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 Greetings from the Secretary of State
According to the Department of Labor, New York added 31,500 private sector jobs in April - the state's fourth straight monthly jobs increase. The Department of State is playing an important role helping New York continue down the path of economic recovery by granting a variety of different professional licenses to thousands of people across the state. In April DOS licensed 7,495 individuals across 30 professions - that's 12 percent more than the Department licensed in April 2009.
In addition to granting licenses, we are also protecting New Yorkers by ensuring that licensees are following the law. Since the beginning of the year, the Department's team of administrative law judges has heard hundreds of cases detailing alleged abuses across dozens of professions - from real estate brokers who steal the deposits of prospective home buyers to barbers operating without licenses, not to mention regard for personal hygiene.
While the Department has about 30 investigators who conduct spot checks on licensed businesses and individuals to ensure compliance with state law, we want to encourage the public to get involved. If you know that your cosmetologist isn't licensed or that your notary public isn't fulfilling his or her duties, let us know, and we'll look into it.
The vast majority of licensed professionals in New York are hard working individuals who follow the rules. Because of that, licensing statistics grant us a small window into the economic health of the state, and the positive trend in licensing seen in April has in fact extended back to the beginning of the year. Since the start of 2010 licensing numbers are up across numerous professions, with one of the largest increases coming in real estate, which took a huge hit in 2008 and 2009.
Other positive news on this front: new business filings are up more than six percent in the first four months of 2010 over the same period last year. We are now working with Empire State Development, the economic and business development arm of the state, to target resources to new businesses that open in New York, helping them navigate the incorporation and permitting processes.
Finally, you are encouraged to visit the Department of State's website if you have any further questions about what constitutes illegal or dishonest actions by licensed professionals - and to report these actions to the Department if you experience them. And as always, please let us know if there is anything the Department of State can do to support you in your efforts to build a better New York.
Best,
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Lorraine Cortés-Vázquez,
New York Secretary of State
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Secretary of State launches new real estate education campaign aimed at helping New Yorkers who are buying, selling or renting real estate
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  Given the improving real estate market in New York, the Department of State is increasing outreach efforts, through a new Real Estate Education Campaign, aimed at helping prospective buyers, sellers and renters learn their rights when engaging in real estate transactions.
The Department licenses nearly 120,000 real estate professionals in New York, including salespeople, brokers and appraisers, and each year the Department investigates hundreds of complaints against licensed real estate professionals who may have engaged in untrustworthy or dishonest behavior.
Since the start of the year the Department has taken dozens of actions against dishonest real estate professionals, leading to numerous revocations, suspensions and fines.
Some of the violations frequently investigated by the Department include: mishandling or overcharging of fees or deposits associated with a transaction; making false claims about a property or about one's experience in the industry; failure to complete the required continuing education courses; or gross malfeasance, often a combination of the above violations. More»
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Department of State expands efforts to help local governments
realize new efficiencies
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 This past month the Department of State expanded its popular Local Government Efficiency (LGE) Program to help a number of additional villages, counties and school districts across the state to study possible mergers or dissolutions that would achieve long-term cost savings.
Wyoming County will consider the cost savings associated with combining a number of water delivery systems located throughout the county into one centralized system; the Barker (Niagara Co.) and Lyndonville Central (Orleans Co.) School Districts will study a possible merger; and the villages of Lancaster (Erie Co.), Potsdam (St. Lawrence Co.) and Victory (Oswego Co.) will look into the cost savings associated with dissolving into their respective villages.
Since the inception of the LGE Program in 2005, the Department of State has awarded $45 million to 274 shared services projects, which will result in a long-term local government savings of an estimated $418 million.
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Emergency Services Loan Board approves new awards to help local fire companies; OFPC receives security grant
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 The Office of Fire Prevention and Control administers the Emergency Services Loan Program, which provides low-interest loans to local fire and rescue teams to assist them in purchasing much-needed vehicles or equipment - or to build or repair the buildings from which they are dispatched.
On May 12 the Emergency Services Loan Board approved 11 awards totaling $1.65 million to the following fire and rescue companies: More»
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OFPC participates in national effort to improve delivery
of fire prevention services
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Currently, OFPC is taking a leading role in a nationwide effort to reduce the loss of life and of property during fires, as across the country fire safety efforts continue to be underfunded and understaffed, leading to more fires, deaths and property damage. Given these facts, the Institution of Fire Engineers has established a steering committee comprised of noted fire service and related agencies, including OFPC, to guide a strategic planning process that will better coordinate fire prevention efforts nationwide.
The goal of the program, called Vision 20/20, is to identify significant gaps in service and to make recommendations to fill them. To this end, the project team has released a report that represents the first steps in filling perceived gaps in the nation's fire prevention efforts, which we hope will lead to better coordination among emergency service units in both the short and long term.
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