New York A 278: Relates to enacting the "New York emergency expedited temporary work permit act"

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A00278 Summary:

BILL NOA00278 

&nbsp

SAME ASSAME AS S09106

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SPONSORCruz

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COSPNSRForrest, Zaccaro, Gallagher, Gonzalez-Rojas, Stirpe, Weprin, Bores, Hevesi, Paulin, Rivera, Raga,
 Ramos, Shrestha, Simon, Seawright

&nbsp

MLTSPNSR

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Add Art 4-B §§155 - 158, Lab L; amd §291, Exec L; amd §53, Civ Serv L

&nbsp

Enacts the "New York emergency expedited temporary work permit act" to allow asylum seekers to apply for and be granted temporary work permits while their federal immigration status is being determined.

Go to top A00278 Actions:

BILL NOA00278 

&nbsp

01/08/2025referred to labor

01/07/2026referred to labor

Go to topA00278 Committee&nbspVotes:

Go to topA00278 Floor&nbspVotes:

There are no Assembly votes for this bill in this legislative session.

Go to topA00278 Text:

 STATE OF NEW YORK
 ________________________________________________________________________

 278

 2025-2026 Regular Sessions

 IN ASSEMBLY

 (Prefiled)

 January 8, 2025
 ___________

 Introduced by M. of A. CRUZ, FORREST, ZACCARO, GALLAGHER, GONZALEZ-RO-
 JAS, STIRPE, WEPRIN, BORES, HEVESI, PAULIN, RIVERA, RAGA, RAMOS,
 SHRESTHA, SIMON, SEAWRIGHT -- read once and referred to the Committee
 on Labor

 AN ACT to amend the labor law, the executive law and the civil service
 law, in relation to enacting the New York emergency expedited tempo-
 rary work permit act; and providing for the repeal of such provisions
 upon the expiration thereof

 The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-
 bly, do enact as follows:

 1 Section 1. This act shall be known and may be cited as the "New York
 2 emergency expedited temporary work permit act".
 3 § 2. Legislative finding and intent. The federal immigration law has
 4 become outdated and an impediment to New York state's ability to quickly
 5 and properly integrate asylum seekers allowed to enter the United States
 6 of America. Current federal law requires that an asylum seeker wait
 7 150 days before applying for a work permit. Current work permit appli-
 8 cations can take anywhere from 5 months to 14 months to process, leaving
 9 asylum seekers without the legal paperwork to support themselves and
 10 their families. Asylum seekers desperate to provide shelter, food, and
 11 living expenses for themselves and their families are forced to work
 12 without proper documentation leaving them open to exploitation from
 13 employers that range from working in dangerous conditions without train-
 14 ing to having their wages stolen. In view of the current federal
 15 inaction to expedite federal work permit applications for asylum seek-
 16 ers, it is incumbent on New York state to exercise its state's constitu-
 17 tional duties and the powers reserved to states under the federal
 18 constitution and enact a worker permit program.
 19 § 3. The labor law is amended by adding a new article 4-B to read as
 20 follows:

 EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
 [ ] is old law to be omitted.
 LBD01235-01-5

 A. 278 2

 1 ARTICLE 4-B
 2 ASYLEE WORKER PERMIT PROGRAM
 3 Section 155. Definitions.
 4 156. Asylee worker permit program.
 5 157. Rules and regulations.
 6 158. Construction.
 7 § 155. Definitions. For the purposes of this article:
 8 1. The term "asylee" shall have the same meaning as defined in the
 9 federal immigration and nationality act (8 U.S.C. § 1101) provided that
 10 for the purposes of this article such term shall include both asylees
 11 who have filed federal paperwork to obtain asylum status and those who
 12 are in the process of filing such application.
 13 2. The term "employment" shall include employment in both the private
 14 and public sectors.
 15 § 156. Asylee worker permit program. 1. The commissioner shall estab-
 16 lish a temporary program for the expedited issuance of work permits by
 17 the department to asylum seekers residing in New York within forty-five
 18 days of application.
 19 2. No fees shall be charged for the issuance of asylee worker permits.
 20 3. Permits issued under this section shall be valid for a period of
 21 eighteen months from issuance, but may be renewed pursuant to regu-
 22 lations adopted by the department.
 23 § 157. Rules and regulations. The commissioner shall promulgate emer-
 24 gency rules and re