S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   1909
 
                        2025-2026 Regular Sessions
 
                           I N  A S S E M B L Y
 
                             January 14, 2025
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by M. of A. SMULLEN, McDONOUGH, TAGUE, PALMESANO, MANKTELOW,
   LEMONDES, DeSTEFANO, ANGELINO, E. BROWN -- read once and  referred  to
   the Committee on Economic Development
 
 AN  ACT to amend the economic development law, in relation to establish-
   ing a rural remote recruitment program

   THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section  1.  The  economic  development law is amended by adding a new
 article 28 to read as follows:
                                ARTICLE 28
                     RURAL REMOTE RECRUITMENT PROGRAM
 SECTION 500. DEFINITIONS.
         501. RURAL REMOTE RECRUITMENT PROGRAM.
         502. ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA.
         503. APPLICATION AND APPROVAL PROCESS.
         504. POWERS AND DUTIES OF THE COMMISSIONER.
         505. FUNDING.
         506. REPORTING.
   § 500. DEFINITIONS. FOR THE PURPOSES OF THIS ARTICLE:
   1. "RURAL AREAS" SHALL MEAN ANY CITY, TOWN, OR VILLAGE  WITH  A  POPU-
 LATION  DENSITY  LESS  THAN  TWO  HUNDRED  FIFTY  PEOPLE PER SQUARE MILE
 LOCATED WITHIN A COUNTY WITH A POPULATION OF  LESS  THAN  THREE  HUNDRED
 THOUSAND  PEOPLE AND A POPULATION DENSITY OF LESS THAN TWO HUNDRED FIFTY
 PEOPLE PER SQUARE MILE.
   2. "REMOTE WORKER" SHALL MEAN ANY FULL TIME EMPLOYED PERSON, WHO WORKS
 AN AVERAGE OF AT LEAST THIRTY-FIVE HOURS PER WEEK  AND  PARTICIPATES  IN
 THE  PRACTICE  OF  WORKING  FROM ONE'S HOME OR ANOTHER DESIGNATED SPACE,
 INSTEAD OF THE TRADITIONAL OFFICE ENVIRONMENT.
   3. "ACCEPTANCE DATE" SHALL MEAN THE DATE UPON WHICH  AN  APPLICANT  TO
 THE  RURAL  REMOTE  RECRUITMENT PROGRAM ACCEPTS AND COMMITS TO THE TERMS
 AND AGREEMENTS OF THE PROGRAM.

  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD04573-01-5
              

 A. 1909                             2
 
   4. "RURAL REMOTE RECRUITMENT PROGRAM"  OR  "PROGRAM"  SHALL  MEAN  THE
 PROGRAM ESTABLISHED BY SECTION FIVE HUNDRED ONE OF THIS ARTICLE.
   §  501.  RURAL  REMOTE  RECRUITMENT PROGRAM. 1. THERE IS HEREBY ESTAB-
 LISHED WITHIN THE DEPARTMENT A "RURAL  REMOTE  RECRUITMENT"  PROGRAM  TO
 PROVIDE  MONETARY  INCENTIVES  FOR REMOTE WORKERS TO RELOCATE INTO RURAL
 AREAS OF NEW YORK THAT OPT INTO THE PROGRAM.
   2. THE DEPARTMENT SHALL COORDINATE WITH THE  DEPARTMENT  OF  LABOR  TO
 DEVELOP  AN APPLICATION, COMPETITIVE EVALUATION PROCESS AND REPORTING TO
 SUPPORT THE RURAL REMOTE RECRUITMENT PROGRAM.
   § 502. ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA. IN ORDER  TO  PARTICIPATE  IN  THE  RURAL
 REMOTE  RECRUITMENT  PROGRAM,  A  REMOTE WORKER APPLICANT TO THE PROGRAM
 MUST SATISFY THE FOLLOWING CRITERIA:
   1. THE APPLICANT MUST RESIDE IN NEW YORK OUTSIDE OF A DESIGNATED RURAL
 AREA, RESIDE OUTSIDE OF NEW YORK STATE, OR CURRENTLY RESIDE IN A  DESIG-
 NATED RURAL AREA AND BE WORKING REMOTELY;
   2. THE APPLICANT MUST BE EIGHTEEN YEARS OF AGE OR OLDER;
   3. THE APPLICANT MUST BE EMPLOYED IN A FULL-TIME REMOTE POSITION;
   4. THE APPLICANT MUST BE ELIGIBLE TO WORK INSIDE THE U.S.; AND
   5. THE APPLICANT MUST BE ABLE TO RELOCATE INTO A RURAL AREA WITHIN SIX
 MONTHS  OF  THE  PROGRAM AND MUST AGREE TO LIVE IN THE RURAL AREA FOR AT
 LEAST TWENTY-FOUR MONTHS.
   § 503. APPLICATION AND APPROVAL PROCESS. 1. A REMOTE WORKER  APPLICANT
 TO THE PROGRAM MUST SUBMIT A COMPLETED APPLICATION IN SUCH FORM AND WITH
 SUCH INFORMATION AS PRESCRIBED BY THE COMMISSIONER.
   2. AS PART OF SUCH APPLICATION, EACH APPLICANT MUST:
   (A)  SUBMIT  DOCUMENTED  PROOF  OF  INCOME  TO NEW YORK STATE ANNUALLY
 DURING THE TERM OF THE PROGRAM;
   (B) SUBMIT PROOF OF RESIDENCY ANNUALLY DURING THE TERM OF THE PROGRAM;
   (C) AGREE TO ALLOW THE DEPARTMENT OF TAXATION  AND  FINANCE  TO  SHARE
 THEIR TAX INFORMATION WITH THE DEPARTMENT; PROVIDED THAT ANY INFORMATION
 SHARED  AS A RESULT OF THIS AGREEMENT SHALL NOT BE AVAILABLE FOR DISCLO-
 SURE OR INSPECTION UNDER THE STATE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION LAW; AND
   (D) CERTIFY, UNDER PENALTY  OF  PERJURY,  THAT  THE  APPLICANT  IS  IN
 SUBSTANTIAL COMPLIANCE WITH ALL LOCAL, STATE, AND FEDERAL TAX LAWS.
   3.  THE  COMMISSIONER  MAY APPROVE AN APPLICATION FROM A REMOTE WORKER
 APPLICANT UPON DETERMINING THAT SUCH  APPLICANT  MEETS  THE  ELIGIBILITY
 CRITERIA  ESTABLISHED IN THIS ARTICLE. FOLLOWING APPROVAL BY THE COMMIS-
 SIONER OF AN APPLICATION TO PARTICIPATE IN THE PROGRAM, THE COMMISSIONER
 SHALL ISSUE THE APPLICANT A MONETARY AWARD OF UP TO TWENTY-SIX  THOUSAND
 DOLLARS. THE MONETARY INCENTIVE SHALL BE COMPOSED OF THE FOLLOWING:
   (A) A RELOCATION INCENTIVE OF UP TO FIFTEEN THOUSAND DOLLARS;
   (B) A HOMEBUYER INCENTIVE OF UP TO TEN THOUSAND DOLLARS;
   (C) UP TO ONE THOUSAND DOLLARS FOR TRAVEL REIMBURSEMENT FOR VISITING A
 RURAL REGION OF INTEREST PRIOR TO JOINING; AND
   (D)  UP  TO  TEN THOUSAND DOLLARS FOR CURRENT REMOTE WORKER APPLICANTS
 RESIDING IN A DESIGNATED RURAL AREA.
   4. UPON ACCEPTANCE INTO THE PROGRAM, THE INCENTIVES ARE TO BE PAID  AS
 OUTLINED BELOW:
   (A)  WITHIN  FOURTEEN DAYS OF THE DEPARTMENT RECEIVING RECEIPTS OF ALL
 OUT-OF-POCKET EXPENSES INCURRED WHEN VISITING THE RURAL REGION OF INTER-
 EST, THE RECIPIENT WILL BE REIMBURSED UP TO  ONE  THOUSAND  DOLLARS  FOR
 OUT-OF-POCKET EXPENSES.
   (B)  WITHIN  FOURTEEN DAYS OF THE REMOTE WORKER APPLICANT'S ACCEPTANCE
 DATE, THE REMOTE WORKER WILL BE PAID A ONE-TIME PAYMENT OF  SEVEN  THOU-
 SAND DOLLARS.
 A. 1909                             3
 
   (C)  WITHIN  FOURTEEN  DAYS  FOLLOWING THE ONE-YEAR ANNIVERSARY OF THE
 REMOTE WORKER'S ACCEPTANCE DATE, THE REMOTE WORKER WILL BE PAID  A  ONE-
 TIME PAYMENT OF FOUR THOUSAND DOLLARS.
   (D)  WITHIN FOURTEEN DAYS FOLLOWING THE EXPIRATION OF THE REMOTE WORK-
 ER'S CONTRACT TERM, THE REMOTE WORKER WILL  BE  PAID  A  FINAL  ONE-TIME
 PAYMENT OF FOUR THOUSAND DOLLARS.
   (E)  ALL PAYMENTS HEREIN ARE CONTINGENT UPON THE REMOTE WORKER ABIDING
 BY ALL THE TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF THE PROGRAM.
   5. UPON APPROVAL BY THE COMMISSIONER, AN INTERESTED HOMEBUYER  PARTIC-
 IPATING  IN THE PROGRAM SHOULD RECEIVE A ONE-TIME REIMBURSEMENT OF UP TO
 TEN THOUSAND DOLLARS AFTER SUBMITTING NECESSARY  PROOF  OF  CONTRACT  AS
 DETERMINED BY THE COMMISSIONER.
   §  504.  POWERS  AND  DUTIES  OF THE COMMISSIONER. 1. THE COMMISSIONER
 SHALL, IN CONSULTATION WITH THE COMMISSIONER OF LABOR, PROMULGATE  REGU-
 LATIONS CONSISTENT WITH THE PURPOSES OF THIS ARTICLE THAT, NOTWITHSTAND-
 ING ANY PROVISIONS TO THE CONTRARY IN THE STATE ADMINISTRATIVE PROCEDURE
 ACT,  MAY  BE  ADOPTED  ON  AN  EMERGENCY  BASIS. SUCH REGULATIONS SHALL
 INCLUDE, BUT NOT BE LIMITED TO, ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA FOR REMOTE  WORKERS
 DESIRING  TO  PARTICIPATE IN THE PROGRAM, PROCEDURES FOR THE RECEIPT AND
 EVALUATION OF APPLICATIONS FROM REMOTE WORKERS  TO  PARTICIPATE  IN  THE
 PROGRAM,  AND  SUCH  OTHER  PROVISIONS  AS  THE COMMISSIONER DEEMS TO BE
 APPROPRIATE IN ORDER TO IMPLEMENT THE PROVISIONS OF THIS ARTICLE.
   2. THE COMMISSIONER SHALL SOLELY  DETERMINE  THE  ELIGIBILITY  OF  ANY
 APPLICANT  APPLYING  FOR  ENTRY  INTO  THE  PROGRAM AND SHALL REMOVE ANY
 PARTICIPANT FROM THE PROGRAM FOR FAILING TO MEET ANY OF THE REQUIREMENTS
 SET FORTH IN THIS ARTICLE OR FOR  MAKING  A  MATERIAL  MISREPRESENTATION
 WITH RESPECT TO THEIR PARTICIPATION IN THE PROGRAM.
   §  505.  FUNDING.  THE  COMMISSIONER  OF THE DEPARTMENT OF LABOR SHALL
 TRANSFER ANY NECESSARY FUNDING FROM THE FEDERAL WORKFORCE INVESTMENT ACT
 ACCOUNT AS FUNDED BY GRANTS UNDER THE WORKFORCE INVESTMENT  ACT,  PUBLIC
 LAW  105-220,  AND  THE WORKFORCE INNOVATION AND OPPORTUNITY ACT, PUBLIC
 LAW 113-128 TO THE DEPARTMENT TO SUPPORT THIS ARTICLE.
   § 506. REPORTING. THE COMMISSIONER SHALL PREPARE ON AN ANNUAL BASIS  A
 PROGRAM REPORT FOR POSTING ON THE DEPARTMENT'S WEBSITE. THE FIRST REPORT
 WILL BE POSTED BY JUNE THIRTIETH, TWO THOUSAND TWENTY-SEVEN, AND BY JUNE
 THIRTIETH  EVERY  YEAR THEREAFTER. SUCH REPORT SHALL INCLUDE, BUT NOT BE
 LIMITED TO, THE FOLLOWING: NUMBER OF APPLICANTS; NUMBER OF  PARTICIPANTS
 APPROVED;  NAMES  OF  PARTICIPANTS;  TOTAL AMOUNT OF BENEFITS CERTIFIED;
 BENEFITS RECEIVED PER PARTICIPANT; TOTAL INCREASE IN  RURAL  POPULATION;
 AND SUCH OTHER INFORMATION AS THE COMMISSIONER DETERMINES.
   §  2. This act shall take effect on the first of January next succeed-
 ing the date upon which it shall have become a law.