New York SBDC Research Network

DMV.com has ranked and reviewed every DMV agency website to find the best of class for its  2015 State DMV Website Rankings . All the websites were graded using a comprehensive scorecard that evaluated the design, usability, content and online services. These top ten sites represent the highest standard in government motor vehicle and licensing websites. #2 New York D U S C Score 20 16 38 20 94   The NY DMV website has recently received a significant update which significantly improved the usability and aesthetics of the site. With a great dropdown navigation this site is a great example of functional and efficient design. The New York DMV website is very user friendly with a forms search application that is quite handy and a conveniently located "Save time, do it online" button.

A report published by the Office of Advocacy measures the small business benefit of federal tax expenditures. Tax expenditures are provisions in the tax law designed to benefit specific groups of taxpayers. They are similar to spending programs but generally do not involve direct federal outlays. Rather, they work through the income tax system, taking the form of special credits, exemptions, deductions, exclusions, and preferential rates. This study estimates the utilization of federal tax expenditure provisions by small and large businesses in 2013. The report, Measuring the Benefit of Federal Tax Expenditures Used by Small Business , was written by John O’Hare, Mary Schmitt, Judy Xanthopoulos of Quantria Strategies, LLC. For press inquiries or to speak with Advocacy’s Chief Economist Janemarie Mulvey, Ph.D., contact Elle Patout, Public Affairs and Media Manager, at (202) 205-6533 or elle.patout@sba.gov.

From the Washington Post : Small business owners and entrepreneurs from around the country have started to feel the ripple effects of the closure — some left waiting for contract updates, some left waiting for loans, and some left waiting to see whether customers are going to keep walking through their doors. "We have all seen the offices locked down, the monuments closed," President Obama said during a speech on Thursday. "But the impacts of the shutdown go way beyond those things that you are seeing on television." See also: Headaches Loom for SBA Borrowers in Shutdown's Second Week

This memorandum contains a summary of the corporation tax changes that are part of the 2013-2014 New York State budget. The changes contained in the memorandum are effective for tax years 2013 and after. This includes New York State Business Incubator and Innovation Hot Spot Support Act (Articles 9-A and 22), Chapter 59 of the Laws of 2013 (Part C) created the New York State Business Incubator and Innovation Hot Spot Support Act (the Act) to support companies in New York State that are in the early stages of development. The Act provides for operating grants and other assistance to New York State incubators and New York State innovation hot spots for the purpose of developing successful businesses in the state by providing technical assistance, direct mentorship, entrepreneurial education, and business development service s. In addition, new section 38 has been added to the Tax Law to provide for New York State innovation hot spot program tax benefits. View the entire document .

FDespite improvements in disaster response for recent, major occurrences like Hurricane Sandy, more work remains to be done so as not to adversely impact citizens, businesses and governments devastated by a disaster's effects for greatly prolonged periods of time. In this insightful observation piece, Rockefeller Institute Senior Fellow Dr. James Fossett indicates that improved disaster recovery from natural and man-made occurrences is possible through strategic planning, careful coordination between various levels of government, and the development of easily accessible response mechanisms. Dr. Fossett outlines several steps available to governments that will enable the development of cash reserves and the release of money necessary to assure a speedy return to normalcy after a major, catastrophic event. To read this observation, go to www.rockinst.org .

From HERE : Gov. Andrew Cuomo issued an executive order Monday requiring state agencies to catalogue data and take steps to make it public on the website: open.ny.gov . The site was first announced in February. “Open.ny.gov creates unprecedented transparency across all levels of government and gives the people user-friendly access to vast quantities of information on our State,” Cuomo said in a statement. “This new website will dramatically increase public access to one of our most valuable assets—data. As it expands and evolves over time, Open.ny.gov will spark innovation, improve efficiency, promote accountability and bring the people back into government.” Thirty agencies are already participating, including the State University of New York and the Department of Health. The state Education Department is preparing to display data on the site.

The Census of Governments identifies the scope and nature of the nation's state and local government sector; provides authoritative benchmark figures of public finance and public employment; classifies local government organizations, powers, and activities; and measures federal, state, and local fiscal relationships. The data are available by: * level of government (state, local, or state and local combined), * type of government (state, county, city, township, special district, school district), and * category of governmental activity (more about governmental activities).

Benefits.gov can help you identify grants, loans, financial aid, and other benefits from the U.S. government for which you may be eligible and tell you how and where to apply. When looking for financial assistance, remember that there are differences between grants and loans. You are required to pay back a loan, often with interest. You are not required to pay back a grant, but there are very few grants available to individuals. Most grants are awarded to universities, researchers, cities, states, counties, and non-profit organizations. You can search for these type of grants on Grants.gov .

From HERE Cyber Monday shoppers looking to score NFL jerseys, DVDs or fancy handbags [had] a better chance of getting the genuine article, after federal enforcement agencies spent Black Friday taking control of 150 websites reputed to deal in counterfeit goods. As part of the ongoing Operation in Our Sites, the Justice Department and Immigration and Customs Enforcement seized control of the sites’ domain names in the largest crackdown to date on online knockoffs, the department said in announcing the crackdown. The domain name servers for the sites — the majority of them selling bogus NFL and other sports gear, along with some offering DVDs, UGG boots, Louis Vuitton bags and other goods — were switched to seizedservers.com, a server run by ICE. Many of the sites were registered to people in China, the Register reported. That's the good news. The not-so-good news is that in this fight against piracy, there is much more far-reaching legislation proposed. From HERE The Sto

You can quickly find the federal form you need by searching or browsing by name, type, or agency. Find tax forms, postal service forms, and more. Find government forms now.

Several of President Obama’s open government initiative data websites are scheduled to go dark in May due to lack of funding. Funding will run out on April 20 for IT Dashboard; Data.gov , which provides enhanced access to publicly available federal datasets; and Paymentaccuracy.gov , which tracks improper payments from government programs. Other open government public data sites scheduled to go dark after July 30 are USASpending.gov , which provides detailed information on federal contracts, and Apps.gov , a site that tracks how federal agencies use free web applications. More information about the proposed cuts is available here.

The majority (82%) of small business owners feel that their interests are typically overlooked by the government, according to a new survey by Regus. More than half (56%) in the U.S. believe banks should be forced to lend more to entrepreneurial ventures and small businesses. Seventy-five percent of U.S. entrepreneurs also stated that government venture capital funds should be available to support entrepreneurs and their business initiatives, indicating that maintaining cash flow continues to be of concern for businesses. More HERE .

The Earth Day Green Business Guide is a document from Business.gov , the official business link to the U.S. Government. The guide is intended to help "small business owners save money while protecting the environment. From changing a light bulb and using recyclable products to installing energy efficient equipment and systems, every business can make simple changes that save energy costs and natural resources." Small businesses can learn how to: * Develop an Environmental Management Plan * Comply with Environmental Regulations * Develop Green Products * Market and Grow Your Green Business * Reuse, Reduce and Recycle Waste * Explore Green Commuting Options * Learn about Successful Green Businesses In addition, the following Small Business Guides also available through Business.gov include special highlights to help you green your business: * Starting a Green Business - Start an Eco-Friendly Business * Advertising and Marketing - How to Ma

From the website: 411SmallBusinessFacts.com is a searchable data base of approximately 2,000 facts about American small businesses and their owners (or managers) produced by the NFIB Research Foundation. The Foundation developed this information from telephone surveys of small employers – those employing from one person in addition to the owner(s) to 250. Data collection began in 2001 and continues through the present. The data are gathered regularly for a series of publications known as NFIB’s National Small Business Poll. New Poll data are added to 411SmallBusinessFacts.com eight times annually. The small business facts presented in the data base address a wide range of subject matter and include material which typically cannot be found in other sources. You can do a quick search, but it's easier to search by keyword, category, or poll. From HillSearch.org : If you're looking for a centralized location to access government forms, try Forms.gov . Forms.gov provides access

The website USA.gov , "Government made easy", has added Web 2.0 tools to the portal: a governmentwide news feed service, a gallery of online gadgets, and a word cloud that depicts the most popular online government content. The Government News Aggregator lets users receive consolidated news and information from across the federal government, delivered through RSS feeds. The Government Gadget Gallery is a collection of gadgets and widgets organized by topic and created by subject-matter experts, which can be embedded in home pages, blogs, and other sites. USA.gov Word Cloud allows one to see at a glance which key words are most often searched.

"We continue to discuss how to best use a single Twitter channel for a 17,000-person agency covering many complex, interdisciplinary issues." This was the first post I read on the EPA's Twitter feed . So apparently we're not alone in trying to figure out this Twitter thing! At least there are less than 200 of us... Want to see how more government agencies are using Twitter? Use the GovTwit directory to find Twitter accounts for state, local and federal, as well as contractors, reporters, academics.

If you have a regular need for the forms issued by the SBA (or any other Federal government agency), then bookmark the Federal Forms Catalog at Forms.gov . Note in the left-hand margin, under the heading "Frequently Used Forms," that there's a link titled "Small Business Forms". All of them emanate from SBA. All of the links lead to a PDF version of the form, many of which can be filled out online. Elsewhere, I can envision how quick access to IRS forms would be useful to certain clients as well. I took a quick spin around SBA's website, but couldn't readily find a link there to the forms they've issued. Keep it handy.

According to a recent article from Federal Computing Week there are at least 31 active public blogs run by federal agencies. This piece highlights 5 blogs hosted by (or at least related to) federal agencies, including the Department of Health and Human Services (Secretary Mike Leavitt was the first head of an agency to write a public blog), the Congressional Budget Office, the State Department, and the Navy. We spend a fair amount of time searching for federal regulations and statistics. This more personable and conversational side of federal government feels particularly refreshing.