What's happening
This bill requires New York state agencies to establish telework policies, allowing employees to work remotely whenever possible without reducing performance.
Why it matters
Expands remote work options across all New York state agencies. , potentially improving work-life balance and reducing commuting time and costs for thousands of state employees.
Requires each agency to appoint a dedicated "telework coordinator,". ensuring there is a responsible party to oversee implementation, troubleshoot problems, and standardize practices across different agencies.
Protects unionized workers by mandating that telework policies must be collectively bargained for those under union contracts,. so changes cannot be imposed unilaterally, preserving workers’ rights and representation.
Defines "telework" and which entities must comply,. clarifying that the law covers a wide range of state government bodies, which could lead to broad changes in how public sector work is organized and delivered.
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Who cares
Headline styles
Expand State Telework Options
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
Senator · Senate District 7
3 Co-sponsors
History
- Print number 4647b
- Amend and recommit to civil service and pensions
- Print number 4647a
- Amend and recommit to civil service and pensions
- Referred to civil service and pensions
- Reported and committed to finance
- Referred to civil service and pensions
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.
Expand State Employee Telework
In Assembly Committee · Governmental Employees · Sponsor Nily Rozic
Full text
2 pagesUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
4647--B
2019-2020 Regular Sessions
IN SENATE
March 19, 2019
Introduced by Sens. KAPLAN, HOYLMAN, JACKSON, KAMINSKY -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Civil Service and Pensions -- recommitted to the Committee on Civil Service and Pensions in accordance with Senate Rule 6, sec. 8 -committee discharged, bill amended, ordered reprinted as amended and recommitted to said committee -- committee discharged, bill amended, ordered reprinted as amended and recommitted to said committee
AN ACT to amend the civil service law, in relation to enacting the "New York state teleworking expansion act"
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. Short title. This act shall be known and may be cited as the "New York state teleworking expansion act".
§ 2. The civil service law is amended by adding a new section 13 to read as follows:
§ 13. Teleworking programs. 1. Each state agency shall establish a policy and program to allow employees to perform all or a portion of their duties through teleworking to the maximum extent possible without diminished employee performance. Each state agency shall designate a "telework coordinator" to be responsible for overseeing the implementation of teleworking programs.
2. For the purposes of this section, the term:
(a) "telework" shall mean to perform normal and regular work functions on a workday that ordinarily would be performed at the state agency's principal location at a different location, thereby eliminating or substantially reducing the physical commute to and from such state agency's principal location; and
(b) "state agency" shall mean any state department, board, bureau, division, commission, committee, public authority, public benefit corporation, council, office, or other governmental entity performing a governmental or proprietary function for the state.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD10251-07-0
S. 4647--B 2
3. No agency shall establish a policy pursuant to this section for any employee that is subject to a collective bargaining agreement unless such policy has been mutually agreed to between the agency and the employee organization that is certified or recognized to represent such employees, within the meaning of article fourteen of this chapter, pursuant to a collective bargaining agreement.
§ 3. This act shall take effect on the ninetieth day after it shall have become a law.
Reflowed for reading: line numbers and page breaks removed. Cite the official text.
Sponsor's memo
Title of bill
An act to amend the civil service law, in relation to enacting the "New York state teleworking expansion act"
Summary of specific provisions
Section 1 is the short title of "New York state teleworking expansion act".
Section 2 adds a new section 13 to have each state agency establish a policy and program to allow employees to perform all or a portion of their duties through teleworking to the maximum extent possible without diminished employee performance. Each State Agency shall appoint a tele- work coordinator who shall be responsible for overseeing the implementa- tion of this program.
Further defines telework to mean normal and regular work functions on a workday that ordinarily would be performed at the agency's principal location at different location, eliminating or reducing the physical commute.
Also defines state agency as any state department, board, bureau, divi- sion, commission, committee, public authority, public benefit corpo- ration, council, office, or other governmental entity. This section also clearly states that nothing set forth in this section shall be construed to impede, infringe, or diminish the rights and benefits that accrue to employees and employersthrough collective bargaining agreements or otherwise diminish the integrity of the collective bargaining relation- ship.
This section also states that no agency shall establish a policy pursu- ant to this section for any employee that is subject to a collective bargaining agreement unless such policy has been mutually agreed to between the agency and employee organization.
Section 3 is the effective date,
Justification
Teleworking offers an opportunity to reduce congestion. The federal government and many states and municipalities have established telework- ing policies to get workers out of their cars, and not merely to reduce congestion.
Teleworking has been shown to increase productivity and retention while reducing absenteeism. Private sector based strategies include tax cred- its for businesses against the cost of planning, training and capital purchases necessary to establish a teleworking program (i.e., Georgia), or merely free consulting and training for businesses interested in establishing teleworking programs (i.e., Connecticut).
Numerous jurisdictions have established successful teleworking programs for government employees. Arizona, for example, required (and achieved) 20% of state government workers in busy Maricopa County (including the City of Phoenix) to telework. Virginia has required that each state agency should have 25% of its employee's teleworking by 2010. The feder- al government requires its agencies to establish teleworking programs for its employees, and over 100,000 federal employees participate. New York should be required to establish a teleworking program for its employees, with appropriate goals for the percentage of city workers teleworking.
Prior legislative history
New Bill.
Fiscal implications
Cost Savings to the State.
Effective date
This act shall take effect on the ninetieth day.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.