New York City Council Member Robert E. Cornegy, Jr. Discussed Earned Sick Leave and Restaurant Inspections at Small Business Town Hall

BROOKLYN, N.Y., March 28, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- New York City Council Member Robert E. Cornegy, Jr., 36^th Councilmanic District hosted a small business breakfast town hall meeting at Restoration Plaza in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn. The town hall was an opportunity for business owners to learn about legal changes affecting their operations, including the new law requiring businesses with five or more employees to provide earned sick leave and the plan to reduce fines relating to restaurant inspections. Presenters included representatives of the City's Departments of Small Business Services, Consumer Affairs and Health and Mental Hygiene. The town hall was organized in partnership with the Bed-Stuy Gateway BID and Brooklyn Community Board 3.

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"Small businesses create jobs, support our tax base and shape the character of our city's neighborhoods," said Council Member Cornegy, Chair of the Council's Committee on Small Business. "We have an obligation to support their success by sharing user-friendly information about their rights and responsibilities, especially when these rules are in flux. Improving the flow of information between agencies and the business community is a priority for me as Small Business Committee chair. I also appreciated hearing about the priorities of local small and mico-businesses in my district."

"We thank Council Member Cornegy for hosting us at this Small Business Town Hall, which is one of the first of many events to help employers and employees understand their responsibilities and rights under the City's new Paid Sick Leave Law," said Department of Consumer Affairs First Deputy Commissioner Alba Pico. "Employers and employees can now visit nyc.gov/PaidSickLeave or call 311 for the required notice for employees, one-page overviews, FAQs, and training events. We will be adding the notice in additional languages soon and many more training events to our website in the coming weeks, as well as launching a multi-phased advertising campaign."

"The Department of Small Business Services is happy to work with Council Member Cornegy and our partner agencies in government to ensure that small businesses have the information they need to thrive," said Gregg Bishop, Deputy Commissioner of Business Development at the NYC Department of Small Business Services.

"Restaurant letter grading began as a way to motivate restaurants to practice better food safety and allow the public to make more informed decisions about where to safely dine," said Health Commissioner Dr. Mary Bassett. "And the program is working. An overwhelming majority of New Yorkers approve of letter grading, and as restaurant performance has improved, foodborne illness appears to be declining. But small businesses sometimes had to pay fines that placed a substantial hardship on them, so these new rules represent an enormous step towards easing financial strains and helping make the inspection process more transparent and consistent across the board."

Council Member Cornegy represents the communities of Bedford-Stuyvesant and Crown Heights in the City Council.  He is the Chair of the Council's Committee on Small Business.

Contact:
Candace Sandy 646.298.5506
Dynishal P. Gross 212.788.7354

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SOURCE Council Member Robert E. Cornegy, Jr.