What's happening
The bill exempts New York agricultural employers from paying unemployment benefits for farm workers who are federally ineligible.
Why it matters
Reduces financial burden on NY agricultural employers. By exempting them from paying state unemployment insurance taxes for workers who are already federally ineligible, the bill could lower operational costs for farms that rely on certain visa-holding foreign labor.
Aligns state policy with federal law. The bill ensures state law does not require employers to pay into unemployment insurance funds for workers who can’t claim those benefits under existing federal rules, streamlining compliance and reducing legal ambiguity.
May affect farmworker protections. While the measure lowers costs for employers, it also reinforces that some farmworkers—specifically those on temporary agricultural visas—remain without access to unemployment benefits, highlighting ongoing debates about the safety net for migrant laborers.
Could impact competitiveness and labor practices. By reducing costs for employing federally ineligible workers, the bill might incentivize greater reliance on foreign temporary labor in the NY agricultural sector, potentially influencing local hiring and wage dynamics.
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Who cares
Headline styles
No Unemployment Pay for Farmworkers
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
13 Co-sponsors
1 Multi-sponsor
History
- 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.
End Farm Unemployment Payments
In Senate Committee · Labor · Sponsor Betty Little
Full text
1 pageUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
4480
2017-2018 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
February 2, 2017
Introduced by M. of A. MAGEE, HAWLEY, SKOUFIS, CROUCH, FAHY, DiPIETRO -- Multi-Sponsored by -- M. of A. FRIEND, McLAUGHLIN -- read once and referred to the Committee on Labor
AN ACT to amend the labor law, in relation to exempting agricultural employers from paying for unemployment benefits for federally ineligible farm labor
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. Subdivision 2 of section 564 of the labor law is renumbered subdivision 3 and a new subdivision 2 is added to read as follows:
2. Exclusion from coverage. The term "employment" shall not include services rendered by an individual who is an alien admitted to the United States to perform agricultural labor pursuant to sections 214(c) and 101(a)(15)(H) of the Federal Immigration and Nationality Act if, at the time such services are rendered, they are excluded from the definition of employment in section 3306(c) of the Federal Unemployment Tax Act.
§ 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD00338-01-7
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.