A01142 Summary:

BILL NOA01142A
 
SAME ASSAME AS S02709-A
 
SPONSORJaffee
 
COSPNSRDinowitz, Cook, Galef, Gottfried, Cahill, Fahy, Schimel, Titus, Mosley, Zebrowski, Pichardo, Simon, Steck, Brindisi, Mayer, Simotas, Arroyo, Joyner, Aubry, Linares, Seawright, Abinanti, Skoufis, Paulin, Rosenthal, Hunter
 
MLTSPNSRBarron, Brennan, Buchwald, Crouch, Davila, Duprey, Glick, Hooper, Lupardo, Markey, Perry, Rivera, Wright
 
Add S203-e, Lab L
 
Relates to the prohibition of discrimination based on an individual's or a dependent's reproductive health decision making.
Go to top    

A01142 Actions:

BILL NOA01142A
 
01/08/2015referred to labor
05/26/2015amend and recommit to labor
05/26/2015print number 1142a
06/03/2015reported referred to codes
06/08/2015reported referred to rules
06/10/2015reported
06/10/2015rules report cal.206
06/10/2015ordered to third reading rules cal.206
06/16/2015passed assembly
06/16/2015delivered to senate
06/16/2015REFERRED TO RULES
01/06/2016DIED IN SENATE
01/06/2016RETURNED TO ASSEMBLY
01/06/2016ordered to third reading cal.50
06/07/2016passed assembly
06/07/2016delivered to senate
06/07/2016REFERRED TO INSURANCE
Go to top

A01142 Memo:

NEW YORK STATE ASSEMBLY
MEMORANDUM IN SUPPORT OF LEGISLATION
submitted in accordance with Assembly Rule III, Sec 1(f)
 
BILL NUMBER: A1142A
 
SPONSOR: Jaffee (MS)
  TITLE OF BILL: An act to amend the labor law, in relation to discrimination based on an employee's or a dependent's reproductive health decision making   PURPOSE OR GENERAL IDEA OF BILL: To prohibit employers from discriminating against employees based on the employees' or dependent's reproductive health decisions, and to provide remedies for such violations.   SUMMARY OF SPECIFIC PROVISIONS: Section 1 amends the labor law by adding a new section 203-e to prohibit discrimination based on an employee's or an employee's dependent's reproductive health decision making. This section prohibits an employer from accessing an employee's personal information regarding the employ- ee's or the dependent's reproductive health decision making, including but not limited to, the decision to use or access a particular drug, device or medical service without the employee's prior informed, affir- mative written consent. This section also prohibits discrimination or any retaliatory action against an employee on the basis of the employee's or a dependent's reproductive health decision making, including, but not limited to, a decision to use or access a particular drug, device or medical service. In addition, an employer may not require an employee to sign a waiver or document which would deny an employee the right to make their own repro- ductive health decisions. The bill provides additional protections for the employee as any employ- er who provides an employee handbook to its employees must include, in the handbook, a notice of employee rights and remedies under this section. This section also makes clear that the bill does not conflict with any other employee protections provided through any provision of law or collective bargaining unit. This section also provides that in a civil action alleging a violation of this law, the court may award the plaintiff damages that include back pay, benefits and reasonable attorney's fees and costs. In addition, the court may order reinstatement or afford injunctive relief against an employer in violation of this law. The court may also award the plain- tiff liquidated damages equal to one hundred--percent of the award for damages, unless an employer proves a good faith basis to believe that its actions were in compliance with the law. This section also provides that retaliation against an employee exercising rights granted under this law shall subject an employer to separate civil penalties. Section 2 establishes the effective date.   JUSTIFICATION: This bill ensures that employees or their dependents are able to make their own reproductive health care decisions without incurring adverse employment consequences. The federal Affordable Care Act (ACA) recently required that health insurance plans cover FDA-approved birth control methods without out-of- pocket costs. Some for-profit employers have attempted to prevent employees from accessing this benefit because it conflicts with their personal beliefs. As a result, over 100 federal lawsuits have been filed by employers to deny employees this benefit, including employers operat- ing in New York State. Employers should not be able to discriminate or interfere in employees' personal medical decisions. While federal and state laws have been enacted which demonstrate a commitment to protect individuals against employment discrimination, loopholes exist which leave employees vulnerable to discrimination based on their reproductive health decisions. The Legislature must ensure that the legal loopholes are corrected to ensure that employees' decisions about pregnancy, contraception, and reproductive health are also protected under state law. This bill is not about insurance coverage and is not intended to require coverage for any health care service, drug or device. This bill would prevent an employer from discriminating against employ- ees based on reproductive health decisions, regardless of how the employer became aware of those decisions. The Health Insurance Portabil- ity and Accountability Act (HIPAA) does offer a high level of confiden- tiality with regard to medical care and decisions. However, an employer does receive health insurance utilization summaries, which are distrib- uted to each employer on a regular basis. In these reports, personally identifiable information is excluded to comply with privacy protections of HIPAA. However, in some cases, an individual's identity may still be deduced by an employer based on the nature of the service and composi- tion of the insured class reported in the summaries. While a violation of HIPAA would be an actionable violation of privacy, there are other avenues in which an employer may become aware of their employees personal information. It is not unlikely that this information could be unintentionally disclosed by a co-worker, discovered through social media or electronic surveillance currently available, or even disclosed through a personal admission by the employee. Reproductive health care decisions, while usually kept private, should not become society's new version of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell". Employees must be protected from discrimination based on the reproductive health care decisions they make. This legislation will provide that protection.   PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY: This is new legislation.   FISCAL IMPLICATIONS: None.   EFFECTIVE DATE: This Act shall take effect immediately.
Go to top

A01142 Text:



 
                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                         1142--A
 
                               2015-2016 Regular Sessions
 
                   IN ASSEMBLY
 
                                     January 8, 2015
                                       ___________
 
        Introduced by M. of A. JAFFEE, DINOWITZ, COOK, GALEF, GOTTFRIED, CAHILL,
          FAHY,  CLARK,  SCHIMEL,  TITUS,  MOSLEY,  ZEBROWSKI,  PICHARDO, SIMON,
          STECK, BRINDISI,  MAYER,  SIMOTAS,  ARROYO,  JOYNER,  AUBRY,  LINARES,
          SEAWRIGHT, ABINANTI, SKOUFIS -- Multi-Sponsored by -- M. of A. BARRON,
          BRENNAN,  BROOK-KRASNY, BUCHWALD, CROUCH, DAVILA, DUPREY, GLICK, HOOP-
          ER, LUPARDO, MARKEY, PERRY, RIVERA, WRIGHT -- read once  and  referred
          to  the  Committee  on  Labor  --  committee discharged, bill amended,
          ordered reprinted as amended and recommitted to said committee
 
        AN ACT to amend the labor law, in relation to discrimination based on an
          employee's or a dependent's reproductive health decision making
 
          The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and  Assem-
        bly, do enact as follows:
 
     1    Section  1.  The labor law is amended by adding a new section 203-e to
     2  read as follows:
     3    § 203-e. Prohibition of discrimination based on  an  employee's  or  a
     4  dependent's reproductive health decision making. 1. An employer shall be
     5  prohibited  from  accessing an employee's personal information regarding
     6  the employee's or the employee's dependent's reproductive  health  deci-
     7  sion making, including but not limited to, the decision to use or access
     8  a  particular  drug,  device  or  medical service without the employee's
     9  prior informed affirmative written consent.
    10    2. An employer shall not:
    11    (a) discriminate nor take any retaliatory personnel action against  an
    12  employee  with respect to compensation, terms, conditions, or privileges
    13  of employment because of or on the basis of  the  employee's  or  depen-
    14  dent's  reproductive  health decision making, including, but not limited
    15  to, a decision to use or access a particular  drug,  device  or  medical
    16  service; or
    17    (b)  require  an  employee  to  sign  a waiver or other document which
    18  purports to deny an employee the right to make  their  own  reproductive
 
         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD03614-02-5

        A. 1142--A                          2
 
     1  health  care  decisions,  including use of a particular drug, device, or
     2  medical service.
     3    3.  An  employer  that  provides an employee handbook to its employees
     4  must include in the handbook notice  of  employee  rights  and  remedies
     5  under this section.
     6    4.  Nothing  in this section shall be construed to limit any rights of
     7  an employee provided through any other provision of  law  or  collective
     8  bargaining unit.
     9    5.  An  employee  may  bring  a civil action in any court of competent
    10  jurisdiction against an employer alleged to have violated the provisions
    11  of this section. In any  civil  action  alleging  a  violation  of  this
    12  section, the court may:
    13    (a)  award damages, including back pay, benefits and reasonable attor-
    14  neys' fees and costs incurred to a prevailing plaintiff;
    15    (b) afford injunctive relief against  any  employer  that  commits  or
    16  proposes to commit a violation of the provisions of this section;
    17    (c) order reinstatement; and/or
    18    (d) award liquidated damages equal to one hundred percent of the award
    19  for  damages  pursuant  to  paragraph  (a) of this subdivision unless an
    20  employer proves a good faith  basis  to  believe  that  its  actions  in
    21  violation of this section were in compliance with the law.
    22    6. Any act of retaliation for an employee exercising any rights grant-
    23  ed under this section shall subject an employer to separate civil penal-
    24  ties  under  this section. For the purposes of this section, retaliation
    25  or retaliatory personnel  action  shall  mean  discharging,  suspending,
    26  demoting, or otherwise penalizing an employee for:
    27    (a)  making  or  threatening  to  make,  a  complaint  to an employer,
    28  co-worker, or to a  public  body,  that  rights  guaranteed  under  this
    29  section have been violated;
    30    (b)  causing  to be instituted any proceeding under or related to this
    31  section; or
    32    (c) providing information to, or testifying before,  any  public  body
    33  conducting an investigation, hearing, or inquiry into any such violation
    34  of a law, rule, or regulation by such employer.
    35    § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
Go to top