BY JESSICA PARKS
Southern Brooklyn state
Sen. Andrew Gounardes debuted
legislation on Oct. 19
that, if signed into law, would
slash the cost of personal protective
equipment for struggling
small businesses looking
to keep their employees
safe.
“The point is to help businesses
that are trying to do the
right thing, providing masks
and other PPE as per the state
regulations, and make it easier
for them to get it,” Gounardes
told Brooklyn Paper.
The fi rst-term legislator
said the new bill would give
much-needed assistance to local
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business owners, who have
been forced to bear the brunt
of additional costs brought on
by the COVID-19 pandemic —
all while they’ve seen a significant
decline in revenues.
“Every little bit that can
help businesses do the right
thing, I think is a no-brainer,”
Gounardes said.
If passed, the bill would allow
state offi cials to purchase
bulk amounts of PPE, and then
sell them to merchants at cost,
without collecting a profi t
from New York businesses.
“It would allow the state
small business department
to bulk order on the behalf of
small businesses,” Gounardes
said. “The state can do a much
better job at driving down the
costs for these businesses and
then passing down the savings
to the small businesses.”
And on top of helping with
future purchases, the legislation
would also provide a retroactive
tax credit to small business
owners for the amount
they’ve already spent on masks
and protective equipment for
their employees, the pol said.
The idea, which came from
suggestions voiced by members
of Gounardes’ small business
recovery group, comes
on the heels of his push to provide
small businesses with
access to a health consultant
State Sen. Andrew Gounardes is introducing legislation that would lower
costs of PPE for small businesses. Photo by Jessica Parks
who will guide them through
their reopening in July — another
brainchild of the small
business consortium.
“This is a topic that we
have talked about at a bunch
of our meetings,” Gounardes
said. “From multiple conversations
with business owners
in the district, we thought this
might be one avenue to make
it easier for businesses.”
As an estimated one-third
of all New York small businesses
may permanently shutter
from the coronavirus-related
recession, Gounardes
pushed his fellow state legislators
to pass the desperatelyneeded
economic help, which
would also encourage proper
health and safety measures to
stem the spread of the virus.
“They are fi ghting for their
survival,” he said. “Right now
we have to be incredibly creative
and aggressive in doing
every single thing possible to
help these businesses stay in
business.”
‘EVERY LITTLE
BIT CAN HELP’
Bay Ridge pol intros bill to slash PPE
costs for small business owners
Dr. James DiGiuseppi DC
8214-13th Ave., Brooklyn, NY 11228