What's happening
This bill requires the New York Department of Labor to annually publish a list of employers with 50 or more workers receiving public assistance.
Why it matters
Highlights employers with large numbers of workers relying on public assistance. , drawing attention to companies whose pay or benefits may be insufficient for employees’ basic needs, potentially sparking public debate about wage standards and employer responsibility.
Covers multiple forms of public assistance. , including Medicaid, child health insurance, SNAP benefits, TANF, and the earned income tax credit, providing a comprehensive look at the intersection between employment and government aid.
May influence corporate reputation and policy decisions. , as annual public disclosure could pressure employers to improve wages or benefits to avoid being listed, or encourage policymakers to consider reforms in labor and social welfare laws.
Creates new transparency on the economic impact of low-wage work. , offering data for advocates, researchers, and the public to analyze which industries or employers are contributing most to the reliance on public assistance in New York.
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Who cares
Headline styles
Name Large Employers on Welfare
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
No co-sponsors yet.
History
- Referred to labor
- Referred to labor
Full text
1 pageUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
478
2019-2020 Regular Sessions
IN SENATE (Prefiled)
January 9, 2019
Introduced by Sen. RIVERA -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Labor
AN ACT to amend the labor law, in relation to requiring the department of labor to publish the names of employers which employ 50 or more employees who receive public assistance
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 12-a to read as follows:
§ 12-a. Publication of employers with employees receiving public assistance. 1. The department shall, on its internet website, post and annually update the names of employers which employ fifty or more employees who work not less than twenty-six weeks a year and not less than ten hours a week, and who receive public assistance.
2. For the purposes of this section "public assistance" includes:
a. medical assistance pursuant to title eleven of article five of the social services law;
b. child health insurance pursuant to title one-A of article twentyfive of the public health law;
c. assistance funded by the federal temporary assistance for needy families block grant program;
d. the earned income personal income tax credit pursuant to subsection (d) or (d-1) of section six hundred six of the tax law; or
e. supplemental nutrition assistance program benefits pursuant to section ninety-five of the social services law.
§ 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD05459-01-9
Reflowed for reading: line numbers and page breaks removed. Cite the official text.
Sponsor's memo
Title of bill
An act to amend the labor law, in relation to requiring the department of labor to publish the names of employers which employ 50 or more employees who receive public assistance
Purpose
Establishes disclosure requirements for certain employers whose work- force receives public assistance.
Summary of provisions
Section 1 amends the Labor Law to include a new section 12a, which mandates the publication of employers with employees receiving certain forms of public assistance. The department shall post, on its Internet website and annually update the names of employers which employ fifty or more employees who work not less than twenty six weeks a year and not less than ten hours a week, and who receive public assistance.
Section 2 determines the law shall take effect immediately.
Justification
An April 2015 report, published by the University of California/Berkeley's Center for Labor Research and Education, analyzed State and federal spending for programs such as spending for Medicaid and Children's Health Insurance Program and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and the Earned Income Tax Credit. It found that American taxpayers in general, and New York State taxpayers in particular, are subsidizing companies that pay low wages to its employees to an alarming degree. According to the report, "Overall, we find that between 2009 and 2011 the federal government spent $127.8 billion per year on these four programs for working families and the states collectively spent $25 billion per year on Medicaid/CHIP and TANF for working families for a total of $152.8 billion per year. In all, more than half - 56 percent - of combined state and federal spending on public assistance goes to working fami- lies" (Jacobs, Perry and MacGillvary). Further, 52 percent of all state spending supported working families, which in this study is defined as working for 27 or more weeks a year and 10 hours per week. UC Berkeley concluded that in 2013, $3.3 million of public assistance went to annual expenditures on Medicaid/CHIP and TANF for working families in New York.
It is clear that New York taxpayers are thus subsidizing low wage work for employers do not pay a living wage. New York taxpayers have a funda- mental right to know where their tax dollars are spent. While the strug- gle to increase wages in New York State continues, this bill would add much-needed transparency to how our taxes are spent. It mandates that the Department of Labor disclose on its website the name of any employer in the state that has fifty or more employees on any of the listed types of public assistance.
Legislative history
2015-2016: S5291/ A7624 Blake 2017-2018: S166/ No same-as
Fiscal implications
To be determined.
Effective date
This act shall take effect immediately.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.