NY State Senate Bill 2019-S4246

Senate Bill S4246

2019-2020 Legislative Session

Establishes an inmate minimum wage increase fund to receive contributions for the support of an increase in wages for incarcerated individuals

download bill text pdf

Archive: Last Bill Status - In Senate Committee Budget And Revenue Committee

Introduced
- In Committee Assembly
- In Committee Senate
- On Floor Calendar Assembly
- On Floor Calendar Senate
- Passed Assembly
- Passed Senate
Delivered to Governor
Signed By Governor

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Actions

View Actions

	Assembly Actions - Lowercase Senate Actions - UPPERCASE
Jan 08, 2020	referred to budget and revenue
Mar 05, 2019	referred to budget and revenue

2019-S4246 (ACTIVE) - Details

Current Committee:: Senate Budget And Revenue
Law Section:: Tax Law
Laws Affected:: Add §630-g, Tax L; add §97-yyyy, St Fin L

2019-S4246 (ACTIVE) - Summary

Establishes an inmate minimum wage increase fund to receive contributions for the support of an increase in wages for incarcerated individuals participating in work programs through a personal income tax return check-off; provides that for tax years after January 1, 2020, any individual may elect to contribute to such fund by indicating such intent on a tax form.

2019-S4246 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

                                
 
BILL NUMBER: S4246

SPONSOR: FUNKE
 
TITLE OF BILL:  An act to amend the tax law and the state finance law,
in relation to support for a minimum wage increase for inmates

 
PURPOSE:

This bill would allow supporters of increasing the minimum wage for
incarcerated individuals to donate via a tax check off box in order to
make that wage increase a reality.

 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:

Section 1 directs the commissioner to establish a tax check off box on
the personal income tax return form to enable a taxpayer to contribute
to the minimum wage increase for inmates and directs the money to be
deposited into the inmate minimum wage increase fund.

Section 2 amends finance law to establish the inmate minimum wage
increase fund, controlled by the State Comptroller and the Commissioner

of Taxation and Finance for the purposes of providing funding for a
minimum wage increase for incarcerated individuals.

Section 3 This act shall take effect immediately.

 
JUSTIFICATION:

With New York facing a challenging fiscal year, with an upwards of $2
billion deficit, it is time to focus on priorities and find creative
solutions

Individuals who are incarcerated cost taxpayers significantly for food,
housing and health care. In fact, according to a New York Times article
titled "City's Annual Cost Per Inmate Is $168,000, Study Finds," New
York State spends "$167,731 to feed, house and guard each inmate" and
"New York State was the most expensive, with an average cost of $60,000
per prison inmate" statewide. Some have suggested that prisoners deserve
an increase in the minimum wage they are paid for that work. New York
has the highest taxes in the nation and many important programs need
funding. In that environment we cannot and should not force all taxpay-
ers to subsidize a minimum wage increase for those who are incarcerated.

Therefore, if there are people who believe we should increase the mini-
mum wage for inmates in New York State, then this bill will allow them
to voluntarily pay for it instead of imposing the cost on all New York-
ers. I can understand the need for compassion for those who are incar-
cerated and I fully support people's right to pay more in taxes volun-
tarily in order to offer a higher wage to prisoners. This legislation
will allow those who are interested to do just that. The Legislature has
created tax check offs for other causes including one to support food
banks last year so there is already precedent for this proposal. Let the
people choose.

 
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:

New Bill.

 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
This bill would provide revenue to the state based on personal income
tax donations, for the purpose of funding a minimum wage increase for
increase for inmates.

 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect immediately.

2019-S4246 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

                            
 
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   4246
 
                        2019-2020 Regular Sessions
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                               March 5, 2019
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by  Sen.  FUNKE  -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
   printed to be committed to the Committee on Budget and Revenue
 
 AN ACT to amend the tax law and the state finance law,  in  relation  to
   support for a minimum wage increase for inmates
 
   THE  PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section 1. The tax law is amended by adding a  new  section  630-g  to
 read as follows:
   § 630-G. GIFT FOR MINIMUM WAGE INCREASE FOR INMATES. EFFECTIVE FOR ANY
 TAX  YEAR  COMMENCING ON OR AFTER JANUARY FIRST, TWO THOUSAND TWENTY, AN
 INDIVIDUAL MAY ELECT TO CONTRIBUTE TO THE INMATE MINIMUM  WAGE  INCREASE
 FUND  CREATED PURSUANT TO SECTION NINETY-SEVEN-YYYY OF THE STATE FINANCE
 LAW FOR THE SUPPORT  OF  WAGE  INCREASES  FOR  INCARCERATED  INDIVIDUALS
 PARTICIPATING IN WORK PROGRAMS. SUCH CONTRIBUTIONS SHALL BE IN ANY WHOLE
 DOLLAR  AMOUNT AND SHALL NOT REDUCE THE AMOUNT OF TAX OWED BY SUCH INDI-
 VIDUAL. THE COMMISSIONER SHALL INCLUDE SPACE ON THE PERSONAL INCOME  TAX
 RETURN  TO ENABLE A TAXPAYER TO MAKE SUCH CONTRIBUTION.  NOTWITHSTANDING
 ANY OTHER PROVISION OF LAW,  ALL  REVENUE  COLLECTED  PURSUANT  TO  THIS
 SECTION SHALL BE CREDITED TO THE INMATE MINIMUM WAGE INCREASE FUN ESTAB-
 LISHED  BY  SECTION  NINETY-SEVEN-YYYY OF THE STATE FINANCE LAW AND USED
 ONLY FOR THE PURPOSES OF PROVIDING A WAGE INCREASE TO INCARCERATED INDI-
 VIDUALS INVOLVED IN WORK PROGRAMS.
   § 2. The state finance law is amended by adding a new section  97-yyyy
 to read as follows:
   §  97-YYYY.  INMATE  MINIMUM  WAGE  INCREASE  FUND. 1. THERE IS HEREBY
 CREATED IN THE JOINT CUSTODY OF THE STATE COMPTROLLER  AND  THE  COMMIS-
 SIONER OF TAXATION AND FINANCE A FUND TO BE KNOWN AS THE "INMATE MINIMUM
 WAGE INCREASE FUND".
   2.  SUCH FUND SHALL CONSIST OF ALL REVENUES RECEIVED BY THE DEPARTMENT
 OF TAXATION AND FINANCE, PURSUANT  TO  THE  PROVISIONS  OF  SECTION  SIX
 HUNDRED THIRTY-G OF THE TAX LAW AND ALL OTHER MONEYS APPROPRIATED, CRED-
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.

                                                            LBD10410-01-9

 S. 4246                             2
 
 ITED,  OR  TRANSFERRED THERETO FROM ANY OTHER FUND OR SOURCE PURSUANT TO
 LAW. NOTHING CONTAINED HEREIN SHALL PREVENT  THE  STATE  FROM  RECEIVING
 GRANTS,  GIFTS  OR  BEQUESTS  FOR THE PURPOSES OF THE FUND AS DEFINED IN
 THIS SECTION AND DEPOSITING THEM INTO THE FUND ACCORDING TO LAW.
   3.  MONEYS  OF  THE FUND MAY BE INVESTED BY THE STATE COMPTROLLER, AND
 INCOME FROM THE INVESTMENTS OF MONEYS DEPOSITED TO THIS FUND PURSUANT TO
 SECTION SIX HUNDRED THIRTY-G OF THE TAX LAW SHALL BE CREDITED SOLELY  TO
 THIS FUND.
   § 3. This act shall take effect immediately.

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