ALBANY — New York’s Democratic-led Assembly plans to pass legislation Tuesday to help workers and small businesses financially survive the coronavirus pandemic.

Workers could collect unemployment insurance while working part time, small businesses would be protected from being charged higher rates for unemployment insurance when they reopen and New York would put a stay on eviction and foreclosure for small businesses under the proposed legislation.

“Unemployment insurance has been a critical lifeline for millions of our friends and neighbors who lost their job through no fault of their own during this pandemic,” Speaker Carl Heastie said in a statement to The Associated Press.

Small business owners who were forced to let workers go because of the pandemic have expressed concern about what’s known as their experience rating, which reflects a small business’s unemployment claims and is used as a basis for unemployment charges on employers.

Small businesses often have lower ratings because they have fewer employees and claims, and the Assembly bill would exclude such businesses from extra unemployment insurance charges if they were forced to close or reduce their staff after March 12, 2020.

And another bill would allow workers who find part-time work to maintain eligibility for unemployment insurance. Currently, New York imposes a 25% reduction in benefits for any work performed in a single day.

Assemblymember Al Stirpe said that creates a disincentive for people to return to part-time work.

And small businesses of fewer than 50 employees would have a moratorium on evictions until May 1, under a third bill. Tenants and landlords would fill out a standardized hardship declaration form to receive protections, which also include tax lien and negative credit reporting protections and a stay on foreclosures for small businesses that are renting ten or fewer properties.

SENATE REPUBLICANS PITCH A SEPARATE PLAN

State Sen. George Borrello, R-Sunset Bay, along with members of the Senate Republican Conference, unveiled a package of legislation to help “Reset New York’s Restaurant and Hospitality Industry.”

“Unfortunately, our governor does not seem to understand how important these restaurants, hotels, and their employees are to making our economy function. Using his executive authority, the governor has put extremely damaging and burdensome restrictions on the industry without outlining any plan for how government will help reverse the damage it created. The Senate Democrats have been a voiceless non-entity in this situation, devoid of any plan of their own or proactive initiative to help. It’s high time state government – including the State Senate – roll up our sleeves and begin to restart, rethink, and renew our commitment to restaurants and hospitality businesses to make our State thrive again,” Borrello said.

The cornerstone of the package of legislation advanced by the Senate Republicans today includes a comprehensive bill, sponsored by Borrello, to provide relief to business owners and employers affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. The bill would:

¯ Exempt small businesses from being penalized with higher unemployment insurance rates due to layoffs resulting from COVID-related, government-mandated closures. The exemption would extend for a period of one year from when they are permitted to return to full capacity;

¯ Prohibit internet-based food delivery services from charging higher fees than they charged on or before March 1, 2020;

¯ Provide small businesses additional time to pay monthly sales and payroll taxes, as well as, business and property taxes;

¯ Offer interest-free loans or lines of credit to small businesses;

¯ Provide a one year extension for renewal of liquor licenses; and

¯ Provide businesses a 90 day grace period to pay any fees or penalties due to state and local agencies.

Also included in the plan announced by the Senate Republican Conference were pieces of legislation that would:

¯ Direct SLA-inflicted fines into a business relief fund to help small businesses get back on their feet (Senator Mike Martucci);

¯ Provide for a credit on liquor license renewals for the amount of time bars and restaurants were forced to be shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic (Senator Joseph Griffo);

¯ Create a limited state sales tax exemption for the sale of food and drink at restaurants and taverns from state sales and compensating use taxes and granting municipalities the option to grant such limited exemption (Senator Daphne Jordan);

¯ Provide a tax check off box that will direct funds into a business relief fund (Senator Mario Mattera); and

¯ Create an employee retention tax credit, modeled after the Federal Employee Retention Credit, to help employers keep workers on payroll (Senator Peter Oberacker).

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Republicans Restaurants