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Senate Labor Committee advances 10 bills; most move to rules or calendar
Summary
The Senate Standing Committee on Labor voted to report 10 bills on topics ranging from biometric privacy and sick leave for domestic workers to workers' compensation and workplace violence protections. Most measures were advanced by voice vote and sent to either the rules committee or the calendar.
The Senate Standing Committee on Labor advanced 10 bills at its second session of the 2025 legislative term, moving most measures to either the rules committee or the legislative calendar.
The committee proceeded through a packed agenda, reporting bills on biometric privacy in employment, stop-work authority for employee misclassification, wages, paid sick leave for domestic workers, several workers' compensation changes including Lyme disease and annual supplemental reporting, training to reduce abusive conduct, contracted network pharmacies, and protections for employees involved in workplace-violence investigations.
Committee members voted by voice on each item. The chair called for motions to move the bills and members responded with “Aye,” with occasional recorded “Nay” responses. The meeting record shows each bill was reported either to the rules committee or to the calendar; individual vote counts were not recorded in the transcript.
One substantive exchange occurred on S.5254 (by Senator Chris Ryan), which would protect certain employees from a reduction in wages when they participate in investigations of workplace-violence protection programs. A committee member asked whether the bill would apply to state correctional facilities, citing section 27-b of the Labor Law as relevant to inspections for workplace-violence prevention. A separate committee member and staff responded that the measure would apply to public employers, including state correctional facilities, and confirmed there was no stated exception for those employers in the discussion recorded.
Senator Chris Ryan was noted by the chair as the sponsor of multiple bills advanced during the session; the chair congratulated him after several measures were reported. The meeting record also includes a brief acknowledgement of an organization or program named “Goodpills.”
Votes at a glance
- S.372 (Gineris) — Amendment to the Labor Law establishing a “no severance ultimatum” provision; reported to the rules committee (voice vote; counts not specified).
- S.681 (Martinez) — Prohibits fingerprinting or mandatory iris/retina scanning of employees; reported to the calendar (voice vote; counts not specified).
- S.1514 (Harcombe) — Authorizes stop-work orders for misclassification of employees; reported to the rules committee (voice vote; counts not specified).
- S.2236 (Gennardis) — Amends Labor Law in relation to payment of wages; reported to the rules committee (voice vote; counts not specified).
- S.4515 (Ramos) — Amends Labor Law to provide sick leave for domestic workers; reported (voice vote; counts not specified).
- S.4816 (Chris Ryan) — Adds Lyme disease and other tickborne diseases as occupational diseases under the Workers' Compensation Law; reported to the calendar (voice vote; counts not specified).
- S.4832 (Chris Ryan) — Requires the Workers' Compensation Board to submit an annual supplemental report; reported to the calendar (voice vote; counts not specified).
- S.4925 (Ramos) — Requires training to reduce abusive conduct and bullying in the workplace; reported to the calendar (voice vote; counts not specified).
- S.4926 (Ramos) — Amends Workers' Compensation Law regarding contracted network pharmacies; reported to the calendar (voice vote; counts not specified).
- S.5254 (Chris Ryan) — Protects certain employees from wage reductions for participating in workplace-violence investigations; reported to the calendar (voice vote; counts not specified). A committee exchange confirmed applicability to state correctional facilities and public employers during the discussion.
The meeting record contains routine procedural calls for motions and voice votes; where a speaker asked a substantive question about scope (S.5254 and state correctional facilities), the committee recorded that the bill would apply to public employers. The transcript does not include recorded roll-call tallies for the items advanced.
Ending
The chair closed the session after the committee advanced the listed measures and thanked members for their participation. The bills will be considered next according to the chamber's rules committee and calendar scheduling.
