This bill allows firefighters, police officers, and emergency medical personnel (first responders) diagnosed with work-related post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) to request paid sick leave starting from their diagnosis date. Employers must grant this leave at the employee’s regular pay rate without reducing accrued sick or vacation time, and they cannot punish employees for using it. The law also prohibits employers from taking adverse actions like discipline or demotion for utilizing this leave. The state will reimburse smaller municipalities for costs, and current employees with PTSD diagnosed before the bill’s effective date will receive retroactive sick leave restoration.
This bill requires all helicopters operating within New York State to be equipped with three specific safety devices: flight recorders, cockpit voice recorders, and terrain awareness and warning systems. It directly affects helicopter operators and manufacturers by mandating these safety technologies on all non-exempt helicopters used for commercial or private flights in the state. The law exempts aircraft used exclusively by the U.S. government, National Guard, or state civil departments. The requirement becomes effective 180 days after the bill's enactment.
Authorizes the election of qualified transportation fringe benefits; authorizes any employer to offer employees the opportunity to use pre-tax earnings for the purchase of qualified transportation fringe benefits.
This bill (S 5398) expands eligibility for retirement service credit in New York state for military veterans. It allows state employees to count up to three years of "state active duty" - including National Guard service activated by the governor under state law - toward their retirement benefits. The change applies to those with an honorable discharge, a qualifying veterans' condition, or as a discharged LGBT veteran (with non-dishonorable discharge). It directly affects New York state workers who served in the military or state-activated National Guard, adding this service time to their retirement calculations.
Authorizes certain injured employees or their legal representative to claim workers' compensation or to maintain an action in the courts for damages on account of such injury when the commissioner of labor fails to act within a certain time frame for certain violations.
S 4618 excludes volunteer firefighters and emergency medical services (EMS) employees in safety-sensitive roles from the permissive use of marijuana under New York's cannabis law. It defines "exempt employees" as those performing tasks like driving fire apparatus, rescue operations, or delivering emergency medical care. The bill allows fire agencies to conduct pre-employment, random, and cause-based drug testing for cannabis use (following federal standards) and requires medical cannabis users to report prescriptions for fitness-for-duty evaluations. This directly affects volunteer emergency responders whose duties involve public safety risks.
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Public Safety
Establishes a four-day workweek pilot program for state employees; requires the division of the budget and the state department of civil service to identify state agencies or other jobs in the performance of any function of state government for which a four-day workweek is feasible and beneficial for at least sixty percent of state employees employed in such agency or job in the performance of such function of state government, and to implement a four-day workweek for such state employees.
Allows for reasonable accommodations for the examination portion of licensure requirements to become a social worker for individuals for whom English is not their primary language and a test in their primary language is not available.
Implements several programs to improve indoor air quality, including establishing photo-catalytic air scavenging technology certification centers and a weatherization and energy efficiency training program; establishes the office of workforce development and indoor air quality management training, minimum wage rates for indoor air quality workers, and the indoor air quality fund.
Provides a performance of duty presumption for diseases of the heart for members who serve as an ambulance medical technician, ambulance medical coordinator, ambulance medical technician/supervisor or a member who performs ambulance medical technician related services, or a police medic, police medic coordinator, police medic supervisor, bureau director police emergency ambulance services - county, assistant bureau director police emergency ambulance services - county, or a member who performs police medic or police emergency ambulance related services and is employed in the Nassau county police department.
