NY State Senate Bill 2025-S4514

Senate Bill S4514

2025-2026 Legislative Session

Requires 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

download bill text pdf

Current Bill Status - In Senate Committee Labor Committee

Introduced
- In Committee Assembly
- In Committee Senate
- On Floor Calendar Assembly
- On Floor Calendar Senate
- Passed Assembly
- Passed Senate
Delivered to Governor
Signed By Governor

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Actions

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	Assembly Actions - Lowercase Senate Actions - UPPERCASE
Feb 06, 2025	referred to labor

2025-S4514 (ACTIVE) - Details

Current Committee:: Senate Labor
Law Section:: Labor Law
Laws Affected:: Amd §21, Lab L
Versions Introduced in 2023-2024 Legislative Session:: S6646

2025-S4514 (ACTIVE) - Summary

Requires 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.

2025-S4514 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

                                 
BILL NUMBER: S4514

SPONSOR: RAMOS
 
TITLE OF BILL:

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

 
PURPOSE:

To require the Commissioner of the Department of Labor to prepare an
annual report on the state's cost of living, poverty rates, and the
adequacy of the current minimum wage.

 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:

Section 1. Section 21 of the labor law is amended by adding a new subdi-
vision 16. This addition mandates the Department of Labor shall produce
a report to analyze the change in living costs, changes in poverty and
child poverty for households that include one or more workers, and the
adequacy of the minimum wage. The report shall also compare the current

and projected future value of the state's various region-based minimum
wage levels with the minimum wages in other high-cost states. This
report shall be produced annually by the 13th of September and distrib-
uted to the governor, the temporary president of the senate, the speaker
of the assembly, and the chairs of the labor committees.

Section 2. The act shall take effect immediately.

 
JUSTIFICATION:

In New York State, roughly one million workers--16.4% of New York
State's workforce- earn the minimum wage. The State has an obligation to
ensure the legislature has access to accurate data on the cost of living
and the adequacy of the current minimum wage.

Historically, yearly gains in inflation have decreased the value of the
minimum wage, chipping away at workers' purchasing power and leading to
hardship for many. Each year that inflation increases and wages at the
bottom do not, workers in the lowest-paying positions struggle to pay
bills, feed their families, and access transportation. Across the state,
minimum wage workers are disproportionately women and people of color,
groups that also face significant barriers to advancement.

This bill mandates the Department of Labor, by September 13th, to
prepare and submit an annual report on the cost of living, poverty
rates, and minimum wage. The cost of living shall be measured and
analyzed using various available cost of living measures, and the data
will be disaggregated by race, ethnicity, gender, age, disability
status, household size, and education level for each of four regions of
the state.

 
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:

2023-24: S.6646 - Referred to Labor

 
FISCAL IMPACT:

To Be Determined.

 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect immediately.

2025-S4514 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

                             
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   4514
 
                        2025-2026 Regular Sessions
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                             February 6, 2025
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by  Sen.  RAMOS  -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
   printed to be committed 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  VARIOUS AVAILABLE AND WIDELY
 CONSULTED COST OF LIVING MEASURES, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE  MIT
 LIVING  WAGE  CALCULATOR,  THE  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 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 MINIMUM WAGES
 IN OTHER HIGH-COST STATES, INCLUDING  BUT  NOT  LIMITED  TO  WASHINGTON,
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD08402-01-5

 S. 4514                             2
 
 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 COUN-
 TIES 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 DETER-
 MINING ITS METHODOLOGY, THE COMMISSIONER SHALL CONSULT WITH A THREE-PER-
 SON 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.

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