BILL NUMBER: S167
SPONSOR: RAMOS
 
TITLE OF BILL:
An act to amend the labor law and the alcoholic beverage control law, in
relation to suspending certain liquor licenses of employers who are in
violation of certain provisions of the labor law
 
PURPOSE:
Amends the labor and the alcoholic beverages control law to suspend
certain liquor licenses of employers violating certain provisions of the
labor law.
 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:
Section 1. Amends the opening paragraph of Subdivision 1 of Section 219
of the labor law stating that if the commissioner determines that an
employer has not paid required wages, benefits, or wage supplements, the
commissioner shall issue the employer an order of compliance addressing
the violation. This order of compliance shall result in payment of
outstanding wage, or the commissioner shall notify the State Liquor
Authority of such violation.
Section 2. Amends Section 119 of the alcoholic beverage control law to
suspend licenses that violate worker protection legislation, exceeding
an aggregate amount of one thousand dollars, as determined by the
Department of Labor.
Section 3. This act shall take effect immediately
 
JUSTIFICATION:
Every year in New York State, thousands of workers have their wages
stolen, very predominately from the restaurant industry. From 2017
through 2021, Federal and State investigators found more than 13,000
cases of wage theft, according to an analysis of two databases obtained
from the U.S. and New York Labor departments. The databases provide
previously unreported details on how much money has been stolen from
workers and also shed light on which businesses have committed wage
theft. In all, federal and state investigators determined during the
five-year period that more than $203 million in wages had been stolen
from about 127,000 workers in New York, the analysis shows.
Federal and State investigators determined that more than $52 million
had been stolen from people working in restaurants, more than in any
other industry in New York, accounting for more than 25% of all reported
wage theft, the analysis shows. This bill is needed to act as a preven-
tative measure and increase the likelihood that victims of wage theft
will be able to secure payment of wages due from their employers.
 
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
2023-24: S8451 (Ramos) Referred to Labor / A9033 (Epstein) referred to
labor
 
FISCAL IMPACT:
To be determined
 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect immediately.

Statutes affected:
S167: 119 alcoholic beverage control law