NY State Senate Bill 2025-S9056

Current Bill Status - In Senate Committee Transportation 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
Jan 28, 2026	referred to transportation

co-Sponsors

2025-S9056 (ACTIVE) - Details

See Assembly Version of this Bill:: A10066
Current Committee:: Senate Transportation
Law Section:: Transportation

2025-S9056 (ACTIVE) - Summary

Directs the commissioner of transportation to enter into a contract with a third-party entity to conduct a comprehensive study of worker safety on highway road projects.

2025-S9056 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

                                 
BILL NUMBER: S9056

SPONSOR: COONEY
 
TITLE OF BILL:

An act in relation to establishing a comprehensive study examining high-
way safety standards and necessary worker protection improvements

 
PURPOSE:

The purpose of this bill is to direct the New York State Department of
Transportation to commission an independent, comprehensive study evalu-
ating current highway work zone safety standards and identifying poten-
tial improvements to better protect road construction workers.

 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:

Section 1: Background and Intent

Section 2: Requires the Commissioner of Transportation to enter a
contract with a third-party entity to conduct a comprehensive study of
worker safety on highway road projects throughout New York State.

Section 3: Discusses the results and findings. Section 4: Outlines what
the study needs to evaluate.

Section 5: A final report must be submitted within one year of the
effective date of the act and made publicly available.

Section 6: The effective date.

 
JUSTIFICATION:

Road construction workers face increasingly dangerous conditions such as
New York's aging highway and road infrastructure requires more frequent
and complex repairs. These projects often take place during periods of
high traffic volume, increasing congestion and the risk of work zone
intrusions and serious injuries. Despite New York State's strong commit-
ment to worker safety, recent data from the Department of Transportation
indicates that in 2024 and 2025 there was a significant amount of work
zone intrusions, worker injuries, and even two fatalities in highway
work zones.

This legislation provides a structured, data-driven approach to assess-
ing whether existing regulations adequately protect roadway workers and
identifying proven best practices that could further enhance safety. By
engaging stakeholders and examining national and international models,
the study will equip policymakers with the information necessary to make
informed decisions about potential future reforms while balancing safe-
ty, feasibility, and cost considerations.

 
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:

New Bill

 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:



This bill will have a minimal fiscal impact to the State and no fiscal
impact to local governments. The cost of contracting with a third-party
entity to conduct the study could be covered by preexisting resources.

 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect immediately.

2025-S9056 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

                             
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   9056
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                             January 28, 2026
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by  Sen.  COONEY -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
   printed to be committed to the Committee on Transportation
 
 AN ACT in relation to establishing a comprehensive study examining high-
   way safety standards and necessary worker protection improvements
 
   THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:

   Section  1.  Road  construction  workers  face increased safety risks.
 According to the United States department of transportation, aging high-
 way and road infrastructure requires work on roads that are more heavily
 utilized. This requires more work during high volume traffic  times  and
 creates more congestion and more safety considerations for highway work-
 ers.
   New  York  state  has  been a leader in worker safety, however the New
 York state department of transportation data  reveals  that  there  were
 over  670  work  zone intrusions, 171 worker injuries in work zones, and
 two worker fatalities in work zones in the years 2024 and 2025 combined.
   § 2. The commissioner of transportation shall enter  into  a  contract
 with  a  third-party  entity  to conduct a comprehensive study of worker
 safety on highway road projects. The contracted entity shall gather  and
 consider feedback from a broad range of stake-holders, including but not
 limited  to  the  New  York  state  department  of  transportation, road
 contractors, road-construction unions, roadway workers, project adminis-
 trators, municipal officials, and roadway contractor  associations.  The
 contracted  entity  shall hold at least three public hearings across the
 state to gather input from such stakeholders.
   § 3. The results, findings, and recommendations of the study shall  be
 for  study  purposes  only  and shall not be considered binding upon the
 executive or the legislature in any manner.
   § 4. The study shall evaluate each component of the current road safe-
 ty laws and regulations and other relevant factors,  including  but  not
 limited to:
   (a)  whether  the  current road safety regulatory framework adequately
 protect road construction workers;

  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD14552-01-6

 S. 9056                             2
 
   (b) best practices in the road construction industry, including  meth-
 ods used in other states or countries;
   (c)  data driven analysis models to improve worker protection in road-
 way construction; and
   (d) anticipated costs associated with  implementing  new  road  safety
 rules and regulations reviewed as part of the study.
   Such  study  shall  identify the industry-best practices that could be
 implemented to enhance road worker safety throughout New York.
   § 5. No later than one year after the effective date of this act,  the
 contracted  entity  shall  submit  a  report  of its findings and recom-
 mendations to the governor, the temporary president of the  senate,  the
 minority leader of the senate, the speaker of the assembly, the minority
 leader  of  the  assembly,  and the commissioner of transportation.  The
 report shall also be published on the contracted entity's public website
 and disseminated.
   § 6. This act shall take effect immediately.

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Senate Bill S9056

Sponsored By

Current Bill Status - In Senate Committee Transportation Committee

Actions

co-Sponsors

2025-S9056 (ACTIVE) - Details

2025-S9056 (ACTIVE) - Summary

2025-S9056 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

2025-S9056 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

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Sponsored By

Jeremy Cooney

Current Bill Status - In Senate Committee Transportation Committee

Actions

co-Sponsors

Pete Harckham

2025-S9056 (ACTIVE) - Details

2025-S9056 (ACTIVE) - Summary

2025-S9056 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

2025-S9056 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

Comments