BILL NUMBER: S8337A
SPONSOR: COMRIE
 
TITLE OF BILL:
An act to amend the labor law, in relation to wage requirements for
certain support professionals
 
PURPOSE OF THE BILL:
The bill establishes that commissioners of state offices shall provide
funding to non-profit contractors and subcontractors to establish a base
wage of 400% of federal poverty level for certain human services work-
ers.
 
SUMMARY OF SPECIFIC PROVISIONS:
Subdivision 1 of this bill would create a new Section 224-G of Article 8
of the labor law that defines terms to mandate commissioners of state
offices to provide funding and establish a base wage for human services
worker employed by non-profits that contract with the state or by their
subcontracts for existing eligible programs and any programs created
after the law is enacted.
Subdivision 2 would establish the phased-in schedule for human services
workers' wages for the downstate and rest of state regions. Wage
increases in the outyears will be tied to inflation.
Subdivision 3. Eligible employee list. The bill requires the commission-
ers or other chief officers of the impacted agencies to develop the
forms and processes for eligible organization to identify and report the
titles and number of eligible employees.
Subdivision 4 would establish an allocation from state agencies to be
used to enhance base wages.
Subdivision 5 relates to the reimbursement of state share of medical
assistance.
Subdivision 6. Requires the commissioner of the relevant agencies to
provide funding and cannot requires local social services districts to
provide any matching funds or assume responsibility for any other cost
shifts to pay the base wages.
Section 2. Takes effect immediately.
 
JUSTIFICATION:
1 in 9 New Yorkers work in the human services sector. The typical gap
between human service wages and the true cost of living in New York
State is approximately $20,000 per worker per year. In a survey of wages
between 20002023, human service sector wages grew at a slower rate than
other private sector wages.
In New York, human services workers are overwhelmingly women of color,
many of whom are immigrants and face daily barriers alongside low wages.
Low wages lead to high turnover and difficulty in recruiting staff,
jeopardizing essential services, and leaving already vulnerable communi-
ties at risk.
This bill would establish a true cost of living wage floor for non-pro-
fit human service workers contracted by the state. And when paired with
annual cost of living adjustments that reflect real rates of rising
costs, this bill would permanently change the economic trajectory for
this vital workforce.
 
PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
This bill has no prior legislative history.
 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
To be determined.
 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect immediately.