BUFFALO, N.Y. — Kathy Hochul on Wednesday signed into law new protections for small business owners and retail workers.
The governor joined a coalition of frontline retail workers and small business owners for an event celebrating the laws, which will include tougher criminal penalties for anyone who assaults a retail worker, which will now be a felony in New York.
"You think it's OK to walk in and assault a retail worker? You'll be charged with a felony. There are serious consequences to this, serious consequences, and that was important to me," Hochul said.
Prosecutors will also be able combine the value of stolen goods when bringing down larceny charges, and it will now be illegal to sell stolen goods through third-party sellers.
"We do it with all of them in mind," Hochul said. "The unseen heroes of our cities and our communities — the supermarkets and the bodega owners, and all those who are out there making sure we have everything, from diapers and formula, to favorite refreshments, to chips and popcorn, whatever you like to get. But without them, it just doesn't work."
There is also now millions of extra dollars going to small businesses to invest in security.
Hochul's anti-theft plan includes $25 million for a retail theft unit within the New York State Police, $15 million for district attorneys and local law enforcement, and $5 million to cover costs for businesses.
Hochul was joined in March by a New York City boutique owner, who wanted to see the legislation pass.
"The stores in New York that have had to deal with rising retail theft just want to be able to operate and serve their communities," Noir et Blanc TTH Vintage Boutique Owner Deborah Koenigsberger said back in March. "The state legislature needs to act so that these stores get the protections they need and so that workers and consumers feel safe."