§ 231 — Regional offices

§ 231. Regional offices. 1. The department, through its regional\noffices, is authorized: (a) to serve as a center for information\nregarding economic development resources available from state, federal\nand local agencies; (b) to provide outreach to businesses, with\nattention to small and medium-sized businesses, including minority and\nwomen-owned business enterprises, for financial and technical assistance\noffered by state economic development agencies, authorities, or other\neconomic entities; (c) to serve as a regional center to accept\napplications for state economic development programs; (d) to coordinate\nthe economic development programs and activities of state agencies and\nauthorities within each region including, but not limited to, outreach\nto businesses, technical assistance services, skills training\nassistance, sharing of information, strategic economic development plans\nand programs, to provide or arrange for assistance in compliance with\nfederal, state, and local rules, regulations, permits, and licenses, and\nother measures to enhance regional economic development and eliminate\nduplication of services; (e) to provide or arrange for assistance to\npersons, firms, agencies, partnerships or corporations, either public or\nprivate, in applying for assistance from state economic development\nprograms or for necessary licenses and permits or seeking to comply with\nfederal, state and local rules and regulations; (f) to review and\ncomment, within their knowledge and expertise, with respect to\napplications for state assistance in a timely manner and form prescribed\nby the commissioner; (g) to distribute literature and marketing material\ndescribing the facilities, advantages and attractions of the region for\nbusiness; (h) to provide economic development information, planning\nservices and technical assistance to counties and municipalities within\nthe region; (i) to provide information and assistance in the\ncertification of minority and women-owned business enterprises; (j) to\nprovide or arrange for assistance to private sector employers, whether\noperating for profit or not for profit, and to organizations and\nassociations of such employers in developing and implementing innovative\nand flexible employee compensation, assistance and benefit programs to\nenhance competitiveness and meet emerging demographic and market\nconditions; and (k) to provide information and assistance to small\nbusinesses on environmental compliance requirements of federal and state\nlaw and pollution prevention opportunities in furtherance of policies\nand programs established in article twenty-eight of the environmental\nconservation law and in coordination with the pollution prevention and\nenvironmental compliance coordinating council established in article\ntwenty-eight of the environmental conservation law, including programs\noperated by the department, the department of environmental conservation\nor other state or local agencies from which technical assistance, or\nloans, grants or other financial assistance for compliance and pollution\nprevention may be obtained; and in providing such information and\nassistance, to promote pollution prevention approaches.\n 2. As used in this section, "Pollution prevention" shall mean\npollution prevention as such term is defined by article twenty-eight of\nthe environmental conservation law.\n