Assembly Bill A8596

                             
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   8596
 
                           I N  A S S E M B L Y
 
                             January 10, 2022
                                ___________
 
 Introduced by M. of A. RAJKUMAR -- read once and referred to the Commit-
   tee on Labor
 
 AN ACT to amend the labor law and the administrative code of the city of
   New  York, in relation to notification of job skills training programs
   and employment services for taxicab drivers
 
   THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:

   Section  1.  Due to a multitude of challenges currently being faced by
 many taxicab drivers, there is an increasing desire among some  to  seek
 alternate  employment. The introduction of transportation network compa-
 nies such as Uber and Lyft, the uncertainty  of  reliable  and  adequate
 income,  long  hours,  health  and safety risks and the recent medallion
 crisis which revealed that the average taxicab driver is  over  $500,000
 in debt, have combined to force many taxicab drivers to leave the indus-
 try.  The  legislature  finds  that  the  state and the city of New York
 should work to provide job training to aid in the successful  transition
 of interested taxicab drivers to new employment opportunities.
   §  2.  The  labor law is amended by adding a new section 45 to read as
 follows:
   § 45. JOB SKILLS TRAINING AND EMPLOYMENT SERVICES FOR TAXICAB DRIVERS.
 THE DEPARTMENT, IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE  NEW  YORK  CITY  DEPARTMENT  OF
 EMPLOYMENT, OR ANY OTHER DEPARTMENT OR AGENCY DESIGNATED BY THE MAYOR OF
 THE  CITY  OF NEW YORK, SHALL GENERATE A LIST OF ALL JOB SKILLS TRAINING
 PROGRAMS AND EMPLOYMENT SERVICES PROVIDED BY OR CONTRACTED  THROUGH  THE
 STATE  OR  THE CITY OF NEW YORK THAT ARE AVAILABLE AND OPEN, AT NO COST,
 TO TAXICAB DRIVERS. PROGRAMS WHICH PROVIDE LANGUAGE INSTRUCTION,  FINAN-
 CIAL  LITERACY, SOCIAL SERVICES, COMPUTER TRAINING AND CAREER COUNSELING
 SERVICES SHALL BE INCLUDED. SUCH LIST SHALL INCLUDE INFORMATION  ON  HOW
 TO  CONTACT  AND  ENROLL  IN  SUCH  PROGRAMS.  SUCH INFORMATION SHALL BE
 UPDATED ANNUALLY AND PROVIDED TO THE NEW YORK CITY  TAXI  AND  LIMOUSINE
 COMMISSION  FOR  DISTRIBUTION  TO  HOLDERS OF TAXICAB LICENSES OR MEDAL-
 LIONS.
   § 3. The administrative code of the city of New  York  is  amended  by
 adding a new section 19-557 to read as follows:
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
              

                                                            LBD13919-01-1
 A. 8596                             2
 
   §  19-557  DISTRIBUTION OF JOB SKILLS TRAINING PROGRAMS AND EMPLOYMENT
 SERVICE INFORMATION. THE COMMISSION SHALL DISTRIBUTE, SEMI-ANNUALLY,  TO
 ALL  DRIVERS  LICENSED TO OPERATE A TAXICAB UNDER THIS CHAPTER, THE LIST
 AND INFORMATION ON AVAILABLE JOB SKILLS TRAINING PROGRAMS AND EMPLOYMENT
 SERVICES  WHICH ARE COMPILED PURSUANT TO SECTION FORTY-FIVE OF THE LABOR
 LAW. SUCH INFORMATION SHALL BE PRODUCED IN THE TEN MOST COMMON LANGUAGES
 SPOKEN BY INDIVIDUALS IN THIS STATE AND  DISTRIBUTED  ACCORDING  TO  THE
 LANGUAGE PREFERENCE INDICATED BY THE TAXICAB DRIVER.
   §  4.  This  act shall take effect on the thirtieth day after it shall
 have become a law.