What's happening
This bill, called the "prison minimum wage act," requires New York State inmates to be paid at least three dollars per hour for their work.
Why it matters
Significantly raises the baseline pay for incarcerated workers. , which could improve inmates’ ability to afford basic necessities, communicate with family, and save for reentry after release—potentially reducing recidivism.
Expands minimum wage protections to nearly all forms of inmate labor. , including work for nonprofits, work release programs, and internal prison jobs, closing loopholes that previously allowed sub-dollar pay.
Could increase operational costs for prisons and nonprofits. that utilize inmate labor, possibly leading to changes in how inmate labor is used or funded, and may require new budget allocations or policy changes.
Shifts the ethical and economic landscape of prison labor in New York. , responding to longstanding criticisms of exploitative practices and aligning inmate compensation more closely with broader labor standards.
Albany, before your first meeting.
Every bill that moved yesterday, summarized in a sentence and ranked by impact. The Albany Scorecard follows on Sundays.
Free. Unsubscribe in one click. Want alerts on specific bills? Create an account.
Who cares
Incarcerated workers
The bill would set a wage floor of $3 an hour for work performed, including assigned tasks that would otherwise be paid but for their status as inmates.
State correction officials
They would need to implement the wage floor across covered inmate labor and could charge nonprofits a reasonable hourly rate for prisoners’ meals and housing, if any.
Religious, charitable and educational nonprofits
Inmates volunteering to work for these organizations outside the institution under guard would have to receive at least $3 an hour.
Employers hiring inmates through work release or residential treatment facility programs
They would have to compensate those workers at no less than $3 an hour.
Headline styles
Pay Prisoners Minimum Wage
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
23 Co-sponsors
- David Weprin
- Carmen De La Rosa
- Harvey Epstein
- Felix Ortiz
- Diana Richardson
- Latrice Walker
- Walter T. Mosley
- Jo Anne Simon
- Nathalia Fernandez
- Jose Rivera
- Ellen C. Jaffee
- Richard Gottfried
- Al Taylor
- Tremaine Wright
- Karines Reyes
- Yuh-Line Niou
- Kimberly Jean-Pierre
- Victor M. Pichardo
- Michael Blake
- Carmen E. Arroyo
- Catalina Cruz
- Linda Rosenthal
- Taylor Darling
2 Multi-sponsors
History
- Referred to correction
- Referred to correction
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.
Pay Inmates Minimum Wage
In Senate Committee · Crime Victims, Crime And Correction · Sponsor Zellnor Myrie
Full text
2 pagesUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
1275
2019-2020 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
January 14, 2019
Introduced by M. of A. PERRY, DE LA ROSA, EPSTEIN, ORTIZ, RICHARDSON, WALKER, MOSLEY -- read once and referred to the Committee on Correction
AN ACT to amend the correction law, in relation to enacting "the prison minimum wage act"
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. This act shall be known and may be cited as "the prison minimum wage act".
§ 2. Subdivision 3 of section 170 of the correction law, as added by chapter 256 of the laws of 2010, is amended to read as follows:
3. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, an inmate may be permitted to leave the institution under guard to voluntarily perform work for a nonprofit organization; provided that each inmate who volunteers to perform work for a nonprofit organization shall be paid a minimum hourly wage of not less than three dollars. The department shall be entitled to charge the nonprofit organization a reasonable hourly rate for meals and housing of such prisoners, if any. As used in this section, the term "nonprofit organization" means an organization operated exclusively for religious, charitable, or educational purposes, no part of the net earnings of which inures to the benefit of any private shareholder or individual.
§ 3. Section 171 of the correction law is amended by adding a new subdivision 3 to read as follows:
3. Any inmate performing labor as described in this section shall be compensated for his or her labor in accordance with the provisions of subdivision five of section one hundred eighty-seven of this article.
§ 4. Subdivision 7 of section 177 of the correction law, as renumbered by chapter 256 of the laws of 2010, is renumbered subdivision 8 and a new subdivision 7 is added to read as follows:
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD05532-02-9
A. 1275 2
7. Any inmate performing labor as described in this section shall be compensated for his or her labor in accordance with the provisions of subdivision five of section one hundred eighty-seven of this article.
§ 5. Section 178 of the correction law, as added by chapter 476 of the laws of 1970, is amended to read as follows:
§ 178. Participation in work release and other community activities. 1. Nothing contained in this article shall be construed or applied so as to prohibit private employment of inmates in the community under a work release program, or a residential treatment facility program formulated pursuant to any provision of this chapter.
2. Any inmate who is employed under a work release program or a residential treatment facility program formulated pursuant to any provision of this chapter shall be compensated for his or her labor in accordance with the provisions of subdivision five of section one hundred eightyseven of this article.
§ 6. Section 184 of the correction law is amended by adding a new subdivision 3 to read as follows:
3. Any inmate performing work as described in this section shall be compensated for his or her labor in accordance with the provisions of subdivision five of section one hundred eighty-seven of this article.
§ 7. Section 186 of the correction law is amended by adding a new subdivision 5 to read as follows:
5. Any service performed by an inmate as described in this section shall be compensated in accordance with the provisions of subdivision five of section one hundred eighty-seven of this article.
§ 8. Section 187 of the correction law is amended by adding a new subdivision 5 to read as follows:
5. Notwithstanding any provision of law, rule or regulation to the contrary, no inmate shall be compensated an amount that is less than three dollars an hour for work performed or work for which a wage is paid. As used in this subdivision, "work for which a wage is paid" includes any task assigned to an inmate for which a wage would have been due except for his or her status as an inmate.
§ 9. This act shall take effect on the one hundred eightieth day after it shall have become a law. Effective immediately the addition, amendment and/or repeal of any rule or regulation necessary for the implementation of this act on its effective date are authorized to be made and completed on or before such date.
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.