NY State Senate Bill 2025-S8494

Current Bill Status - In Senate Committee Rules Committee

Introduced
- In Committee Assembly
- In Committee Senate
- On Floor Calendar Assembly
- On Floor Calendar Senate
- Passed Assembly
- Passed Senate
Delivered to Governor
Signed By Governor

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Date of Action	Assembly Actions - Lowercase Senate Actions - UPPERCASE
Sep 03, 2025	referred to rules

2025-S8494 (ACTIVE) - Details

Current Committee:: Senate Rules
Law Section:: Labor Law
Laws Affected:: Amd §202-l, Lab L

2025-S8494 (ACTIVE) - Summary

Provides for permitted leaves of absence for members of the civil air patrol during emergencies for purposes of assisting with such emergencies.

2025-S8494 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

                                 
BILL NUMBER: S8494

SPONSOR: LIU
 
TITLE OF BILL:

An act to amend the labor law, in relation to permitted leaves of
absence for members of civil air patrol

 
PURPOSE:

To provide an authorized leave of absence from a place of employment for
members of the United States Air Force Auxiliary Civil Air Patrol or the
United States Coast Guard Auxiliary Pilots who respond to a declared
state of emergency.

 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:

Section 1 amends section 202-L of the labor law to permit members of the
United States Air Force Auxiliary Civil Air Patrol or the United States
Coast Guard Auxiliary Pilots to request and be granted a leave of
absence if that person is responding to a declared state of emergency
upon written request from a unit commander.

This section also allows for a waiver if the employee's absence would
impose an undue hardship on the employer's business, and states that an
employer must have previously been provided written documentation
regarding the employee's volunteer membership. It also states that the
individual must be performing services related to the declared emergen-
cy, and that the employer may request a notarized statement from the
employee's unit commander affirming the period of time the employee
responded to an emergency. This section further states that the leave is
unpaid, or may be charged against any other leave the employee is enti-
tled.

Section 2 provides for an effective date.

 
JUSTIFICATION:

Members of the United States Air Force Auxiliary Civil Air Patrol or the
United States Coast Guard Auxiliary Pilots are often called upon to
respond to states of emergency that are called by the state or federal
governments. They perform critical services during these emergencies and
are often away from their places of employment for hours or days at a
time.

Other emergency responders, such as volunteer firefighters or members of
a volunteer ambulance service, are already provided protection from
retaliation by their employer for their service in responding to a
declared emergency under this section.

Further, volunteer firefighters, members of a volunteer ambulance
service, the United States Air Force Auxiliary Civil Air Patrol, and the
United States Coast Guard Auxiliary Pilots are already permitted leaves
of absence from public employers when responding to a declared emergen-
cy, but only the first two groups have the same protections against
retaliation from private employers.

This bill addresses this disparity by affording members of the United
States Air Force Auxiliary Civil Air Patrol or the United States Coast
Guard Auxiliary Pilots the same protections extended to volunteer fire-
fighters or members of a volunteer ambulance service.  At a time of
increasing natural disasters and public emergencies, New York must
support all volunteer emergency responders who place themselves at risk
for the safety of our communities.

 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:

None to state.

 
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:

This is a new bill.

 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect immediately.

2025-S8494 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

                             
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   8494
 
                        2025-2026 Regular Sessions
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                             September 3, 2025
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by  Sen.  LIU  --  read  twice and ordered printed, and when
   printed to be committed to the Committee on Rules
 
 AN ACT to amend the labor  law,  in  relation  to  permitted  leaves  of
   absence for members of civil air patrol
 
   THE  PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section 1. Subdivisions 1, 2 and 4 of section 202-l of the labor  law,
 as  added  by chapter 393 of the laws of 2014, paragraph (a) of subdivi-
 sion 2 as amended by chapter 376 of the laws of  2014,  are  amended  to
 read as follows:
   1. During the time that an emergency exists following a declaration of
 such  emergency  pursuant  to section twenty-four or twenty-eight of the
 executive law, an employee may request and shall be granted a  leave  of
 absence  from  [his  or  her] THEIR employer while engaged in the actual
 performance of [his or her] THE EMPLOYEE'S duties as,  (a)  a  volunteer
 firefighter,  [or]  (b)  an  enrolled  member  of  a volunteer ambulance
 service pursuant to article thirty of the public health law,  OR  (C)  A
 MEMBER  OF THE UNITED STATES AIR FORCE AUXILIARY CIVIL AIR PATROL OR THE
 UNITED STATES COAST GUARD AUXILIARY PILOTS unless  the  employer  deter-
 mines  that the employee's absence would impose an undue hardship on the
 conduct of the employer's business as defined by paragraph (d) of subdi-
 vision ten of section two hundred ninety-six of the executive law.
   2. Subdivision one of this section shall apply only when:
   (a) The employer has previously received  written  documentation  from
 the  head of the employee's volunteer fire department or volunteer ambu-
 lance service OR UNIT COMMANDER, as applicable, notifying  the  employer
 of  the  employee's  status  as  a  volunteer firefighter or member of a
 volunteer ambulance service OR MEMBER OF THE  UNITED  STATES  AIR  FORCE
 AUXILIARY  CIVIL  AIR  PATROL OR THE UNITED STATES COAST GUARD AUXILIARY
 PILOTS; and
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD13654-02-5
 S. 8494                             2

 
   (b) The employee's duties as a volunteer firefighter [or], member of a
 volunteer ambulance service, OR MEMBER OF THE UNITED  STATES  AIR  FORCE
 AUXILIARY  CIVIL  AIR  PATROL OR THE UNITED STATES COAST GUARD AUXILIARY
 PILOTS are related to the declared emergency; AND
   (C)  IN  THE  CASE OF MEMBERS OF THE UNITED STATES AIR FORCE AUXILLARY
 CIVIL AIR PATROL OR THE UNITED STATES  COAST  GUARD  AUXILLIARY  PILOTS,
 UPON  WRITTEN  REQUEST FROM A UNIT COMMANDER TO PARTICIPATE IN EMERGENCY
 SERVICES.
   4. Upon the employer's request, an employee who  has  been  granted  a
 leave  of  absence in accordance with this section shall provide [his or
 her] THEIR employer with a notarized statement  from  the  head  of  the
 volunteer  fire  department  or  volunteer  ambulance  service,  OR UNIT
 COMMANDER, as applicable, certifying the period of time, or times,  that
 said employee responded to any emergency pursuant to this section.
   § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.

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Senate Bill S8494

Sponsored By

Current Bill Status - In Senate Committee Rules Committee

Actions

2025-S8494 (ACTIVE) - Details

2025-S8494 (ACTIVE) - Summary

2025-S8494 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

2025-S8494 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

Comments

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Sponsored By

John C. Liu

Current Bill Status - In Senate Committee Rules Committee

Actions

2025-S8494 (ACTIVE) - Details

2025-S8494 (ACTIVE) - Summary

2025-S8494 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

2025-S8494 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

Comments