ALBANY — The National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB), the state and nation’s leading small business advocacy association,  released its New York State Voting Record for the 2021-22 legislative session.

NFIB’s 2021-22 New York Voting Record  scored eight “key votes” in the state Senate and seven in the Assembly on issues of critical importance to the state’s small businesses, including tax relief, restoring the decimated Unemployment Insurance Trust Fund, and COVID-19 recovery efforts.

“Our voting record is meant to show our members and the small business community whether their legislators support New York’s job creators and our local economies, and this year’s report shows far too many of them do not,” said Ashley Ranslow, NFIB’s New York state director.

“Two hundred and thirteen lawmakers sit in the New York Assembly and Senate, and a majority of them opposed the small business position at least half of the time as small businesses continue to face unprecedented challenges and economic uncertainty,” Ranslow added.

Thirteen members of the Senate and 20 lawmakers in the Assembly voted with the pro-small business position 100% of the time, according to the organization.

Locally, state Sen. Joseph A. Griffo, R-47, Rome; Assemblyman Ken Blankenbush, R-117, Black River, and Assemblyman Robert Smullen, R-118, Mecca, had perfect scores, according to the organization.

“The latest national NFIB Optimism Index data show the number of small business owners expecting conditions to improve in the next six months is the lowest it’s been since the 1970s, and we’re looking to the state legislature to step up and support Main Street businesses in New York on issues like crushing and unfair pandemic-induced hikes in unemployment insurance taxes and suffocating overregulation,” Ranslow said.

“On behalf of our thousands of members and struggling small business owners across the Empire State, I want to sincerely thank the legislators who time and again backed their words with action, voting in support of homegrown job creation every opportunity available to them,” Ranslow continued.

NFIB tracks key legislative issues identified by its small business members every session and then tabulates a score for each member of the state legislature.

The 2021-22 NFIB New York Voting Record does not reflect all elements considered by a lawmaker when voting, nor does it represent a complete profile of a legislator, but it does provide information small businesses should consider when evaluating their legislator’s attitudes toward small businesses, according to the NFIB announcement on its current rankings.