ADVOCACY AGENDA
A Message from our President & CEO
Greater Rochester Chamber is proud of the work done this past year, and we look forward to continuing our efforts to support the 1,300 members we serve across the Finger Lakes region. Our entire team takes pride in assisting businesses across our community in getting connected with the resources they need and securing the tools necessary to grow and expand.
We work collaboratively with our partners to achieve our members’ goals, and we do so through meetings with government agencies, by obtaining essential permits and licenses, and by directly advocating to decision-makers through meetings, memoranda, letters, phone calls, and dedicated advocacy days. In that vein, we were proud to work with our partners to help secure needed funding for our community, support legislation that promotes business growth, and stop legislation that would increase the cost of operating businesses or reduce jobs here in our region and across New York State.
In the upcoming session, we will remain vigilant in advocating for what our members have said they need to ensure continued growth, including addressing the cost of healthcare, delivering the investments needed to support economic development, and reducing the workforce development barriers that keep too many New Yorkers from accessing the dignified work they deserve. While we focus our time and attention on these and other issues, we remain nimble as new policies are changed or introduced. Simply put, no issue is too big or too small – if you are not getting the solutions you need, reach out to us today.
Thank you to our elected officials and their staff for always taking the time to meet with us, listen to our members’ concerns, and work with us to find meaningful solutions. We also thank our members for sharing your concerns with us and investing in economic prosperity in Greater Rochester.
For questions regarding our advocacy or to discuss public policy issues, please contact me at RDuffy@GreaterRochesterChamber.com or Joe Leathersich at Joe.Leathersich@GreaterRochesterChamber.com.
I look forward to the work before us and the challenges we will face. While we never promise results, we do promise 100% effort to support our members and the entire Greater Rochester region.
Robert J. Duffy President & CEO Greater Rochester Chamber
Greater Rochester Chamber Advocacy at a Glance
More than Greater Rochester Chamber represents:
1,300+
Member Organizations
In 2024, Greater Rochester Chamber: Nine Counties
145,000 Employees
Saved Businesses Money Created
• We opposed the “Packaging Reduction and Recycling Infrastructure Act” (A5322D/ S4246D) which would have a $2 billion to $3 billion adverse impact on the New York State economy.
• We advocated against creating the “Bank of Rochester” (A10134/S9326) which would, if enacted, stunt tax growth in the short term, with the potential of increased taxpayer costs in the result of failure.
• By opposing the “NY HEAT Act” (A4592A/S2016A), we helped HVAC and construction firms avoid potential cost increases and regulatory compliance burdens, and prevented increased cost for taxpayers.
• We opposed A1718C/S2127C which would have established an indirect source review for heavy distribution warehouse operations. Its impact on the cost and timetable for developing new facilities could significantly impede local economic development efforts and push growth into neighboring states.
• By blocking the expanded “Bottle Bill” (A6353A/ S237C), we saved retailers and distributors from financial burdens, allowing them to maintain operational efficiency and cost structures. This bill would have expanded the bottle deposit law to include a wide range of beverages, resulting in increased deposit amounts and imposed significant compliance costs.
• We successfully opposed the New York Health Act (S7590/A7897) which would have substituted health coverage in New York for a government run, single payer program costing tax payers billions of dollars.
All Industries and Business Sizes
• We supported policies such as extending to-go alcohol sales and liquor sales in movie theaters, providing increased revenue opportunities for the hospitality and entertainment industries.
Managed Government Oversight
• By supporting the sunsetting of the COVID-19 Sick Leave Law, we provided clarity and stability for future labor policies.
• The “Bottle Bill” that we helped block would have significantly increased the compliance burden placed on supermarkets, convenience stores, and other beverage outlets.
Promoted Investments in Greater Rochester
• Our advocacy helped reverse school aid reductions and expand higher education programs, ensuring a well-educated future workforce and a diverse talent pool.
• We advocated for measures that enhance protection for retail employees and provide financial incentives for businesses to invest in security measures, ensuring a safer working environment.
• Our opposition of A373B/S5457B, which sought to establish an indirect source review for heavy distribution warehouse operations, prevented hundreds of millions of dollars in waste that companies have already invested in building and staffing off-site custom fabrication facilities and cost thousands of people their jobs throughout NYS.
Economic Development Priorities
Continued development and growth are imperative for us to achieve the goals we all have set out for the Finger Lakes region. Greater Rochester Chamber will work tirelessly to continue the momentum we feel for Rochester. We will continue to support programs at the federal, state, and local levels that seek to get shovels into the ground to achieve our economic development goals. This will include:
1. Prioritizing the Finger Lakes Regional Economic Development Council priorities: (1) Equity and Sustainability; (2) Industry Growth; (3) Built Environment; (4) Workforce Development; and (5) Quality of Life.
2. Continued investment into the NY SMART I-Corridor as New York State continues attracting semiconductor fabricators and high-tech manufacturers.
3. Promoting policies that increase the energy capacity communities desperately need for new development and building on the $4.7 million electric substation investment announced in January 2025.
4. Fund FAST NY at a minimum of $200 million and align state agencies with the goals of FAST NY to make site development and construction easier, all while helping developers expediently meet regulatory requirements.
5. Supporting policies and programs that expedite the construction of new, desperately needed housing projects and expand the capacity of our housing stock.
6. Supports carbon-reduction infrastructure investments and policies that are implemented carefully and thoughtfully, so as to not stifle economic growth or place unnecessary costs on our businesses and members.
7. Lending support to policies that will decrease crime, deter re-offenders, and instill confidence in the business community that the Finger Lakes Region is ripe for investment.
8. Supporting reinvestment for the Regional Economic Development Council Initiative, the Downtown Revitalization Initiative, and the NY Forward initiative.
9. Promoting the growth, creation, and promotion of MWBEs and empowering regional offices to streamline the certification process.
10. Supporting the New York/Canada economic corridor.
11. Supporting policies that reduce the amount of time it takes for NY to deliver on grants.
Workforce Development, Education, & Non-Profits Priorities
We cannot achieve the growth potential that we all want for our region without a reliable pipeline of qualified and skilled workers to fill jobs. Greater Rochester Chamber will continue to advocate for funding to bolster education, improve coordination, and ensure targeted investment in talent management. We will additionally continue to advocate to eliminate barriers to workforce advancement, by working to address the childcare crisis, and mitigate the effects of the benefits cliff. Childcare costs are too high, there are too few spots for those who need it most, and employees are unable to advance in their career without losing subsidies and being worse off financially. Working collaboratively with our partners to address these issues will be a priority of ours.
We will continue to work alongside our partners to ensure we are setting our workforce up for success by:
1. Supporting additional investments in the one-stop career center system managed by local workforce development boards.
2. Supporting policies that will address the cost of delivering quality childcare and expand childcare capacity.
3. Supporting the disbursement of already-authorized workforce development funding to close the gap in preparing individuals for jobs in high-need sectors.
4. Strengthening the secondary education-to-employment workforce pipeline needed to train aspiring professionals for jobs in high-need sectors.
5. Increasing investment in critical healthcare workforce programs, including raising support for the Nurses Across New York Program from $3M to $6M, maintaining the Doctors Across New York Program at $15M, and creating a new Dentists Across NY Program at $6M.
6. Authorizing New York to join the Nurse Licensure and Interstate Medical Licensure compacts.
7. Supporting policies that strategically address and mitigate the challenges associated with the benefits cliff, such as creating a Benefits Cliff Task Force, enacting the six-month benefit disregard (S.8374A/A.10155A in 2024), allowing training programs to satisfy benefit requirements, and updating asset caps for collecting social service benefits (S.2705 in 2024).
8. Supporting making private, not-for-profit higher education institutions and their students, as well as all academic medical centers in NYS, eligible for workforce recruiting programs.
9. Supporting increased funding for CATs and COEs to $1.5M per center.
10. Supporting efforts to connect Greater Rochester’s disabled community to gainful employment.
11. Restoring Bundy Aid to $35M and reversing the harmful policy from last year’s budget that eliminated eligibility for students at specific non-profit colleges and universities.
12. Supporting additional investment for TAP, HECap, STEP, CSTEP, and STEAM funding.
13. Supporting maintaining a funding floor for community colleges at 100% of the prior year.
14. Supporting further investment in P-TECH.
15. Supporting the Finger Lakes region as a test site for new workforce development projects.
16. Increasing collaboration with regional colleges and universities to help foster communication between employers and talent.
17. Supporting the reduction in New York State child labor policies that limit opportunities for high school students to learn and grow.
18. Supporting professional licensing for immigrants.
Healthcare Priorities
Hospitals: Our regional hospital systems play a vital role in healthcare delivery for Upstate New York residents as our largest private employers. Inadequate reimbursement under Medicaid and Medicare, healthcare cuts by the State (e.g., the 340B program), rising labor and supply costs, and an inability to discharge patients into nursing/rehab beds in the community are straining financial stability.
The Finger Lakes region has the fewest hospital beds per 1,000 population in New York State and among the lowest in the nation. Greater Rochester Chamber:
1. Supports releasing the dollars promised to Greater Rochester hospitals to help with the loss of the 340B drug benefit program that were enacted in the 2023-24 Enacted Budget.
2. Announce the awards for the Statewide Health Care Facility Transformation Program IV awards and V Health Information Technology, Cybersecurity, and Telehealth Transformation Program and build upon the Program by investing an additional $1.5 billion to meet existing and new program requests. Additionally, ensure there is geographic and need balance in award distribution.
3. Immediately fund hospitals using the “one-time” $525 million Medicaid investment authorized for SFY 2024-2025 and make another investment in hospital Medicaid rates of at least $525 million for SFY 2025-2026
4. Supports measures to change traveling nurse company rules that are currently taking advantage of the healthcare crisis for their own financial benefit, including by implementing a 75 mile or greater minimum for travel nurses.
5. Support Monroe County’s request for an annual commitment of $15,000,000 for 3 years to fund the Transformational Community Care Coordination (TC3) Project – a successful pilot program run by the Finger Lakes Performing Provider System (FLPPS) and funded jointly by Monroe County and FLPPS.
6. Increasing investment in critical healthcare workforce programs, including raising support for the Nurses Across New York Program from $3M to $6M, maintaining the Doctors Across New York Program at $15M, and creating a new Dentists Across NY Program at $6M.
7. Supports providing quality insurance coverage to the less than 5% of New Yorker’s who are uninsured/underinsured rather than replacing our current healthcare system with a costly state-run system.
8. Supports reducing the taxes, surcharges, and assessments imposed on employers and individuals who purchase health insurance (including the premium tax and HCRA).
Long Term Care & Nursing Facilities:
Upstate New York’s non-profit nursing homes are at a critical juncture, with 75% of residents dependent on Medicaid. Years of budget cuts and stagnant Medicaid rates have severely impacted their ability to provide quality care while remaining financially viable. Greater Rochester Chamber:
1. Supports making the FY 2024-25 $285 million Medicaid rate increase permanent.
2. Advocates for restoring the capital reimbursement cuts from the FY 2024-25 budget and investing in facility modernization.
3. Supports an $800 million New York State-share increase to close the current funding gap.
4. Proposes creating an Upstate Nursing Home Workforce and Quality Pool to provide financial assistance to non-profit nursing homes in the region.
5. Recommends updating Medicaid rate methodologies, as nursing home rates based on 2007 costs are unsustainable and hinder competitive wages and staff retention.
6. Supports authorizing certified medication assistants to administer routine medications in nursing homes (S.8635/A.8299 in 2024).
Transportation and Infrastructure Priorities
Growing the Finger Lakes regional economy requires investment in transportation, energy, technology, and infrastructure. Sustainable business practices are also critical for corporate social responsibility. Greater Rochester Chamber:
1. Supports public/private partnerships to expand reliable broadband and cellular service across New York State, ensuring providers do not bear the full cost.
2. Supports investment in renewable energy and increasing capacity and availability of low-cost power.
3. Supports expanding the electric vehicle industry, including making New York a green hydrogen hub, and expanding New York State funded electric charging infrastructure.
4. Advocates for increased funding for public transit programs to support job growth.
5. Supports investment in operating support, capital assistance, and surface transportation design/repair across Upstate New York.
6. Advocate for members impacted by the ACT Rule, which would unfairly penalize vehicle manufacturers and dealers. Subsequently support investments that bolster electric vehicle charging infrastructure throughout New York State.
Tax/Mandate Relief Priorities
New York State is seen as uncompetitive for business due to high taxes and mandates. While certain reforms have eased the burden, much more remains to be done. Greater Rochester Chamber:
1. Supports eliminating New York’s nearly $6 billion in outstanding Unemployment Insurance debt, which has led to costly surcharges for employers.
2. Supports sunsetting COVID-19-specific sick leave while maintaining traditional sick leave policies.
3. Supports expanding tax reforms for New York’s manufacturers to allow for job creation.
4. Supports reducing tax rates for small businesses.
Member-Specific Support
We are there for member companies on individual matters that require support and assistance. As a member, your urgent issues becomes our urgent issue. If it matters to you, it matters to us. We aid in company-specific legislative, regulatory, and funding issues at the regional, state, and federal levels including, but not limited to:
• Navigating the processes to obtain permits/certifications/variances
• Assisting with navigating government agency processes
• Immigration/Visas
• MWBE Certification
• Letters of Support
• Letters of Introduction
If your business is experiencing any issues, please reach out to Joe.Leathersich@GreaterRochesterChamber.com We will put our hard-earned relationships to work for you and your business.