What's happening
This bill prohibits employers from firing employees who are late or absent due to responding to emergencies as volunteer firefighters or ambulance workers.
Why it matters
Supports volunteer emergency response. by ensuring that individuals who serve as volunteer firefighters or ambulance workers can respond to emergencies without risking their jobs, potentially increasing the reliability and availability of emergency services in local communities.
Allows employers to use existing leave balances. to cover these absences, meaning employees may have to use vacation or personal days for their time away, balancing employee protections with employer scheduling needs.
Requires official verification. from the head of the volunteer organization, adding a layer of accountability and documentation so employers can confirm that the absence or lateness was due to an actual emergency response.
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Who cares
Volunteer firefighters
The bill would bar employers from firing them for missing work or arriving late because they responded to an emergency before their scheduled reporting time.
Enrolled volunteer ambulance service members
They would receive the same protection against termination, with authorized absences covering travel to and from volunteer duties.
Employers
They could charge the entire authorized absence against other available leave and request a statement from the volunteer service head confirming the emergency response and its time.
Volunteer fire and ambulance service leaders
They would be responsible for providing statements confirming employees’ emergency responses when employers request documentation.
Headline styles
Protect Emergency Volunteers’ Jobs
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
3 Co-sponsors
4 Multi-sponsors
History
- Held for consideration in labor
- Referred to labor
- Referred to labor
Companion bill
The same bill in the other chamber. A bill becomes law when one version passes both houses and the governor signs it, so either number can carry it.
Protect Emergency Volunteer Jobs
In Senate Committee · Labor · Sponsor Chris Jacobs
Full text
1 pageUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
1467
2017-2018 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
January 12, 2017
Introduced by M. of A. CROUCH, CURRAN, FINCH, RA -- Multi-Sponsored by -- M. of A. GIGLIO, HAWLEY, McDONOUGH, McKEVITT, THIELE -- read once and referred to the Committee on Labor
AN ACT to amend the labor law, in relation to job protection for emergency service volunteers
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. The labor law is amended by adding a new section 202-n to read as follows:
§ 202-n. Authorized absence. 1. If an employee is absent from or late to his or her employment in order to respond to an emergency prior to the time the employee is to report to his or her employment due to his or her engaging in the actual performance of his or her duties as (a) a volunteer firefighter, or (b) an enrolled member of a volunteer ambulance service pursuant to article thirty of the public health law, an employer shall be prohibited from terminating such employee on the basis of such absence or lateness.
2. The entire period of the authorized absence granted pursuant to this section may be charged against any other leave such employee is otherwise entitled to, and such authorized absence shall include travel both to and from such duties performed in his or her capacity as a volunteer. At the employer's request, the employee must provide the employer with a statement from the head of the volunteer firefighter or volunteer ambulance service, as applicable, stating the employee responded to an emergency and the time of such response.
§ 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD04408-01-7
Reflowed for reading: line numbers and page breaks removed. Cite the official text.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.