What's happening
This bill requires a study and report on wages for aides to the developmentally disabled and sets a process to establish a base wage.
Why it matters
The bill acknowledges the often-overlooked workforce of aides to the developmentally disabled, requiring a detailed analysis of their wages, educational attainment, certifications, and experience. This means policymakers will have access to more nuanced data to inform future decisions, potentially highlighting wage disparities or systemic issues.
By mandating a public report to state leadership, the legislation increases transparency and accountability around the state’s support for direct care workers. This could help advocates, families, and workers themselves push for improved conditions or policies based on official findings.
The process to establish a base wage, tied to Medicaid and other public funding streams, recognizes the importance of adequate compensation in maintaining workforce stability and quality of care. This could have direct impacts on recruitment, retention, and the overall quality of services for people with developmental disabilities.
The deadlines for both the report and wage determination introduce a sense of urgency, signaling to stakeholders—workers, families, service providers, and taxpayers—that the state may be ready to address long-standing wage concerns in a concrete and timely way.
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Who cares
Headline styles
Study Wages for Disability Aides
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
3 Co-sponsors
2 Multi-sponsors
History
- Held for consideration in labor
- Referred to labor
- Referred to labor
Full text
1 pageUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
5936
2017-2018 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
February 17, 2017
Introduced by M. of A. CROUCH -- read once and referred to the Committee on Labor
AN ACT requiring the department of labor and the office for people with developmental disabilities to conduct a study and report on the wages earned by aides to the developmentally disabled
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. The commissioner of the department of labor, in consultation with the commissioner of the office for people with developmental disabilities, hereinafter the "commissioners," and any other department, division, board, bureau, commission, agency or public authority of the state or any political subdivision thereof deemed necessary by the commissioners shall prepare a comprehensive study and report on the wages earned by individuals who help, support, assist, and/or work with the developmentally disabled, hereinafter referred to as "aides". Such study shall include, but not be limited to the following information about each aide: hourly wage earned, approximate yearly salary earned, highest level of education completed, certifications held, experience, and geographic location.
§ 2. The commissioners shall publish such report to the governor, the temporary president of the senate, the speaker of the assembly, the minority leader of the senate, the minority leader of the assembly, and the chairs of the senate and assembly mental health and labor committees no later than December 31, 2017.
§ 3. Upon receiving the report and recommendation, the governor and legislature shall determine and publish an appropriate base wage for aides to the developmentally disabled no later than March 31, 2018. This base wage shall be funded through reimbursements from Medicaid and any other funds as determined by the director of the division of the budget.
§ 4. This act shall take effect immediately.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD07421-03-7
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.