Albany's Latest Red-Tape Cuts: What the Second Wave of 'EXPRESS NY' Means for New York Small Businesses
Gov. Kathy Hochul's EXPRESS NY initiative has rolled out 75 more regulatory reforms across 17 state agencies, including a payroll reporting fix the state says will save nearly 50,000 small businesses more than 11,000 hours a year. Here's what's in it for owners, from child care operators to home care agencies.
NEW YORK — Every small-business owner in New York has a paperwork story: the duplicate form, the confusing state website, the report filed twice to two agencies that apparently don’t talk to each other. Albany says it’s listening, and it has a new batch of changes to prove it.
On Oct. 21, Gov. Kathy Hochul unveiled the second wave of her EXPRESS NY regulatory reform initiative: 75 actions across 17 state agencies. The state estimates the reforms will save New Yorkers tens of millions of dollars and about 5 million hours, and that more than 2.5 million people will benefit. Small-business advocacy group NFIB flagged the package for its members this week.
Here’s what’s in it for business owners, and how it fits with the reforms that came before.
The Headline Fix: Payroll Reporting
The most broadly relevant change is a modernization of the Department of Labor’s payroll system. The governor’s office says it was based directly on employer feedback and submissions to the EXPRESS NY portal about “overly complicated and confusing reporting requirements.”
The state’s estimate: the change will reduce administrative burdens for nearly 50,000 small businesses and save them more than 11,000 hours a year. The announcement doesn’t spell out exactly which forms change or when, so owners should watch for guidance from the Department of Labor and ask their payroll provider or accountant how it affects their filings.
If You Run a Child Care Business
Child care providers, many of them small businesses, get some of the most specific relief. According to the state, the second wave will:
- Broaden the fields of study that qualify someone to be a child care educator, expanding the hiring pool
- Align facility requirements so providers can run programs for school-aged children in school buildings without costly renovations
- Reduce delays from often duplicative background checks, helping providers avoid closures when staff are out, while keeping required staff-to-child ratios
- Let extensive work experience count toward becoming a child care director
- Allow directors of day care centers to work across two sites
For operators struggling to staff up, the hiring and director flexibility could matter most.
If You’re in Health Care or Home Care
Several changes target health-related businesses:
- Home care agencies: A redundant reporting requirement for licensed Home Care Service Agencies is eliminated by folding the data into annual registration. The state says that removes duplicate paperwork for about 1,200 providers.
- Mental health programs: The Office of Mental Health’s Prior Approval Review process, unchanged in more than 15 years, is being updated, which the state says could benefit up to 1,700 programs.
- Nursing homes: Bed census reporting drops from weekly to monthly for 598 nursing homes.
- Medicaid providers: Redundant self-disclosure filings are eliminated for providers who aren’t eligible for the self-disclosure program.
For Beverage Makers
A smaller item: the State Liquor Authority is expanding charitable fundraising through beverage labeling. The state says earlier labeling rules limited businesses from using their products to raise awareness and money for causes, which could give beverage makers more room for cause-marketing releases.
Labor Disputes Go Digital
The package also modernizes 29 state labor dispute proceedings, authorizing electronic filing, eliminating unnecessary verification requirements and repealing outdated publication rules. The state says these affect nearly 800,000 public- and private-sector employees and employers.
How We Got Here
EXPRESS NY started last fall, when Hochul asked every state agency to recommend rules to eliminate or modify. The state then opened a public portal, and in April the governor’s office reported more than 3,700 recommendations from roughly 2,000 individuals, small businesses and organizations. Small businesses were the second-most-cited issue area, at 22% of submissions, and New York City sent in more than 1,000.
The first wave, announced in June, included several business-friendly changes: simpler license renewals for more than 800,000 Department of State licensees such as barbers, cosmetologists and real estate professionals; repeal of a $100 application fee for commercial weighing and measuring devices; a faster MWBE certification track for licensed professionals; and the repeal of 15 outdated labor regulations, including a 1950s-era rule that required restaurants to get a special permit for women to work after midnight.
The City Is Moving Too
The state push comes as New York City makes its own changes. On Nov. 3, city voters approved all five charter amendments from Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s Commission on Government Efficiency, including streamlined outdoor dining approvals starting March 1, 2027, and simpler questionnaires for businesses seeking city contracts. We’ll have more on implementation as details arrive.
What Owners Should Do Now
- Ask your payroll provider whether the Department of Labor changes affect your filings, and when.
- Child care and home care operators should check with their licensing agencies on when new rules take effect.
- Keep a red-tape log. The state says portal submissions shaped this round. When a rule wastes your time, write down which agency, which form and how many hours it costs.
Paperwork relief rarely makes headlines, but for a five-person business, hours back are real money.