New York S 6987: Relates to workplace safety equipment for social services employees

Bill Text

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S06987 Summary:

BILL NOS06987A

&nbsp

SAME ASSAME AS A07833-A

&nbsp

SPONSORHARCKHAM

&nbsp

COSPNSRBYNOE, JACKSON, SKOUFIS

&nbsp

MLTSPNSR

&nbsp

Add §63, Soc Serv L

&nbsp

Requires every city or county social services district to provide a wearable or mobile phone-based panic button to each employee whose job responsibilities necessitate direct interaction with clients in a client's home.

Go to top S06987 Actions:

BILL NOS06987A

&nbsp

03/27/2025REFERRED TO SOCIAL SERVICES

01/07/2026REFERRED TO SOCIAL SERVICES

01/09/2026AMEND AND RECOMMIT TO SOCIAL SERVICES

01/09/2026PRINT NUMBER 6987A

06/04/2026COMMITTEE DISCHARGED AND COMMITTED TO RULES

06/04/2026ORDERED TO THIRD READING CAL.1795

06/04/2026SUBSTITUTED BY A7833A

&nbspA07833 AMEND=A Levenberg

&nbsp04/11/2025referred to social services

&nbsp05/20/2025reported referred to ways and means

&nbsp01/07/2026referred to ways and means

&nbsp01/13/2026amend and recommit to ways and means

&nbsp01/13/2026print number 7833a

&nbsp06/04/2026reported referred to rules

&nbsp06/04/2026reported 

&nbsp06/04/2026rules report cal.488

&nbsp06/04/2026ordered to third reading rules cal.488

&nbsp06/04/2026passed assembly

&nbsp06/04/2026delivered to senate

&nbsp06/04/2026REFERRED TO RULES

&nbsp06/04/2026SUBSTITUTED FOR S6987A

&nbsp06/04/20263RD READING CAL.1795

&nbsp06/04/2026PASSED SENATE

&nbsp06/04/2026RETURNED TO ASSEMBLY

Go to topS06987 Committee&nbspVotes:

Go to topS06987 Floor&nbspVotes:

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

Go to topS06987 Text:

 STATE OF NEW YORK
 ________________________________________________________________________

 6987--A

 2025-2026 Regular Sessions

 IN SENATE

 March 27, 2025
 ___________

 Introduced by Sens. HARCKHAM, JACKSON, SKOUFIS -- read twice and ordered
 printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Social
 Services -- recommitted to the Committee on Social Services in accord-
 ance with Senate Rule 6, sec. 8 -- committee discharged, bill amended,
 ordered reprinted as amended and recommitted to said committee

 AN ACT to amend the social services law, in relation to providing panic
 buttons to certain employees of city and county social services
 districts

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

 1 Section 1. The social services law is amended by adding a new section
 2 63 to read as follows:
 3 § 63. Workplace safety equipment for social services employees. 1.
 4 Every city or county social services district, as constituted by section
 5 sixty-one of this title, shall be required to provide a panic button to
 6 each employee whose job responsibilities necessitate direct interaction
 7 with clients in a client's home.
 8 2. Such panic button shall be a wearable or mobile phone-based button.
 9 Mobile phone-based panic buttons may only be installed on employer-pro-
 10 vided equipment, and wearable and mobile phone-based panic buttons shall
 11 not be used to track employee locations except when the panic button is
 12 triggered. Employees shall bear no cost for this equipment.
 13 3. For the purposes of this section, "panic button" shall mean a phys-
 14 ical or virtual button that when activated immediately initiates an
 15 emergency response by contacting either the local 9-1-1 public safety
 16 answering point ("PSAP") or a dedicated monitoring or security service
 17 that is capable of promptly notifying the PSAP. Such panic button shall
 18 provide employee location information, and result in the dispatch of
 19 local law enforcement or emergency services to the employee's location.
 20 4. Every city or county social services district shall develop a plan
 21 to ensure that employees working in areas where panic button functional-

 EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
 [ ] is old law to be omitted.
 LBD11369-03-5

 S. 6987--A 2

 1 ity may be limited or unavailable can receive timely assistance from
 2 local law enforcement in the event of an emergency.
 3 5. The commissioner of the office of children and family services
 4 shall promulgate rules and regulations necessary to implement the
 5 provisions of this section.
 6 § 2. This act shall take effect one year after it shall have become a
 7 law.

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