Saturday, April 26, 2025
Small businesses are the backbone of Long Island, fueling local economies and creating jobs.
But despite their vital role in empowering Long Islanders and enhancing local main streets, small businesses are struggling. Countless mom-and-pop shops are still reeling from the economic fallout of the coronavirus pandemic, and small-business owners are grappling with inflation and facing fierce competition from corporate giants with massive marketing budgets.
Last month I took a major step to support Long Island’s small-business community by introducing the Lift Our Communities, Advertise Locally, or LOCAL, Act in the State Senate. The LOCAL Act, which was also introduced in the Assembly by member Jen Luns-ford, would establish a tax credit for small businesses to promote their goods, products and services in local media outlets, from print and digital to television and radio.
The goal of the LOCAL Act is simple yet powerful: to help small businesses stretch their marketing dollars while connecting with their most important audience, their neighbors.
The LOCAL Act would level the playing field for Long Island’s small businesses by making marketing more affordable. It would also support local news outlets, which provide the journalism our communities rely on but that are struggling to stay afloat. As advertising revenue shrinks, more newsrooms are being forced to cut staff or shut down altogether, leaving neighborhoods without the local reporting they count on. The LOCAL Act directly addresses this issue head-on by encouraging small businesses to invest in these news outlets, providing a mutually beneficial lifeline for economic growth.
When small businesses thrive, so do their communities. The LOCAL Act would focus on supporting any business with 10 or fewer employees as well as minority-, woman- and veteran-owned businesses of any size. For many owners of these businesses, the ability to advertise affordably in trusted, community-driven platforms like local newspapers would be a game-changer. Local media outlets are well positioned to connect businesses with their neighbors and loyal customers who are eager to shop locally and uplift their communities.
Small businesses do more than drive economic growth — they strengthen the neighborhoods they serve, sponsor local initiatives and reflect the cultural identity of their communities. For this reason, The
LOCAL Act has already garnered strong support from business groups across Long Island and the state, including the Long Island Association, the Long Island African American Chamber of Commerce, the National Federation of Independent Business and the thousands of small businesses each organization represents, as well as the more than 200 newspapers that make up the Empire State Local News Coalition. This is a testament to the urgency and importance of this legislation.
The LOCAL Act is a clear benefit for all New Yorkers. It’s a chance to make sure every dollar invested in marketing can help Long Island foster a vibrant economic environment where small businesses can grow and communities can prosper.
State legislators have a real chance to invest in solutions that make a difference for businesses and local economies across New York this year. By working alongside the Long Island business and local news community to pass this transformative bill, we will empower small businesses, uplift local journalism and create stronger, more vibrant communities for generations to come.
Monica Martinez represents the 4th State Senate District.
