BILL NUMBER:  S166

 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
workforce 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 on its internet
website post and annually update the names of employers which employ
one hundred 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 date the law shall take effect.

 JUSTIFICATION :

An April 2015 report, published by the University of
              

California/Berkeley's Center for Labor Research and Education,
analyzed state spending for Medicaid/Children's Health Insurance
Program and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, and federal
spending for those programs as well as food stamps and the Earned
Income Tax Credit. It found that the American taxpayer in general, and
the New York State taxpayer in particular, are subsidizing companies
that pay low wages to its employees to an alarming degree.  Quoting
from 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 families." Further, 52 percent of the all
state spending supported working families, defined as working for 26
weeks a year and 10 hours a week. UC Berkeley concluded that in New
York $3.3 billion of public assistance went to working families.

It is clear that the New York taxpayer is thus subsidizing people who
work because their employers do not pay a living wage. New York
taxpayer have a fundamental right to know where their tax dollars are
spent, and for what reason. While the struggle 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
will disclose on its website the name of any employer in the state
that has 50 or more employees on any of these types of public
assistance.

 LEGISLATIVE HISTORY :

2015-2016: 55291

 FISCAL IMPLICATIONS :

To Be Determined

 EFFECTIVE DATE :
This act shall take effect immediately.