Senate Bill S63

                             
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                    63
 
                        2023-2024 Regular Sessions
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                                (PREFILED)
 
                              January 4, 2023
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by Sen. HARCKHAM -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
   printed to be committed to the Committee on Education
 
 AN ACT to direct the education department to study, review and report on
   the geographic cost variation of counties in the Hudson  Valley  labor
   force region to determine the appropriateness of the region cost index
   values for purposes of the public school foundation aid formula
 
   THE  PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section 1. Legislative intent. The legislature hereby finds  that  the
 introduction of the regional cost index into the state public school aid
 formula  provided  a  regional approach to recognizing the difference in
 labor market costs. In a June 7, 2006 report to  the  board  of  regents
 subcommittee on state aid, state education department staff noted in the
 combination  of  the  city  of  New  York and Long Island that there was
 "evidence that these two areas  actually  function  as  a  single  labor
 market  region.  With  professionals,  especially those in the education
 professions, moving to jobs across the lines between New York  city  and
 Long  Island, it is necessary to consider this entire region as a single
 area, with similar wage costs". At this same time, the education depart-
 ment decided to keep the county of Westchester within the Hudson  Valley
 for  the  regional cost index calculation. In 2016, this state enacted a
 new law to increase the minimum wage across the state. This  legislation
 included the county of Westchester along with the counties of Nassau and
 Suffolk, in phasing in such wage increases, setting a new precedent that
 should  be  considered  by the education department with regard to which
 labor market the county of Westchester should be included in.
   § 2. The education department shall, in consultation with the  depart-
 ment  of  labor,  study and review the geographic cost variations of the
 counties located in the Hudson Valley labor force  region  to  determine
 the  appropriateness  of  the regional cost index values used within the
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
              

                                                            LBD01475-01-3
 S. 63                               2
 
 public school foundation aid formula, as well as county placement in the
 Hudson Valley  region.  Specifically,  the  education  department  shall
 consider  the movement of the county of Westchester currently within the
 Hudson  Valley  region  into  the Long Island/New York city region. Such
 department shall consult with the department of labor  to  review  labor
 costs  for  the  Hudson  Valley region and the Long Island/New York city
 region.
   The education department shall also review the regional costs  associ-
 ated  with  construction  and study the impact on applying an up to date
 cost index on public school building aid reimbursement.
   § 3. The education department shall,  on  or  before  April  1,  2025,
 report  the  findings,  conclusions and recommendations of such study to
 the governor, temporary president of  the  senate  and  speaker  of  the
 assembly.
   § 4. This act shall take effect immediately.