Business Resources

June 2022 Legislative Update:

The NYS Legislature ended the 2022 session with more than 1,000 bills passing both the Assembly and the Senate. Several bills will impact the Labor/Human Resource function of employers by increasing administrative burdens and the cost of doing business in New York. 

In the coming weeks and months, the bills will be sent to Governor Hochul for signature.  Meanwhile, the Chamber will support the Business Council of New York State as they work to encourage a veto for most of these bills – or, if not possible, work on ‘chapter amendments’ to make them less burdensome for New York employers. 

A summary of the new bills affecting employers can be found here:

Workers’ Compensation

• S.6376-B/A.2020-A – Expands to all workers the ability to receive PTSD coverage under NYS Workers Compensation Coverage for stress greater than what occurs in the normal work environment.

• S.768/A.1118 – Defines temporary total as inability to perform the job in which injured, or a job offered by the employer that has been modified to meet the abilities of the injured worker.

• S.8271-A/A.7178-A – Will increase the minimum weekly compensation for claimants that receive workers’ compensation benefits.

 

Pay Transparency/Wage Theft

• S.2239/A.5773 – Will require state contractors to disclose data on employee compensation by gender, race, ethnicity, and other relevant data.

• S.8369-B/A.9368-A – To provide a recourse to freelance workers experiencing wage theft and other violations under the Labor Law.

• S.8435/A.8449 – This bill would require those companies which are required to file an Employer Information report (EEO-1) with the federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) to file substantially similar information with the New York Secretary of State. This information would then be publicly available.

• S.9338/A.10181 – Would extend for two years the labor law which allows for certain categories of permissible wage deductions.

• S.9427-A/A.10477 – Requires employers to disclose compensation or range of compensation to applicants and employees.

• S.8063-A/A.8874-B – Relates to restrictions on consecutive hours of work for nurses.

 

Workplace Safety

• S.5994-C/A.1338-C – Would create a system whereby any contractor wishing to bid on a covered project must register with the Department of Labor and pay a registration fee. It would provide the Department an opportunity to vet the contractor to see if they had any previous violations of the Labor Law and ensure only responsible contractors are allowed to bid on New York covered projects.

• S.621-B/A.4947-B – Allows for significant reparations paid by Corporations or their agents if found guilty of a crime that injures or kills a worker.

• S.8922-A/A.10020-A – Relates to the creation of a program to protect workers from unreasonable quotas.

• S.9450/A.10492 – Establishes penalties for employers who do not recognize an Employee Safety Committee within 5 days of request by employees. 

 

Miscellaneous

• S.1958-A/8092-B – Clarifies that workers shall not be punished or subjected to discipline by employers for lawful absences.

• S.4844-B/A.1236-A – Expands the rights of nursing employees to express breast milk.

• S.6586-A/A.6328-A – Prohibits discrimination based on citizenship or immigration status.

 

Source: Business Council of New York State

 

The Dutchess County Regional Chamber of Commerce, and Business Council of New York cannot provide legal advice on these or any issues. 

 

•  All employers in New York are required to adopt a written sexual harassment policy.

• All employers in New York are required to conduct annual training, which must be “interactive”.

 

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