BILL NUMBER: S6542
SPONSOR: SKOUFIS
 
TITLE OF BILL:
An act to amend the labor law, in relation to requiring farm worker meal
and lodging minimum wage credits are adjusted for cost of living
increases
 
PURPOSE:
To increase the farm worker meal and lodging minimum wage credit to
better reflect the rate of inflation.
 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:
Section 1: Amends section 673 of the labor law to add a new subdivision
3, to add that specific items, including meals, lodging, and utilities,
may be considered part of the minimum wage rate if provided to an
employee. The department will update the allowance amounts based on the
cost of living adjustment calculator, with the first update published by
December 1, 2025, and every five years thereafter. These updated amounts
will take effect on the following January 1.
Section 2: Sets Effective Date.
 
JUSTIFICATION:
Farmers frequently provide their workers with housing, utilities, and
meals at no cost, supplementing the compensation of their valued employ-
ees. However, the allowances for these in-kind benefits, as outlined in
Part 190 of the Department of Labor regulations, have yet to be updated
since 1992 and are now considerably undervalued in the current economy.
This proposed legislation addresses this disparity by adjusting these
allowances to reflect inflation. By doing so, farmers who offer meals,
housing, and utilities at no cost to their employees would receive
allowances that are fair and aligned with present-day economic reali-
ties, replacing the outdated benchmarks established over three decades
ago.
 
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
Senate
2017: S6907A, Referred to Rules
2018: S6907A, Amend and Recommitted to Labor
2019: S5412, Referred to Labor
2020: S5142, Referred to Labor
2021: S1663A, Referred to Labor
2022: S1663, Amended and Recommitted to Labor
2023: S3395, Referred to Labor
2024: S3395, Referred to Labor
Assembly
2017: A8625A, Referred to Labor
2018: A8625A, Amend and Recommit to Labor
2019: A7616, Referred to Labor
2020: A7616, Referred to Labor
2021: N/A
2022: A9797, Referred to Labor
2023: A3364, Referred to Labor
2024: A3364, Referred to Labor
 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
None to the state.
 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect on the thirtieth day after it shall become
law.

Statutes affected:
S6542: 673 labor law