Relates to prevailing wage for those involved in hauling of concrete and asphalt in the counties of Nassau, Putnam, Suffolk, and Westchester, and in the city of New York.
Requires hospitals to establish a violence prevention program which includes a workplace safety and security assessment and develop a safety and security plan that addresses identified workplace violence threats or hazards.
Relates to eligibility for classification as permanent total disability; includes inability to perform the full range of sedentary work or approval for federal social security disability benefits as a result of a compensable accident or occupational disease as constituting permanent total disability.
Requires the office of parks, recreation and historic preservation to develop and approve operational safety plans prior to the deployment of any employee in hazardous conditions; requires the plan to include a comprehensive risk assessment identifying potential hazards associated with the deployment, mitigation measures to address identified risks, detailed information on team composition, identification of an on-site authorized person responsible for overseeing operations, a clear chain of command, emergency contact information for all team members, and evacuation procedures.
Relates to prevailing wage requirements applicable to brownfield remediation work performed under private contract as it relates to certain remediation activities, for sites that are seeking or have received a determination that the site is eligible for the tangible property credit component of the brownfield redevelopment tax credit, and the work is paid for in whole or in part by public funds.
This bill, S 3398 (the "reasonable accommodation anti-retaliation act"), prohibits employers from retaliating against employees who request reasonable accommodations under New York's anti-discrimination law. It explicitly adds "requesting a reasonable accommodation" to the list of protected actions in Section 296 of the Executive Law, making it unlawful to punish workers for such requests - like disclosing personnel files in retaliation. The law clarifies that existing anti-discrimination protections already covered this, but the amendment makes the prohibition explicit and enforceable. It applies immediately to all actions occurring after its effective date.
This bill (S 4926) gives injured workers in New York State the right to choose their own pharmacy for prescribed medications under specific circumstances, directly affecting workers receiving workers' compensation. It allows them to bypass the employer/carrier's contracted pharmacy if payment is denied within 72 hours or if reauthorization fails for reasons like missing medical reports, disputes over treatment guidelines, or case settlement delays. Pharmacies dispensing medication under this provision must follow the state’s pharmacy fee schedule, medical treatment guidelines, and formulary, and assume liability for costs if the medication isn’t later approved. The bill was passed by the state legislature in June 2025 but was vetoed by the Governor on December 5, 2025.
This bill establishes a 16-member task force within New York's Department of Labor to address unemployment among people with disabilities. The task force, including representatives from state agencies, disability organizations, labor, business, and people with disabilities themselves, will study employment barriers and review successful programs. Its key duties include developing strategies to increase competitive integrated employment (meaningful jobs in regular workplaces), ensuring state agencies model inclusive hiring, and making recommendations within two years. The task force must report annually to the governor and legislature, with findings made publicly available online. This directly affects state agencies, employers, and people with disabilities seeking meaningful work opportunities.
Provides notification of employment or promotion of applicable employees to organizations of state employees designated managerial or confidential for purposes of employee representation in determining the terms and conditions of employment.
This bill (S 4554) modifies New York City's pension rules to streamline benefits for police officers and firefighters who participated in World Trade Center rescue efforts. It creates a presumption that members with qualifying health conditions (like respiratory illnesses linked to WTC exposure) developed their disability during service, provided they filed a timely notice of participation. The presumption means the pension board must reclassify their retirement as "accidental disability" without changing their retirement option, unless the employer proves otherwise. This directly affects NYC police pension fund members who worked at the WTC site and later developed health conditions recognized under the law.
