The Small Biz Agenda is urgently needed because legislative proposals are coming fast and furious at small businesses. But elected officials are not adequately listening to their concerns.

Of the more than 200,000 businesses in New York City, 89% are small businesses with fewer than 20 employees. They strengthen the local economy, create jobs, anchor communities and add to the vibrancy of neighborhoods. Remove them, and the authenticity and character of the city is gone.

It’s a tough time for small businesses in New York; many proprietors and entrepreneurs do not feel that the government has their back right now. In fact, city and state officials seem to be adding new roadblocks at an alarming rate. This environment led to New York placing 47th last year in the Small Business and Entrepreneurship Council’s ranking of states’ friendliness to small businesses and entrepreneurs.

Small business owners are overwhelmed by the numerous laws that were piled on in recent years: a doubling of the minimum wage; a 5-day paid sick leave mandate; a 12-week paid family leave mandate; major increases in property taxes; and restrictions on everything from the use of plastic bags to the way employers may schedule work shifts. Troublesome policies continue to be pushed, such as a two-week paid vacation mandate and possible elimination of “at-will” employment, among others.

Local government is putting out a dizzying array of problematic legislative proposals without understanding the financial and operational burdens that they pose for employers. Indeed some elected officials have proclaimed that businesses appear to have absorbed past mandates well enough so they can take on even more. That’s a huge disconnect because many small businesses are absolutely struggling as a result of these laws. They need to be heard and supported.