BILL NUMBER: S8928
SPONSOR: COONEY
 
TITLE OF BILL:
An act to amend the labor law, in relation to requiring employers to
disclose the use of artificial intelligence or automation as a factor in
workforce reductions under the "New York state worker adjustment and
retraining notification (WARN) act"; and providing for the repeal of
certain provisions of law upon expiration thereof
 
PURPOSE:
The purpose of this legislation is to help New York track workforce
changes due to AI adoption and build data to inform future reskilling or
economic development policy by leveraging existing WARN reporting
infrastructure.
 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS::
Section 1: Entitles the act as the "artificial intelligence workforce
impact transparency act"
Section 2: Puts forth the legislative findings and intent
Section 3: Amends paragraphs (d) and (e) of subdivision 1 of section
860-b of the 21 labor law, as amended by chapter 86 of the laws of 2021,
and adds a new paragraph (f)
Section 4: Sets forth the responsibilities of the commissioner of labor
in relation to reports submitted under paragraph (f) of subdivision 1 of
section 860-b of the labor law
Section 5: Directs the department of labor to establish the Al Inno-
vation and Workforce Tracking Initiative
Section 6: Severability clause
Section 7: Sets forth the effective date.
 
JUSTIFICATION::
Artificial Intelligence (AI) and automation are reshaping industries,
with major implications for employment and economic policy. Currently,
New York State has no formal mechanism to track when job losses are
caused by the adoption of AI or automated systems. The Artificial
Intelligence Workforce Impact Transparency Act amends New York's WARN
Act to require employers to indicate whether layoffs are linked to auto-
mation or AI. This simple reporting enhancement will provide real-time
insight into how Al adoption affects jobs across industries, support
evidence-based policy for retraining, and position New York as a
national leader in ethical and data-driven AI policy.
 
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
New bill
 
FISCAL IMPLICATI
NO FISCAL IMPACT EXPECTED.
 
EFFECTIVE DATE::
This act shall take effect on the one hundred eightieth day after it
shall have become a law; provided however that the provisions of section
five of this act shall expire and be deemed repealed two years after
such date. Effective immediately, the addition, amendment and/or repeal
of any rule or regulation necessary for the implementation of this act
on its effective date are authorized to be made and completed on or
before such effective date.