S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   6938
 
                        2023-2024 Regular Sessions
 
                           I N  A S S E M B L Y
 
                                May 9, 2023
                                ___________
 
 Introduced by M. of A. BURGOS -- read once and referred to the Committee
   on Labor
 
 AN ACT to amend the labor law, in relation to requiring the commissioner
   of  labor  to  prepare an annual report on the cost of living, poverty
   rates and adequacy of the current minimum wage in the state

   THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section  1.  Section  21  of  the labor law is amended by adding a new
 subdivision 16 to read as follows:
   16. SHALL PREPARE AND SUBMIT TO THE GOVERNOR, THE TEMPORARY  PRESIDENT
 OF  THE SENATE, THE SPEAKER OF THE ASSEMBLY AND THE CHAIRS OF THE SENATE
 AND ASSEMBLY COMMITTEES ON LABOR ON  OR  BEFORE  THE  THIRTIETH  DAY  OF
 SEPTEMBER AN ANNUAL REPORT ON THE STATE'S COST OF LIVING, POVERTY RATES,
 AND  THE  ADEQUACY OF THE CURRENT MINIMUM WAGE. THE REPORT SHALL ANALYZE
 THE CHANGE IN LIVING  COSTS  USING  THE  VARIOUS  AVAILABLE  AND  WIDELY
 CONSULTED  COST OF LIVING MEASURES, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE MIT
 LIVING WAGE CALCULATOR,  THE  EPI  FAMILY  BUDGET  CALCULATOR,  AND  THE
 UNIVERSITY  OF  WASHINGTON  SELF-SUFFICIENCY  STANDARD. THE REPORT SHALL
 ALSO ANALYZE CHANGES IN POVERTY AND CHILD POVERTY  FOR  HOUSEHOLDS  THAT
 INCLUDE  ONE  OR  MORE WORKERS, USING AMERICAN COMMUNITY SURVEY DATA FOR
 THE LATEST AVAILABLE YEAR. SUCH ANALYSIS SHALL EXAMINE  CHANGES  IN  THE
 SPECIFIED  MEASURES FOR EACH YEAR SINCE DECEMBER THIRTY-FIRST, TWO THOU-
 SAND EIGHTEEN, DISAGGREGATED BY RACE, ETHNICITY, GENDER, AGE, DISABILITY
 STATUS, HOUSEHOLD SIZE, PROFESSION AND EDUCATION LEVEL FOR EACH OF  FOUR
 REGIONS  OF  THE STATE, WHICH SHALL BE DEFINED AS: THE CITY OF NEW YORK;
 THE SUBURBAN COUNTIES OF WESTCHESTER, SUFFOLK  AND  NASSAU;  THE  HUDSON
 VALLEY  COUNTIES  OF ROCKLAND, PUTNAM, ORANGE, ULSTER, GREENE, DUTCHESS,
 COLUMBIA, ALBANY, AND RENSSELAER; AND THE COUNTIES OF THE  REMAINDER  OF
 THE  STATE.  THE  REPORT  SHALL  ALSO  COMPARE THE CURRENT AND PROJECTED
 FUTURE VALUE OF THE STATE'S UPSTATE MINIMUM WAGE WITH THE MINIMUM  WAGES
 IN  OTHER  HIGH-COST  STATES,  INCLUDING  BUT NOT LIMITED TO WASHINGTON,
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD11116-02-3
              

 A. 6938                             2
 
 CALIFORNIA AND HAWAII, AND COMPARE  THE  CURRENT  AND  PROJECTED  FUTURE
 VALUE OF THE STATE'S MINIMUM WAGE IN THE CITY OF NEW YORK, AND THE COUN-
 TIES  OF WESTCHESTER, NASSAU AND SUFFOLK WITH THE MINIMUM WAGES IN OTHER
 HIGH-COST  CITIES,  INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO SEATTLE, SAN FRANCISCO,
 LOS ANGELES, WASHINGTON, D.C., AND DENVER. THE COMMISSIONER MAY  INCLUDE
 IN  THE  REPORT SUCH OTHER ANALYSIS AS THEY FIND USEFUL IN ASSESSING THE
 ADEQUACY OF THE STATE'S MINIMUM WAGE. IN PREPARING THE REPORT AND DETER-
 MINING ITS METHODOLOGY, THE COMMISSIONER SHALL CONSULT WITH A THREE-PER-
 SON ADVISORY COMMITTEE, THE  MEMBERS  OF  WHICH  SHALL  CONSIST  OF  ONE
 APPOINTEE  EACH  BY THE GOVERNOR, THE TEMPORARY PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE,
 AND THE SPEAKER OF THE ASSEMBLY.
   § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.