Do you support this bill?

Senate Bill S8949A

2023-2024 Legislative Session

Requires the department of labor to provide a document on workplace rights to any minor seeking working papers

download bill text pdf

Sponsored By

Archive: Last Bill Status - In Senate Committee Rules Committee

Please enter your contact information

Home address is used to determine the senate district in which you reside. Your support or opposition to this bill is then shared immediately with the senator who represents you.

Optional services from the NY State Senate:

Create an account. An account allows you to officially support or oppose key legislation, sign petitions with a single click, and follow issues, committees, and bills that matter to you. When you create an account, you agree to this platform's terms of participation.

Include a custom message for your Senator? (Optional)

Enter a message to your senator. Many New Yorkers use this to share the reasoning behind their support or opposition to the bill. Others might share a personal anecdote about how the bill would affect them or people they care about.

Actions

Votes

Bill Amendments

2023-S8949 - Details

See Assembly Version of this Bill:
A9796
Current Committee:
Senate Rules
Law Section:
Labor Law
Laws Affected:
Add §137-a, Lab L; amd §3215-a, Ed L
Versions Introduced in 2025-2026 Legislative Session:
S4478, A5607

2023-S8949 - Summary

Requires the department of labor to provide a document on workplace rights to any minor seeking working papers and to make such document available in other languages and to school officials who issue working papers.

2023-S8949 - Sponsor Memo

2023-S8949 - Bill Text download pdf 

                             
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   8949
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                               April 2, 2024
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by  Sen.  RAMOS  -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
   printed to be committed to the Committee on Labor
 
 AN ACT to amend the labor law, in relation to establishing  a  workplace
   readiness week for secondary school students
 
   THE  PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:

   Section 1.  The labor law is amended by adding a new section 137-a  to
 read as follows:
   §  137-A. WORKPLACE RIGHTS DOCUMENT.  ANY MINOR SEEKING WORKING PAPERS
 IN ORDER TO BE EMPLOYED IN THE STATE SHALL BE ISSUED, BEFORE OR  AT  THE
 TIME  OF  RECEIVING  SUCH  WORKING PAPERS, A DOCUMENT CLEARLY EXPLAINING
 BASIC LABOR RIGHTS EXTENDED TO WORKERS.  TOPICS COVERED IN SUCH DOCUMENT
 SHALL INCLUDE, BUT NOT BE LIMITED TO, LOCAL,  STATE,  AND  FEDERAL  LAWS
 REGARDING  EACH OF THE FOLLOWING ISSUES:  (I) CHILD LABOR; (II) WAGE AND
 HOUR PROTECTIONS; (III) WORKER SAFETY; (IV) WORKERS'  COMPENSATION;  (V)
 PAID  SICK  LEAVE;  (VI) PROHIBITIONS AGAINST RETALIATION; AND (VII) THE
 RIGHT TO ORGANIZE A UNION IN THE WORKPLACE.    SUCH  DOCUMENT  SHALL  BE
 PRODUCED, AND MADE AVAILABLE, IN, THE TEN MOST COMMONLY SPOKEN LANGUAGES
 OR  ANY  LANGUAGE  OTHERWISE REQUESTED BY A MINOR SEEKING WORKING PAPERS
 AND SHALL EXPRESS THESE LABOR RIGHTS IN PLAIN TERMINOLOGY, EASILY UNDER-
 STOOD BY A MINOR. THE DOCUMENT SHALL BE IN A PHYSICAL FORM BUT SHALL  BE
 MADE AVAILABLE ELECTRONICALLY ON THE DEPARTMENT'S WEBSITE.  THE NEW YORK
 STATE  SCHOOL OF INDUSTRIAL AND LABOR RELATIONS AT CORNELL UNIVERSITY IS
 ENCOURAGED TO PRODUCE, WITH INPUT FROM BONA FIDE LABOR ORGANIZATIONS,  A
 DRAFT TEMPLATE FOR THE DOCUMENT TO BE PROVIDED TO MINORS SEEKING WORKING
 PAPERS,  INCLUDING  THE TRANSLATIONS SPECIFIED.  THE DEPARTMENT SHALL BE
 RESPONSIBLE FOR MAKING SUCH DOCUMENTS AVAILABLE TO ALL SCHOOL  OFFICIALS
 WHO ISSUE WORKING PAPERS.
   § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
 
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD14982-01-4

co-Sponsors

2023-S8949A (ACTIVE) - Details

See Assembly Version of this Bill:
A9796
Current Committee:
Senate Rules
Law Section:
Labor Law
Laws Affected:
Add §137-a, Lab L; amd §3215-a, Ed L
Versions Introduced in 2025-2026 Legislative Session:
S4478, A5607

2023-S8949A (ACTIVE) - Summary

Requires the department of labor to provide a document on workplace rights to any minor seeking working papers and to make such document available in other languages and to school officials who issue working papers.

2023-S8949A (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

2023-S8949A (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf 

                             
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                  8949--A
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                               April 2, 2024
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by  Sen.  RAMOS  -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
   printed to be  committed  to  the  Committee  on  Labor  --  committee
   discharged, bill amended, ordered reprinted as amended and recommitted
   to said committee
 
 AN  ACT  to  amend  the  labor law and the education law, in relation to
   creating a workplace rights document to be provided to minors  seeking
   employment

   THE  PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section 1.  The labor law is amended by adding a new section 137-a  to
 read as follows:
   § 137-A. WORKPLACE RIGHTS DOCUMENT.  THE DEPARTMENT SHALL DEVELOP, AND
 MAKE  AVAILABLE  TO  SCHOOL OFFICIALS, A WORKPLACE RIGHTS DOCUMENT TO BE
 PROVIDED TO MINORS SEEKING AN EMPLOYMENT CERTIFICATE OR PERMIT  PURSUANT
 TO  ARTICLE SIXTY-FIVE OF THE EDUCATION LAW. SUCH DOCUMENT SHALL CLEARLY
 EXPLAIN BASIC LABOR RIGHTS EXTENDED TO WORKERS, AND EXPRESS  SUCH  LABOR
 RIGHTS IN PLAIN TERMINOLOGY, EASILY UNDERSTOOD BY A MINOR. THE WORKPLACE
 RIGHTS  DOCUMENT SHALL BE MADE AVAILABLE ON THE DEPARTMENT'S WEBSITE AND
 TRANSLATED BY THE DEPARTMENT IN THE TEN MOST COMMONLY  SPOKEN  LANGUAGES
 IN  THE  STATE  OR ANY LANGUAGE OTHERWISE REQUESTED BY THE MINOR SEEKING
 THE EMPLOYMENT CERTIFICATE OR PERMIT. TOPICS COVERED IN  SUCH  WORKPLACE
 RIGHTS  DOCUMENT SHALL INCLUDE, BUT NOT BE LIMITED TO, LOCAL, STATE, AND
 FEDERAL LAWS REGARDING EACH OF THE FOLLOWING ISSUES:   (I) CHILD  LABOR;
 (II)  WAGE  AND  HOUR  PROTECTIONS;  (III)  WORKER SAFETY; (IV) WORKERS'
 COMPENSATION; (V) PAID SICK LEAVE;  (VI)  PROHIBITIONS  AGAINST  RETALI-
 ATION;  AND  (VII)  THE RIGHT TO ORGANIZE A UNION IN THE WORKPLACE.  ANY
 MINOR SEEKING AN EMPLOYMENT  CERTIFICATE  OR  PERMIT  SHALL  BE  ISSUED,
 BEFORE  OR  AT  THE  TIME  OF  RECEIVING  SUCH EMPLOYMENT CERTIFICATE OR
 PERMIT, THE WORKPLACE RIGHTS DOCUMENT. THE DOCUMENT SHALL BE PRODUCED TO
 A MINOR IN PHYSICAL FORM.
   § 2. Section 3215-a of the education law is amended by  adding  a  new
 subdivision 4 to read as follows:
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD14982-02-4
 S. 8949--A                          2

Comments

Open Legislation is a forum for New York State legislation. All comments are subject to review and community moderation is encouraged.

Comments deemed off-topic, commercial, campaign-related, self-promotional; or that contain profanity, hate or toxic speech; or that link to sites outside of the nysenate.gov domain are not permitted, and will not be published. Attempts to intimidate and silence contributors or deliberately deceive the public, including excessive or extraneous posting/posts, or coordinated activity, are prohibited and may result in the temporary or permanent banning of the user. Comment moderation is generally performed Monday through Friday. By contributing or voting you agree to the Terms of Participation and verify you are over 13.

Create an account. An account allows you to sign petitions with a single click, officially support or oppose key legislation, and follow issues, committees, and bills that matter to you. When you create an account, you agree to this platform's terms of participation.