Governor Andrew Cuomo announced Dec. 21 that insurance companies are now prohibited in New York from refusing to provide commercial crime insurance coverage to New York businesses that employ people with criminal convictions. "This first-in-the-nation action will further break down artificial barriers that prevent previously incarcerated New Yorkers from obtaining work and turning their lives around," Cuomo said. "We are taking one more step to restore fairness and dignity to our society while also increasing public safety by providing opportunity and reducing recidivism." Over 2.3 million people in New York have a criminal conviction on their record.