Boosting business

On Small Business Saturday, it was disappointing to read the Post editorial “Invitations to Corruption” (Nov. 25) against three pieces of legislation, including my proposal (bill A.1260-A) to provide “innovation vouchers” to small businesses.

Because small businesses don’t typically have their own research and development units, these vouchers serve as matching grants (typically $10,000) for partnering with a college, university or national laboratory to undertake projects to advance innovative ideas.

A bipartisan state Assembly overwhelmingly passed my bill for three straight years, and this year the state Senate voted 61-1. At no point during that time did the Citizens Budget Commission, which recently opposed the bill in a letter to the governor, contact me to express any concerns.

Innovation vouchers have a proven track record in other countries. At one point, 80 percent of new research and development jobs created in the Netherlands were attributable to the vouchers.

My proposal promotes transparency, requiring quarterly reports listing every voucher recipient and research partner, along with measurements of success, including jobs created and patents issued.

While there may be reasons to question million-dollar incentives to large corporations, small businesses should not be denied new opportunities. Gov. Cuomo should sign the bill. Assemblyman David Buchwald, White Plains