S T A T E O F N E W Y O R K
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10643
I N S E N A T E
June 1, 2026
___________
Introduced by Sen. RAMOS -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
printed to be committed to the Committee on Rules
AN ACT to amend the cannabis law and the labor law, in relation to labor
peace agreements and the cannabis wage industry board; and repealing
certain provisions of the cannabis law relating thereto
THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
Section 1. Subdivision 29 of section 3 of the cannabis law is
REPEALED.
§ 2 . Subdivision 24 of section 10 of the cannabis law is amended to
read as follows:
24. The board shall, two years after the first retail sale pursuant to
this chapter, review the impact of licenses issued pursuant to article
four of this chapter with substantial market share for any category of
licensure, to determine if such licensees are impairing the achievement
of the goals of inclusion of social equity licensees, fairness for small
businesses and distressed farmers, adequate supplies of cannabis and
prevention of dominant marketplace participation in the cannabis indus-
try. The board may modify the terms of the licensee's license consistent
with the determination and to better achieve those goals. Any such
modification may be appealed by the licensee for a formal hearing as
provided in section seventeen of this article. For any licensee such
review shall include violations of New York state labor law [and labor
peace agreements]. Further, an existing collective bargaining agreement
shall not be infringed or voided by any licensee who after such review
suffers from a reduction in market share.
§ 3. Subparagraphs (iii), (iv) and (v) of paragraph (a) of subdivision
1 of section 35 of the cannabis law are amended to read as follows:
(iii) [that the applicant has entered into a labor peace agreement
with a bona fide labor organization that is actively engaged in repres-
enting or attempting to represent the applicant's employees and the
maintenance of such a labor peace agreement shall be an ongoing material
condition of certification;
EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD16055-03-6
S. 10643 2
(iv)] the applicant's status as a for-profit business entity or not-
for-profit corporation; and
[(v)] (IV) the application shall include the name, residence address
and title of each of the officers and directors and the name and resi-
dence address of any person or entity that is a member of the applicant.
Each such person, if an individual, or lawful representative if a legal
entity, shall submit an affidavit with the application setting forth:
(A) any position of management, interest or ownership during the
preceding ten years of a ten per centum or greater interest in any other
cannabis business, or applicant, located in or outside this state, manu-
facturing or distributing drugs including indirect management, interest,
or ownership of parent companies, subsidiaries, or affiliates;
(B) whether such person or any such business has been convicted of a
felony or had a registration or license suspended or revoked in any
administrative or judicial proceeding, and if applicable, the history of
violations or administrative penalties with respect to any license to
cultivate, manufacture, distribute or sell adult-use cannabis or medical
cannabis; and
(C) such other information as the board may reasonably require.
§ 4. Subparagraphs (vi), (vii) and (viii) of paragraph (a) of subdivi-
sion 3 of section 35 of the cannabis law are amended to read as follows:
(vi) the applicant and its managing officers are of good moral charac-
ter; AND
(vii) [the applicant has entered into a labor peace agreement with a
bona fide labor organization that is actively engaged in representing or
attempting to represent the applicant's employees; and the maintenance
of such a labor peace agreement shall be an ongoing material condition
of registration; and
(viii)] the applicant satisfies any other conditions as determined by
the board.
§ 5. Paragraph (a) of subdivision 6 and subdivision 7 of section 35 of
the cannabis law are amended to read as follows:
(a) The board shall renew a registration unless [he or she] THE BOARD
determines and finds that:
(i) the applicant is unlikely to maintain or be able to maintain
effective control against diversion;
(ii) the applicant is unlikely to comply with all state laws applica-
ble to the activities in which it may engage under the registration;
(iii) it is not in the public interest to renew the registration
because the number of registered organizations in an area is excessive
to reasonably serve the area; OR
(iv) [the applicant has either violated or terminated its labor peace
agreement; or
(v)] the applicant has substantively violated the laws of another
jurisdiction, in which they operate or have operated a cannabis license
or registration, related to the operation of a cannabis business.
7. The board may suspend or terminate the registration of a registered
organization, on grounds and using procedures under this article relat-
ing to a license, to the extent consistent with this article. [The board
shall suspend or terminate the registration in the event that a regis-
tered organization violates or terminates the applicable labor peace
agreement.] Conduct in compliance with this article which may violate
conflicting federal law, shall not be grounds to suspend or terminate a
registration.
§ 6. Paragraph (i) of subdivision 1 of section 64 of the cannabis law
is amended to read as follows:
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(i) [the applicant has entered into a labor peace agreement with a
bona-fide labor organization that is actively engaged in representing or
attempting to represent the applicant's employees, and the maintenance
of such a labor peace agreement shall be an ongoing material condition
of licensure.] In evaluating applications from entities with twenty-five
or more employees, the office shall give consideration to whether appli-
cants have entered into an agreement with a statewide or local bona-fide
building and construction trades organization for construction work on
its licensed facilities;
§ 7. Subdivision 5 of section 66 of the cannabis law is REPEALED.
§ 7-a. Section 66 of the cannabis law is amended by adding a new
subdivision 5 to read as follows:
5. EACH APPLICANT OR RENEWAL APPLICANT, SHALL PROVIDE THE FULL OWNER-
SHIP STRUCTURE OF THE LICENSEE, ANY MANAGEMENT SERVICE AGREEMENTS,
INCLUDING THE FULL OWNERSHIP STRUCTURE OF THE COMPANY PROVIDING SUCH
SERVICES, AND A REPORT TO THE BOARD THAT WILL BE MADE PUBLICLY AVAILABLE
ON THE OFFICE'S WEBSITE ON THE FOLLOWING DATA:
(A) THE RANGE OF SALARY AND/OR HOURLY RATES OF PAY OFFERED FOR EACH
JOB TITLE; AND
(B) THE AVERAGE NUMBER OF HOURS SCHEDULED OR OFFERED FOR EACH POSI-
TION.
§ 8. Section 665 of the labor law is renumbered section 669 and a new
section 665 is added to read as follows:
§ 665. CANNABIS INDUSTRY WAGE BOARD. 1. THE COMMISSIONER SHALL HEREBY
CONVENE A CANNABIS INDUSTRY WAGE BOARD. THE WAGE BOARD SHALL BE
COMPRISED OF THREE MEMBERS: ONE REPRESENTATIVE OF THE NEW YORK STATE
LICENSED CANNABIS INDUSTRY; ONE REPRESENTATIVE OF THE NEW YORK STATE
AFL-CIO; AND ONE MEMBER APPOINTED BY THE COMMISSIONER, WHO SHALL BE
SELECTED FROM THE GENERAL PUBLIC AND DESIGNATED AS CHAIRPERSON. THE WAGE
BOARD SHALL HOLD ITS FIRST HEARING NO LATER THAN MARCH FIRST, TWO THOU-
SAND TWENTY-SEVEN. THE MEMBERS OF THE BOARD SHALL NOT RECEIVE A SALARY
OR OTHER COMPENSATION BUT SHALL BE PAID ACTUAL AND NECESSARY TRAVELING
EXPENSES WHILE ENGAGED IN THE PERFORMANCE OF THEIR DUTIES.
2. TWO-THIRDS OF THE MEMBERS OF THE BOARD SHALL CONSTITUTE A QUORUM.
THE CHAIRPERSON MAY FROM TIME TO TIME FORMULATE RULES GOVERNING THE
MANNER IN WHICH THE WAGE BOARD SHALL FUNCTION AND PERFORM ITS DUTIES
UNDER THIS ARTICLE.
3. THE WAGE BOARD SHALL HAVE POWER TO CONDUCT PUBLIC HEARINGS. THE
BOARD MAY ALSO CONSULT WITH CANNABIS EMPLOYERS, CANNABIS WORKERS, AND
THEIR RESPECTIVE REPRESENTATIVES, IN THE OCCUPATION OR OCCUPATIONS
INVOLVED, AND WITH SUCH OTHER PERSONS, AS IT SHALL DETERMINE. THE BOARD
SHALL ALSO HAVE POWER TO ADMINISTER OATHS AND TO REQUIRE BY SUBPOENA THE
ATTENDANCE AND TESTIMONY OF WITNESSES, AND THE PRODUCTION OF ALL BOOKS,
RECORDS, AND OTHER EVIDENCE RELATIVE TO ANY MATTERS UNDER INQUIRY. SUCH
SUBPOENAS SHALL BE SIGNED AND ISSUED BY THE CHAIRPERSON OF THE BOARD AND
SHALL BE SERVED AND HAVE THE SAME EFFECT AS IF ISSUED OUT OF THE SUPREME
COURT. THE BOARD SHALL HAVE POWER TO CAUSE DEPOSITIONS OF WITNESSES
RESIDING WITHIN OR WITHOUT THE STATE TO BE TAKEN IN THE MANNER
PRESCRIBED FOR LIKE DEPOSITIONS IN CIVIL ACTIONS IN THE SUPREME COURT.
THE BOARD SHALL NOT BE BOUND BY COMMON LAW OR STATUTORY RULES OF PROCE-
DURE OR EVIDENCE.
4. THE WAGE BOARD SHALL ONLY MEET WITHIN THE STATE AND MUST HOLD AT
LEAST THREE HEARINGS AT WHICH THE PUBLIC WILL BE AFFORDED AN OPPORTUNITY
TO PROVIDE COMMENTS. AT LEAST ONE SPANISH LANGUAGE INTERPRETER SHALL BE
PRESENT AT EACH PUBLIC HEARING TO INTERPRET ORAL TESTIMONY DELIVERED IN
SPANISH. WHERE A WITNESS REVEALS THE NEED FOR AN INTERPRETER IN A
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LANGUAGE OTHER THAN SPANISH, TO THE EXTENT PRACTICABLE, AN INTERPRETER
IN THAT LANGUAGE SHALL BE PROVIDED. ANY MATERIALS ADVERTISING SUCH HEAR-
INGS SHALL BE BILINGUAL IN ENGLISH AND SPANISH. ANY WRITTEN MATERIALS
DISBURSED AT THE HEARING OR SUBSEQUENT TO THE HEARING, INCLUDING WRITTEN
TESTIMONY AND HEARING TRANSCRIPTS, SHALL BE AVAILABLE IN ENGLISH, SPAN-
ISH, AND, TO THE EXTENT PRACTICABLE, ANY OTHER LANGUAGE UPON REQUEST.
5. THE WAGE BOARD SHALL MAKE A REPORT TO THE GOVERNOR AND THE LEGISLA-
TURE, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, ITS RECOMMENDATIONS AS TO MINIMUM
HOURLY WAGES. THE REPORT SHALL RECOMMEND PROSPECTIVE WAGE INCREASES IN
THE SAME MANNER AS MINIMUM WAGE INCREASES PURSUANT TO SUBDIVISION 1-B OF
SECTION SIX HUNDRED FIFTY-TWO OF THIS ARTICLE. THE REPORT SHALL INCLUDE
SPECIFIC RECOMMENDATIONS FOR WORKERS IN EACH OF THE FOLLOWING AREAS:
CULTIVATION; PROCESSING AND PACKAGING; DISTRIBUTION; AND RETAIL AND
DELIVERY. THE BOARD SHALL HAVE THE DISCRETION TO INCLUDE SPECIFIC RECOM-
MENDATIONS FOR ADDITIONAL CLASSIFICATIONS OF CANNABIS INDUSTRY WORKER,
AND AN INDUSTRY-WIDE MINIMUM WAGE FOR WORKERS NOT CAPTURED WITHIN ANY
SPECIFIC CLASSIFICATION, AND SHALL HAVE THE DISCRETION TO DETERMINE THAT
WAGES IN THE INDUSTRY ARE ADEQUATE. THE REPORT AND RECOMMENDATIONS OF
THE BOARD SHALL BE SUBMITTED ONLY AFTER A VOTE OF NOT LESS THAN A MAJOR-
ITY OF ALL ITS MEMBERS IN SUPPORT OF SUCH REPORT AND RECOMMENDATIONS.
SUCH REPORT SHALL BE SUBMITTED NO LATER THAN DECEMBER THIRTY-FIRST, TWO
THOUSAND TWENTY-SEVEN.
6. NOTHING CONTAINED IN THE WAGE BOARD'S REPORT OR RECOMMENDATIONS
SHALL DIMINISH OR LIMIT ANY RIGHTS, PROTECTIONS, BENEFITS OR ENTITLE-
MENTS CURRENTLY ENJOYED BY AND/OR AVAILABLE TO ANY CANNABIS WORKER IN
THE STATE.
7. THE COMMISSIONER SHALL COMPLY WITH SECTION SIX HUNDRED FIFTY-SIX OF
THIS ARTICLE UPON RECEIPT OF THE WAGE BOARD'S RECOMMENDATIONS. THE
COMMISSIONER MAY RECONVENE THE SAME WAGE BOARD OR APPOINT A NEW WAGE
BOARD IN COMPLIANCE WITH SECTION SIX HUNDRED FIFTY-NINE OF THIS ARTICLE.
§ 9. This act shall take effect immediately; provided, however,
sections seven-a and eight of this act shall take effect January 31,
2027.
