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A05144 Summary:

BILL NOA05144A
 
SAME ASSAME AS S04394-A
 
SPONSORBenedetto
 
COSPNSRAbinanti, Aubry, Jackson, Steck, Forrest, Jacobson, Cahill, Simon, Gallagher, Woerner, Mamdani, Lupardo
 
MLTSPNSR
 
Amd §§740 & 741, Lab L
 
Provides protection to employees and former employees from retaliatory actions by employers for the reporting of illegal or dangerous business activities.
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A05144 Text:



 
                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                         5144--A
 
                               2021-2022 Regular Sessions
 
                   IN ASSEMBLY
 
                                    February 11, 2021
                                       ___________
 
        Introduced  by  M.  of  A.  BENEDETTO,  ABINANTI, AUBRY, JACKSON, STECK,
          FORREST -- read once and referred to the Committee on Labor -- commit-
          tee discharged, bill amended, ordered reprinted as amended and  recom-
          mitted to said committee
 
        AN  ACT  to  amend  the labor law, in relation to retaliatory actions by
          employers

          The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and  Assem-
        bly, do enact as follows:
 
     1    Section  1.   Section 740 of the labor law, as added by chapter 660 of
     2  the laws of 1984, paragraph (g) of subdivision 1 as added and  paragraph
     3  (a)  of  subdivision  2  as  amended by chapter 442 of the laws of 2006,
     4  paragraph (d) of subdivision 4 as added by chapter 24  of  the  laws  of
     5  2002,  and  subdivision 7 as amended by chapter 684 of the laws of 2019,
     6  is amended to read as follows:
     7    § 740. Retaliatory [personnel] action by  employers;  prohibition.  1.
     8  Definitions.  For  purposes  of this section, unless the context specif-
     9  ically indicates otherwise:
    10    (a) "Employee" means an individual who performs services for and under
    11  the  control  and  direction  of  an  employer  for   wages   or   other
    12  remuneration, including former employees, or natural persons employed as
    13  independent  contractors  to carry out work in furtherance of an employ-
    14  er's business enterprise who are not themselves employers.
    15    (b) "Employer"  means  any  person,  firm,  partnership,  institution,
    16  corporation, or association that employs one or more employees.
    17    (c)  "Law, rule or regulation" includes: (i) any duly enacted federal,
    18  state or local statute or ordinance or executive order; (ii) any rule or
    19  regulation promulgated pursuant to [any federal, state  or  local]  such
    20  statute or ordinance or executive order; or (iii) any judicial or admin-
    21  istrative decision, ruling or order.
    22    (d) "Public body" includes the following:

         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD02665-05-1

        A. 5144--A                          2
 
     1    (i)  the  United States Congress, any state legislature, or any [popu-
     2  larly-elected] elected local governmental body, or any member or employ-
     3  ee thereof;
     4    (ii)  any federal, state, or local [judiciary] court, or any member or
     5  employee thereof, or any grand or petit jury;
     6    (iii) any federal, state,  or  local  regulatory,  administrative,  or
     7  public agency or authority, or instrumentality thereof; [or]
     8    (iv) any federal, state, or local law enforcement agency, prosecutori-
     9  al office, or police or peace officer[.];
    10    (v)  any  federal, state or local department of an executive branch of
    11  government; or
    12    (vi) any division, board, bureau, office, committee, or commission  of
    13  any  of  the public bodies described in subparagraphs (i) through (v) of
    14  this paragraph.
    15    (e) "Retaliatory [personnel] action" means [the discharge,  suspension
    16  or  demotion  of  an  employee, or other adverse employment action taken
    17  against an employee in  the  terms  and  conditions  of  employment]  an
    18  adverse  action  taken  by an employer or his or her agent to discharge,
    19  threaten, penalize, or in any  other  manner  discriminate  against  any
    20  employee  or  former  employee  exercising  his or her rights under this
    21  section, including (i) adverse employment actions  or  threats  to  take
    22  such  adverse  employment  actions  against  an employee in the terms of
    23  conditions of employment including but not limited to discharge, suspen-
    24  sion, or demotion; (ii) actions or threats to  take  such  actions  that
    25  would adversely impact a former employee's current or future employment;
    26  or  (iii) threatening to contact or contacting United States immigration
    27  authorities or otherwise reporting or threatening to report  an  employ-
    28  ee's  suspected citizenship or immigration status or the suspected citi-
    29  zenship or immigration status  of  an  employee's  family  or  household
    30  member,  as  defined  in  subdivision two of section four hundred fifty-
    31  nine-a of the social services law, to a federal, state, or local agency.
    32    (f) "Supervisor" means any individual within an  employer's  organiza-
    33  tion who has the authority to direct and control the work performance of
    34  the  affected  employee; or who has managerial authority to take correc-
    35  tive action regarding the violation of the law, rule  or  regulation  of
    36  which the employee complains.
    37    [(g) "Health care fraud" means health care fraud as defined by article
    38  one hundred seventy-seven of the penal law.]
    39    2.  Prohibitions.  An employer shall not take any retaliatory [person-
    40  nel] action against an employee, whether or not within the scope of  the
    41  employee's job duties, because such employee does any of the following:
    42    (a) discloses, or threatens to disclose to a supervisor or to a public
    43  body  an  activity, policy or practice of the employer that the employee
    44  reasonably believes is in violation of law, rule  or  regulation  [which
    45  violation creates and presents] or that the employee reasonably believes
    46  poses a substantial and specific danger to the public health or safety[,
    47  or which constitutes health care fraud];
    48    (b)  provides  information  to,  or  testifies before, any public body
    49  conducting an investigation, hearing or inquiry into any such [violation
    50  of a law, rule or regulation]  activity,  policy  or  practice  by  such
    51  employer; or
    52    (c) objects to, or refuses to participate in any such activity, policy
    53  or practice [in violation of a law, rule or regulation].
    54    3.  Application. The protection against retaliatory [personnel] action
    55  provided by paragraph (a) of subdivision two of this section  pertaining
    56  to  disclosure to a public body shall not apply to an employee who makes

        A. 5144--A                          3
 
     1  such disclosure to a public body unless the employee has [brought]  made
     2  a good faith effort to notify his or her employer by bringing the activ-
     3  ity, policy or practice [in violation of law, rule or regulation] to the
     4  attention of a supervisor of the employer and has afforded such employer
     5  a  reasonable  opportunity to correct such activity, policy or practice.
     6  Such employer notification shall not be required where: (a) there is  an
     7  imminent  and  serious  danger  to  the public health or safety; (b) the
     8  employee reasonably believes that  reporting  to  the  supervisor  would
     9  result  in  a destruction of evidence or other concealment of the activ-
    10  ity, policy or practice; (c) such activity,  policy  or  practice  could
    11  reasonably  be  expected  to lead to endangering the welfare of a minor;
    12  (d) the employee reasonably believes that reporting  to  the  supervisor
    13  would  result  in  physical harm to the employee or any other person; or
    14  (e) the employee reasonably believes  that  the  supervisor  is  already
    15  aware  of  the  activity,  policy  or practice and will not correct such
    16  activity, policy or practice.
    17    4. Violation; remedy. (a) An employee who has been the  subject  of  a
    18  retaliatory  [personnel]  action in violation of this section may insti-
    19  tute a civil action in a court of competent jurisdiction for  relief  as
    20  set  forth  in  subdivision  five  of this section within [one year] two
    21  years after the alleged retaliatory [personnel] action was taken.
    22    (b) Any action authorized by this section may be brought in the county
    23  in which the alleged retaliatory [personnel]  action  occurred,  in  the
    24  county  in  which the complainant resides, or in the county in which the
    25  employer has its principal place of business. In any  such  action,  the
    26  parties shall be entitled to a jury trial.
    27    (c)  It  shall  be  a  defense  to any action brought pursuant to this
    28  section that the [personnel]  retaliatory  action  was  predicated  upon
    29  grounds  other  than  the employee's exercise of any rights protected by
    30  this section. [It shall also be a defense that  the  individual  was  an
    31  independent contractor.]
    32    [(d)  Notwithstanding the provisions of paragraphs (a) and (c) of this
    33  subdivision, a health care employee who has been the subject of a retal-
    34  iatory action by a health care employer in violation  of  section  seven
    35  hundred  forty-one  of  this  article  may institute a civil action in a
    36  court of competent jurisdiction for relief as set forth  in  subdivision
    37  five  of  this  section  within  two years after the alleged retaliatory
    38  personnel action was taken. In addition to the relief set forth in  that
    39  subdivision, the court, in its discretion, based upon a finding that the
    40  employer  acted  in  bad faith in the retaliatory action, may assess the
    41  employer a civil penalty  of  an  amount  not  to  exceed  ten  thousand
    42  dollars,  to  be  paid  to  the  improving quality of patient care fund,
    43  established pursuant to section ninety-seven-aaaa of the  state  finance
    44  law.]
    45    5.  Relief. In any action brought pursuant to subdivision four of this
    46  section, the court may order relief as follows:
    47    (a) an injunction to restrain continued violation of this section;
    48    (b) the reinstatement of the employee to the same position held before
    49  the retaliatory [personnel] action, or to  an  equivalent  position,  or
    50  front pay in lieu thereof;
    51    (c) the reinstatement of full fringe benefits and seniority rights;
    52    (d)  the compensation for lost wages, benefits and other remuneration;
    53  [and]
    54    (e) the payment by the employer of  reasonable  costs,  disbursements,
    55  and attorney's fees;

        A. 5144--A                          4
 
     1    (f)  a  civil penalty of an amount not to exceed ten thousand dollars;
     2  and/or
     3    (g)  the payment by the employer of punitive damages, if the violation
     4  was willful, malicious or wanton.
     5    6. Employer relief. A court, in its discretion, may  also  order  that
     6  reasonable  attorneys' fees and court costs and disbursements be awarded
     7  to an employer if the court determines that  an  action  brought  by  an
     8  employee under this section was without basis in law or in fact.
     9    7.  Existing rights. Nothing in this section shall be deemed to dimin-
    10  ish the rights, privileges, or remedies of any employee under any  other
    11  law  or  regulation  or  under  any  collective  bargaining agreement or
    12  employment contract.
    13    8.  Publication.  Every  employer  shall  inform  employees  of  their
    14  protections,  rights  and  obligations  under this section, by posting a
    15  notice thereof. Such notices shall be  posted  conspicuously  in  easily
    16  accessible  and  well-lighted places customarily frequented by employees
    17  and applicants for employment.
    18    § 2. Subdivision 4 of section 741 of the labor law, as added by  chap-
    19  ter  24 of the laws of 2002, is amended and a new subdivision 6 is added
    20  to read as follows:
    21    4. Enforcement. A health care employee may seek  enforcement  of  this
    22  section pursuant to [paragraph (d) of subdivision] subdivisions four and
    23  five of section seven hundred forty of this article.
    24    6.  Publication.  Every  employer  shall  inform  employees  of  their
    25  protections, rights and obligations under  this  section  by  posting  a
    26  notice  thereof.  Such  notices  shall be posted conspicuously in easily
    27  accessible and well-lighted places customarily frequented  by  employees
    28  and applicants for employment.
    29    §  3.  This  act shall take effect on the ninetieth day after it shall
    30  have become a law; provided, however, that  effective  immediately,  the
    31  addition,  amendment  and/or  repeal of any rule or regulation necessary
    32  for the implementation of this act on its effective date are  authorized
    33  to  be  made by the commissioner of labor of the state of New York on or
    34  before such effective date.
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