Chris Kendall of Madison County and Jacob Rieper of Columbia County are the DeregulateNY contest grand prize winners. Both nominated an antiquated state law requiring new limited liability companies (LLCs) to buy ads announcing a “notice of organization” for six weeks in two local newspapers, one weekly and one daily. This routinely adds several hundred to several thousand dollars to the cost of starting a business.
New York is one of a small handful of states that force would-be entrepreneurs to jump through this hoop. In the digital age, the publication requirement is a costly and outdated burden on people trying to earn a living and create jobs. Kendall’s entry noted, “Anyone wanting to learn about a LLC would do an online search at the NY Secretary of State’s [website], not do a newspaper archive search.”
The first runner-up was Darren Goldstein of Suffolk County, who pointed out another section of the Limited Liability Company Law that requires LLCs to file biennial statements that include information already included on annual tax filings. In addition to the required $9 filing fee, businesses are also saddled with the cost of having the paperwork prepared.
Stephen Sadlon, of Westchester County, was second runner-up, highlighting a section of Tax Law that requires professional tax preparers to pay a $100 fee if they prepare 10 or more income tax returns in a year.
Justin Graf and Brian Sharlow tied for third runner-up, uncovering an archaic provision in the Public Lands Law that requires property owners who discover silver or gold on their private land to file a $50 “notice of discovery” and to provide the state with a “map made on tracing cloth with india ink of the land.” Further, the state is entitled to a one percent royalty on the market value of the silver and gold mined after five years.
“There isn’t one particular rule or regulation that’s responsible for New York’s harsh business climate,” according to the Empire Center’s executive director, Tim Hoefer. “As DeRegulateNY showed, businesses face a constellation of bad policies that together stifle growth and make it harder to create jobs here.”
There were more than 150 entries in the contest, many others highlighting ways in which rent laws, the minimum wage hike and other mandates are making it harder to do business in New York.
The Empire Center, based in Albany, is an independent, not-for-profit, non-partisan think tank dedicated to promoting policies that can make New York a better place to live, work and raise a family.
You may also like
132 NYSLRS Retirees Receive Pensions Over $200K in FY2026
A total of 132 retirees from the New York State and Local Retirement System (NYSLRS) were eligible to collect $200,000 or more in pensions during the 2026 fiscal year, according to , the Empire Center’s government transparency website.
Among the 132 Read More
Empire Center Poll: Just 4 Percent Approve of New York’s Education System
ALBANY, N.Y. — New Yorkers gave the state’s education system a sweeping vote of no confidence: 47 percent said the state should improve student performance, 41 percent said it should improve performance while spending less, and only 4 Read More
New York’s electricity prices climb to third highest in the U.S.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
ALBANY, N.Y. — Empire Center’s shows New York households paid the third-highest residential electricity prices in the country in May 2026, trailing only Hawaii and California.
The latest U.S. Energy Information Administra Read More
Port Authority Payroll Passes $1.2B as 20 Employees Collect $400k+
Twenty Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANYNJ) employees collected more than $400,000 each in total pay last year, while average pay agencywide rose three percent, according to , the Empire Center’s government transparency website.
The Por Read More
NYC Employee Pension Payments Rise To $6.2 billion
The pension plan covering most New York city government agencies, including the City’s subway system, had 62 members with pension payments of at least $200,000 last year, according to , the Empire Center’s transparency website.
According to the d Read More
Empire Center Poll: New Yorkers Prioritize Low Energy Prices and Have Little Appetite for Radical Climate Policies
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
ALBANY, N.Y. — New Yorkers across political, geographic, age, and income groups oppose energy and climate policies that raise energy prices or force changes on homeowners, according to new Empire Center analysis Read More
New York’s Electricity Prices Fourth Highest in the Country
New York households are paying the fourth-highest electricity prices in the country, according to the Empire Center's In April 2026, residential electricity prices in New York averaged 29.45 cents per kilowatt-hour - 56 percent above the national average Read More
Fourteen NYC Educators Receive Over Half a Million Dollars in Pensions
Fourteen retired New York City educators received more than $500,000 in pension benefits in 2025, according to , the Empire Center’s government transparency website.
The data was obtained from the New York City Teachers’ Retirement Read More