cocktails for take-out and delivery two years after the emergency declaration ends.

A coalition of groups, along with the ride hailing firm Uber, is urging state lawmakers to approve a measure that would expand the SNAP program to allow its use for delivered meals ordered through apps.

Meal delivery and curbside pickup in New York have been the sole options for restaurants during the coronavirus pandemic as non-essential businesses have closed since March.

Upstate New York's economy is gradually reopening, but what comes next for businesses that have been closed for two months? What about the millions of workers who have lost their jobs?

Experts and lawmakers are asking those questions now.

Western New York is now set to start reopening on Tuesday, according to Governor Andrew Cuomo, after it hired 525 contact tracers over the weekend.

Western New York will now be the sixth upstate region to start Phase 1 of the reopening process which allows construction companies, manufacturing companies and curbside pickup for retail stores to open back up.

File this under not surprising: New York’s revenue took a nosedive in April as the coronavirus pandemic shutdown the state’s economic activity, a report released Friday by Comptroller Tom DiNapoli found.

New York’s tax receipts totaled $3.7 billion, falling $7.9 billion from the previous April. That’s a 68.4 percent decline.

An executive order issued Thursday night by Governor Andrew Cuomo began the process of reopening some sectors of the economy in New York for 35 upstate counties.

Spread over five regions, the order in essence expands what is considered an “essential” business during the pandemic to businesses in construction, manufacturing and some retail for curbside customer pickup.

Friday cannot come soon enough for some business owners in upstate New York.

Four regions will be allowed to start Phase 1 of the reopening process, which is construction companies, manufacturing companies and select retail that can provide curb-side pickup.

Sales tax revenue for local governments in April plummeted 24.4 percent compared to the same period last year, a report released Tuesday by New York State Comptroller Tom DiNapoli's office found.

The sharp decline in revenue is the latest sign of the COVID-19 pandemic's toll on the health of the economy in New York and on local governments. This, in turn, could lead to cuts in spending for local governments or an increase in taxes elsewhere to make up the lost revenue.

A county government can only raise revenue directly from taxpayers in so many ways. One way is the sales tax, which has nose-dived amid the economic shutdown due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The other way? Collecting property taxes.

Governor Andrew Cuomo announced on Monday that three regions of New York state are set to start Phase 1 of reopening on Friday, May 15.

So far, only the Finger Lakes, Mohawk Valley, and the Southern Tier have met all seven metrics the governor created as a way to start safely reopening regions while also keeping track of numbers and staying prepared in case there is a second wave of the COVID-19 virus.

The number of new coronavirus-related hospitalizations in New York continued to decline, though the death toll from the pandemic continued to remain above 200 people over the last 24 hours, Governor Andrew Cuomo said on Saturday.

And three children in New York have now died from a mysterious new illness believed to be linked to COVID-19.

New York has paid out more than $5.8 billion in unemployment benefits since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic — a sign the economic toll from the crisis is a deep and widening one.

About 1.5 million New Yorkers are receiving benefits, and the Department of Labor on Wednesday said an additional 470,000 New Yorkers who did not receive their benefits because of certification errors.

The governor’s regional phased reopening strategy will allow construction projects to resume in some areas of New York starting on May 15.

However, the New York State Builders Association says that could be too late for many housing projects.

New York labor officials on Thursday called on the state’s employers to provide workers with the information they need when filing for unemployment benefits, including employer registration numbers, federal employer identification numbers, and full names and addresses of employers.

The missing information has been partially attributed to the backlog of claims at the Department of Labor during the coronavirus pandemic and subsequent economic crisis.

The New York State Bar Association and state court system are offering pro bono legal services for people who need help in securing unemployment benefits.

Starting this week, NYSBA says that people can go to their website and be matched with a lawyer that will help them through the appeal process, free of charge, if their unemployment claims were denied.

Assemblywoman Pat Fahy is reaching back to a Depression-era jobs program to jumpstart the economy and aid the millions fo people who have become unemployed due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Fahy, an Albany Democrat, wants a modern-day version of the Works Progress Administration, a creation of President Franklin Roosevelt’s administration meant to boost employment during the depths of the depression.

More than $3 billion in unemployment benefits have been distributed by the state Department of Labor since the pandemic began to the 1.4 million New Yorkers who requested help.

The money includes those who received aid under the federal Pandemic Unemployment Assistance program.

The economic crisis created by the coronavirus pandemic will take a multi-year toll on New York’s finances, with delayed tax payments this month alone costing the state as much as $10 billion, a report released Wednesday by Comptroller Tom DiNapoli found.

The report comes as Gov. Andrew Cuomo has urged the federal government to provide direct relief to states during the pandemic.

President Donald Trump’s administration needs to modify IRS guidelines that could hurt access to relief payments for millions of low-income people in the country, Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand said Tuesday.

Gillibrand, a New York Democrat, pointed to IRS procedures for receiving federal benefits. People who receive federal benefits and do not need to file taxes to receive relief under the CARES Act — those who receive Social Security, disability benefits and survivors insurance — have until noon today to register child dependents who are eligible for additional $500 payments.

The federal government will direct billions of dollars to struggling farmers around the country and in New York to offset the economic panic caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

The move will free up $1.6 billion to farms, along with $3 billion for meat, dairy, fruit and vegetable product purchases.

Only a third of upstate business leaders expect the New York economy will return to the way it was prior to the coronavirus pandemic within the next six months, a Siena College poll released on Thursday found.

The poll found only five percent of businesses have not suffered due to the virus and the virtual shutdown of the state’s economy as a result of preventing the spread.

Republican lawmakers in the state Assembly on Wednesday released a letter to the state’s top leaders urging them to approve legislation that would help provide support to farmers amid a national decline in overall demand for food products.

With schools and restaurants shutting their doors, farmers are finding it difficult to sell their product. In some cases, farmers have been forced to dump thousands of gallons of milk.

The National Federation of Independent Business on Tuesday pushed Congress to provide more support for the Paycheck Protection Program — a key relief provision for small businesses struggling during the pandemic.

The program provides a loan of up to six weeks for a small business to cover expenses like payroll and utility bills. If jobs are preserved during that time, the loan is converted into a grant.

Republican lawmakers in the state Senate sent a letter to Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Monday, urging him to approve scheduled pay raises for essential state employees.

The state is delaying a 2 percent pay hike for 80,000 state workers for at least 90 days as the state’s tax revenue has run dry during the pandemic.

A bill introduced this week in the state Senate would give tax breaks to the state's frontline workers.

State Sen. Joe Griffo introduced legislation that would create a state income tax exemption for medical professionals and first responders that are combatting the coronavirus in New York.

Unions that represent public workers in New York on Wednesday said the state was moving to delay the implementation of contractual raises for 90 days.

It’s not clear how many workers are affected by the delay, or which segments of the workforce.

Optimism among small businesses has dropped sharply amid the economic downturn caused by the coronavirus pandemic, the National Federation of Independent Businesses found in a survey released on Tuesday.

The survey — an index of optimism of small business owners — dropped 8.1 points last March, the largest monthly decline in its history.

More than 80,500 jobless claims were filed in the last week in New York, according to the state Department of Labor, amid the deepening public health crisis surrounding the coronavirus pandemic.

The initial increase for unemployment insurance is a 520 percent rise. Each of the state's 10 labor markets saw a minimum 284 percent spike in unemployment insurance claims, state officials said.

County governments in New York could face an economic hit of $350 million to $1 billion in lost revenue as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, a report released Wednesday from the New York State Association of Counties found.

The report comes a day after Comptroller Tom DiNapoli in a revenue report found the pandemic will lead to a revenue loss of between $4 billion and $7 billion.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Wednesday ordered businesses to keep at least half of its workforce at home or have them work remotely in order to further prevent the spread of coronavirus.

There are exemptions to the order: Businesses that provide food, shipping, pharmacies, medical services, as well as the media, are not included.

Unemployment insurance is expected to be strained as workers stay home or are temporarily thrown out of work amid efforts to limit the spread of coronavirus.

The U.S. Department of Labor announced Thursday states can amend their laws to allow for unemployment insurance to be provided for multiple reasons surrounding the coronavirus, even if that person is still employed.

A coalition that is pushing for the legalization of e-bikes and e-scooters, in a letter to Gov. Andrew Cuomo, praised him for including the provision in the state budget, but also urged him to work with the Legislature to get the measure over the finish line.

The budget is due at the end of the month.

Opposition to a proposal that would reclassify workers in the on-demand or "gig" economy is continuing on Tuesday as the platform Handy will launch a digital ad campaign against the measure.

Lawmakers and Gov. Andrew Cuomo are discussing a measure that would provide more traditional labor benefits for companies that provide on-demand services through the web or phone apps like food delivery, ride hailing or handy services.

An ad campaign to be launched Friday by the New York State United Teachers union will push for a tax increase for wealthy people in the state in order to add more spending for school aid and education.

The ad being released Friday is part of a half-million dollar buy.

Members of the state's largest public workers union on Thursday handed Mary Sullivan a full term as the labor group's president.

The Civil Service Employees Association re-elected Sullivan, who had been serving on an interim basis after the retirement of longtime leader Danny Donohue.

The Finger Lakes-based casino del Lago Resort & Casino last year had a $270 million impact on the economy of the area, a fiscal impact study released by its parent company found.

The money includes $157 million in gambling revenue as well as $113 million in non-gaming sales and revenue -- including assistance to local governments and nearby businesses.

A straight-up income tax hike for the wealthiest New Yorkers in a final state budget agreement, at the moment, remains little more than a pipe dream.

One of the reasons? Gov. Andrew Cuomo's administration remains opposed.

Small business groups have had little to applaud in Albany in the last 10 years or so.

But Gov. Andrew Cuomo's $178 billion budget proposal includes a tax cut aimed at small business owners, a move the National Federation of Independent Business says is a necessary and welcome step.

Good morning! It's going to be a busy first lobby day of the new year in Albany. Gov. Andrew Cuomo, meanwhile, is departing for Puerto Rico. Here's today's schedule: At 8:15 a.m., Gov. Andrew Cuomo will hold a press briefing before departing for Puerto Rico. JFK International Airport, Queens.

At 9:30 a.m., Assembly Real Property Taxation Committee Chair Sandy Galef will take testimony to examine changes to the STAR Program provided in the State Fiscal Year 2019-20 budget. Hearing Room C, Legislative Office Building, Albany.

The New York AFL-CIO on Monday launched a digital ad campaign in support of changes to how gig economy workers are classified.

The ad is the harbinger of a larger debate coming over the labor benefits of workers in the on-demand field, like Uber and Lyft drivers, and others who provide services through apps.