Labor & Employment

This bill establishes a new retirement option for correction officers employed by the Westchester County Correction Department. Currently, these officers can retire after 25 years of service and receive a retirement allowance equal to 50% of their final average salary. This legislation allows them to retire after 30 years of service and receive a retirement allowance equal to 60% of their final average salary. It also adjusts the formula for early service retirement benefits for those completing 30 years. All past service costs associated with this change will be borne by Westchester County, which can amortize these costs over ten years.

This bill, S 8159, modifies disability retirement provisions for security hospital treatment assistants and other qualifying safety and security officers. It establishes presumptions for certain medical conditions, making it easier for these officers to qualify for performance of duty disability retirement. Specifically, if an officer contracts HIV, tuberculosis, or hepatitis after potential exposure to bodily fluids from confined individuals, it is presumed to be duty-related. Similarly, heart disease resulting in disability or death is presumed duty-related if the officer passed an entry physical without prior heart issues. These presumptions mean the condition is considered work-related unless proven otherwise by competent evidence.

Establishes the universal child care act to provide for the establishment and funding of universal child care in the state of New York; establishes a universal child care taskforce to help implement universal child care in the state and repeals certain provisions of the social services law relating thereto; establishes the permanent child care workforce pay equity fund; establishes a universal child care public option pilot program to provide universal child care in at least twenty locations throughout the state; makes an appropriation therefor.

Waives the state's sovereign immunity in state and federal courts with regard to liability for violations of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, the Fair Labor Standards Act, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act, and the Family and Medical Leave Act; waives the immunity of all instrumentalities and political subdivisions of the state.

Enacts into law major components of legislation necessary to implement the state education, labor, housing and family assistance budget for the 2025-2026 state fiscal year; relates to contracts for excellence; relates to calculation of state aid to school districts; relates to a statewide dual enrollment policy; extends workforce education; relates to maximum class sizes for special education; extends chapter 82 of the laws of 1995; relates to foundation aid; provides for special apportionment for salary expenses; provides for special apportionment for public pension accruals; establishes a dual enrollment program; relates to universal pre-kindergarten and the Statewide universal full-day pre-kindergarten; extends provisions relating to paperwork reduction; relates to funding a program for work force education; extends provisions for monitors in the Hempstead union free school district, the Wyandanch union free school district and the Rochester city school district; relates to supplementary funding for the East Ramapo central school district; extends provisions authorizing the Roosevelt union free school district to finance deficits by the issuance of serial bonds; relates to requirements for zero emissions school buses; relates to certain instructional requirements for nonpublic schools (Part A); establishes a universal free school meals program; repeals provisions relating to the community eligibility provision state subsidy (Part B); relates to school policies regarding the use of internet-enabled devices during the school day (Part C); relates to scholarships awarded to part-time students by the New York state higher education services corporation; makes conforming changes; repeals provisions relating to tuition awards for part-time undergraduate students; relates to the New York state part-time scholarship award program (Part D); relates to authorizing the excelsior scholarship cover the cost of tuition in the state university of New York system (Part E); creates a New York opportunity promise scholarship for certain students who matriculated at a SUNY or CUNY community college, are over 25 years of age, have applied for certain tuition assistance programs, are eligible for resident tuition rates, and have not already obtained a postsecondary degree (Part F); provides for reduction of taxes pursuant to shelter rent (Part L); utilizes reserves in the mortgage insurance fund for the neighborhood preservation program, the rural preservation program, the rural rental assistance program, and the New York state supportive housing program (Part N); extends certain provisions relating to restructuring financing for residential school placements (Part O); authorizes child care support centers which are certified by the office of children and family services to place individuals as substitute caregivers at licensed and registered child care programs (Part P); relates to the provision of public assistance allowances to public assistance recipients upon the birth of a new child (Part Q); relates to increasing the standards of monthly need for aged, blind and disabled persons living in the community (Part R); relates to the effectiveness of provisions of law relating to the powers and duties of the commissioner of social services relating to the appointment of a temporary operator (Part S); relates to the healthy terminals act; amends certain definitions relating to covered airport location and covered airport workers; provides for the applicable standard rate as meaning the wage and benefit rates designated by the commissioner of labor (Part T); limits the amount of liquidated damages for certain frequency of pay violations (Part U); relates to civil penalties for violations of certain wage payment provisions (Part V); increases the civil penalties for violations of child labor laws (Part W); establishes a database for the employment of minors; allows for registration of minors and employers in such database; digitizes the process for minors to apply for employment (Part X); expands certain payments previously made to parents of deceased service members to spouses and minor children of such service members; authorizes the commissioner of veterans' affairs to conduct an outreach program for the purpose of informing the public and persons who may be eligible to receive an annuity (Part Y); requires submission of an annual report on the New York state museum (Part AA); decreases the length of the suspension period applicable to certain individuals who lose their jobs due to a labor dispute, such as a strike, and who seek to obtain unemployment insurance benefits (Part BB); requires social services for a city of a population of a million or more shall spend a certain amount of local funds for child care block grants (Part CC); establishes the crime of evading arrest by concealment of identity (Part DD); expands the merit time allowance and limited credit time allowance programs (Part EE); authorizes the commissioner of education to appoint a monitor to oversee the Mount Vernon city school district; requires such monitor to schedule three public hearings; requires the monitor and board of education to develop a proposed financial plan for the 2025--2026 school year and the four subsequent school years (Part FF); relates to the conversion to condominium ownership for the preservation of expiring affordable housing in the city of New York; provides expanded homeownership opportunities from the conversion of certain residential rental buildings to condominium status by property owners that commit to preserve the inventory of expiring affordable housing in the city of New York (Part GG); establishes the housing access voucher pilot program (Part HH); amends section 2 of chapter 868 of the laws of 1975 constituting the New York state financial emergency act for the city of New York, in relation to the effectiveness thereof (Part II); establishes the city of Buffalo parking authority; provides for its powers, duties and obligations (Part JJ); increases the maximum benefit rate for unemployment insurance (Part KK); amends provisions relating to discovery reform (Part LL); provides for the administration of certain funds and accounts related to the 2025-2026 budget; authorizes certain payments and transfers; relates to the administration of certain funds and accounts (Part MM).

Establishes the New York youth climate corps to support and grow climate-related service opportunities for young adults with the objective of building low-carbon and climate-resilient communities, ecosystems, and economies while providing education, workforce development, and career pathways to service members, with a focus on disadvantaged communities.

This bill amends New York's military law to clarify the definition of "covered operation" for compensation purposes. It specifies that covered operations include federally designated military actions (like "Operation Enduring Freedom" or homeland security missions) and allows New York's implementing agency to designate additional operations on a case-by-case basis. The change directly affects military personnel whose service qualifies under this definition for compensation benefits. The bill does not alter existing compensation rates but refines which military activities count toward eligibility. It takes effect immediately upon enactment.

Provides that for New York city uniformed correction revised plan members of the New York city employees' retirement system, the service retirement benefit shall not be reduced by the primary social security retirement benefit commencing at age sixty-two.

Grants Lawrence Korzeniewski, the statutory beneficiary of Janice Korzeniewski, accidental death benefits because Janice Korzeniewski was directed by her employer to return to work and contracted COVID-19 within 45 days of reporting to work and died from such disease.

This bill (S 7032) allows homeless individuals in New York to obtain free non-driver state ID cards without fees. To qualify, applicants must provide verified proof of homelessness from an approved service provider (such as a shelter, social worker, or homeless liaison). The bill amends existing law to add homeless individuals as a category eligible for these fee-free IDs, alongside seniors and certain public assistance recipients. It requires applicants to submit documentation from designated providers, defined under federal homeless assistance guidelines, to confirm housing status.