What's happening
This bill requires New York employers with five or more employees to register for and disseminate emergency alerts from the state’s public safety notification system.
Why it matters
Directly involves most New York employers. By setting the threshold at five employees, this bill impacts a wide range of businesses and organizations, not just large companies—affecting how emergency communications reach workplaces statewide.
Promotes faster employee awareness of emergencies. Mandating that employers disseminate alerts through text, phone, or email ensures employees receive critical, potentially life-saving information quickly, regardless of their location or work schedule.
Requires proactive planning for emergencies. Employers must develop procedures and plans for how and when to share alerts and what actions to take, encouraging workplaces to be better prepared for a range of hazards, from severe weather to public safety threats.
Potential compliance and operational challenges. The bill could require businesses to invest in new communication systems or update existing ones, as well as train staff, which may present logistical and financial considerations, especially for small businesses nearing the five-employee threshold.
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Who cares
Headline styles
Require Employers Register for Alerts
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
5805
2019-2020 Regular Sessions
IN SENATE
May 15, 2019
Introduced by Sen. MAYER -- 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 certain employers to register for emergency alerts from the state of New York public safety alert mass notification system
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 219-d to read as follows:
§ 219-d. Emergency alert notification system required employer registration. 1. Each employer located within the state that employs five or more employees, shall register with the state office of information technology services alert system known as alert.ny.gov to facilitate the timely distribution of information from the state concerning critical information about emergency incidents or occurrences which pose a potential imminent threat to the health or safety of the employees of such employers.
2. Each employer subject to this section, after receiving an alert notification from such mass alert notification system, shall disseminate, when appropriate, information relating to such notification in a timely manner to each employee and shall do so through at least one of the following communication methods:
(a) automated delivery of text messages;
(b) phone calls; or
(c) electronic mail.
3. Each employer subject to this section shall create a plan and procedures for determining when dissemination of information is appropriate, how to disseminate such information, and any action that the employer shall take in response to such information in order to preserve the health and safety of their employees.
§ 2. This act shall take effect on the thirtieth day after it shall have become a law.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD11309-02-9
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 requir- ing certain employers to register for emergency alerts from the state of New York public safety alert mass notification system
Purpose
To requiring certain employers to register with the state of New York public safety alert mass notification system in order for ease of distributing emergency information.
Summary of provisions
Section 1 requires employers with more than five employees to register for alerts and to set a procedure to disseminate the alerts.
Section 2 sets the effective date.
Justification
On Thursday November 15, 2018, New York City, Westchester, Long Island and the surrounding area was crippled by a snow storm that many would consider to be minor, having produced only six inches of snow. Stories include short commutes that typically take under an hour taking in excess of six hours. Children were on school buses for up to ten hours. Thousands of buses were canceled, and countless commuters were stranded or delayed with train cancelations or delays. Emergency vehicles and plows could not get through, further exacerbating the situation. The unexpected nature of the storm was further compounded by the lack of information available to the public. Requests to stay off the roads did not reach commuters and instead employers were sending employees home early, causing even further delays.
This bill aims to amplify the distribution of public safety notifica- tions by requiring employer registration in the emergency alert notifi- cation system (alert.ny.gov). The ability to distribute information through this system can help elevate and manage weather and other emer- gencies by effectively distributing important and relevant information to reduce difficulties, delays, and threats to health and safety caused by significant weather events and other emergencies.
Legislative history
New bill
Fiscal implications
None
Effective date
This act shall take effect on the thirtieth day after becoming law.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.