S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   7770
 
                        2025-2026 Regular Sessions
 
                           I N  A S S E M B L Y
 
                              April 10, 2025
                                ___________
 
 Introduced by M. of A. TORRES -- read once and referred to the Committee
   on Labor
 
 AN ACT to amend the labor law, in relation to requiring the commissioner
   of  labor  to  prepare an annual report on the cost of living, poverty
   rates and adequacy of the current minimum wage in the state

   THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section  1.  Section  21  of  the labor law is amended by adding a new
 subdivision 17 to read as follows:
   17. SHALL PREPARE AND SUBMIT TO THE GOVERNOR, THE TEMPORARY  PRESIDENT
 OF  THE SENATE, THE SPEAKER OF THE ASSEMBLY AND THE CHAIRS OF THE SENATE
 AND ASSEMBLY COMMITTEES ON LABOR ON  OR  BEFORE  THE  THIRTIETH  DAY  OF
 SEPTEMBER AN ANNUAL REPORT ON THE STATE'S COST OF LIVING, POVERTY RATES,
 AND  THE  ADEQUACY OF THE CURRENT MINIMUM WAGE. THE REPORT SHALL ANALYZE
 THE CHANGE IN LIVING COSTS USING THE AVAILABLE AND WIDELY CONSULTED COST
 OF LIVING MEASURES, INCLUDING, BUT NOT  LIMITED  TO  THE  TRUE  COST  OF
 ECONOMIC  SECURITY  (TCES)  MEASURE, THE MIT LIVING WAGE CALCULATOR, THE
 ECONOMIC POLICY  INSTITUTE  (EPI)  FAMILY  BUDGET  CALCULATOR,  AND  THE
 UNIVERSITY  OF  WASHINGTON  SELF-SUFFICIENCY  STANDARD. THE REPORT SHALL
 ALSO ANALYZE CHANGES IN POVERTY AND CHILD POVERTY  FOR  HOUSEHOLDS  THAT
 INCLUDE  ONE  OR  MORE WORKERS, USING AMERICAN COMMUNITY SURVEY DATA FOR
 THE LATEST AVAILABLE YEAR. SUCH ANALYSIS SHALL EXAMINE  CHANGES  IN  THE
 SPECIFIED  MEASURES FOR EACH YEAR SINCE DECEMBER THIRTY-FIRST, TWO THOU-
 SAND EIGHTEEN, DISAGGREGATED BY RACE, ETHNICITY, GENDER, AGE, DISABILITY
 STATUS, HOUSEHOLD SIZE, PROFESSION AND EDUCATION LEVEL FOR EACH  OF  THE
 FOUR  REGIONS  OF  THE STATE, WHICH SHALL BE DEFINED AS: THE CITY OF NEW
 YORK; THE SUBURBAN COUNTIES OF  WESTCHESTER,  SUFFOLK  AND  NASSAU;  THE
 HUDSON  VALLEY  COUNTIES  OF  ROCKLAND,  PUTNAM, ORANGE, ULSTER, GREENE,
 DUTCHESS, COLUMBIA, ALBANY, AND RENSSELAER;  AND  THE  COUNTIES  OF  THE
 REMAINDER  OF  THE  STATE. THE REPORT SHALL ALSO COMPARE THE CURRENT AND
 PROJECTED FUTURE VALUE OF THE STATE'S  UPSTATE  MINIMUM  WAGE  WITH  THE
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD08402-04-5
              

 A. 7770                             2
 
 MINIMUM  WAGES  IN  OTHER HIGH-COST STATES, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO
 WASHINGTON, CALIFORNIA AND HAWAII, AND COMPARE THE CURRENT AND PROJECTED
 FUTURE VALUE OF THE STATE'S MINIMUM WAGE IN THE CITY OF  NEW  YORK,  AND
 THE  COUNTIES  OF WESTCHESTER, NASSAU AND SUFFOLK WITH THE MINIMUM WAGES
 IN OTHER HIGH-COST CITIES, INCLUDING BUT NOT  LIMITED  TO  SEATTLE,  SAN
 FRANCISCO,  LOS  ANGELES, WASHINGTON, D.C., AND DENVER. THE COMMISSIONER
 MAY INCLUDE IN THE REPORT SUCH OTHER ANALYSIS AS  THEY  FIND  USEFUL  IN
 ASSESSING  THE  ADEQUACY  OF  THE STATE'S MINIMUM WAGE. IN PREPARING THE
 REPORT AND DETERMINING ITS METHODOLOGY, THE COMMISSIONER  SHALL  CONSULT
 WITH  A  THREE-PERSON  ADVISORY  COMMITTEE,  THE  MEMBERS OF WHICH SHALL
 CONSIST OF ONE APPOINTEE EACH BY THE GOVERNOR, THE  TEMPORARY  PRESIDENT
 OF THE SENATE, AND THE SPEAKER OF THE ASSEMBLY.
   § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.