New York A 3596: Enacts "the prison wage act" relating to payment for labor performed by incarcerated individuals

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A03596 Summary:

BILL NOA03596B

&nbsp

SAME ASSAME AS S00439-B

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SPONSORGibbs

&nbsp

COSPNSRTaylor, Cruz, Epstein, Walker, Reyes, Shrestha, Benedetto, Romero, Lasher, Hevesi, Forrest,
 Gonzalez-Rojas, Gallagher, Kelles, Levenberg, Cunningham, Meeks, Moreno

&nbsp

MLTSPNSR

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Amd §§170, 171, 177, 178, 184, 186, 187 & 200, Cor L

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Enacts "the prison wage act" relating to payment for labor performed by incarcerated individuals.

Go to top A03596 Actions:

BILL NOA03596B

&nbsp

01/28/2025referred to correction

02/03/2025amend and recommit to correction

02/03/2025print number 3596a

04/09/2025amend (t) and recommit to correction

04/09/2025print number 3596b

01/07/2026referred to correction

Go to topA03596 Committee&nbspVotes:

Go to topA03596 Floor&nbspVotes:

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

Go to topA03596 Text:

 STATE OF NEW YORK
 ________________________________________________________________________

 3596--B

 2025-2026 Regular Sessions

 IN ASSEMBLY

 January 28, 2025
 ___________

 Introduced by M. of A. GIBBS, TAYLOR, CRUZ, EPSTEIN, WALKER, REYES --
 read once and referred to the Committee on Correction -- committee
 discharged, bill amended, ordered reprinted as amended and recommitted
 to said committee -- again reported from said committee with amend-
 ments, ordered reprinted as amended and recommitted to said committee

 AN ACT to amend the correction law, in relation to enacting "the prison
 wage act"

 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 prison
 2 wage act".
 3 § 2. Subdivision 3 of section 170 of the correction law, as amended by
 4 chapter 322 of the laws of 2021, is amended to read as follows:
 5 3. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, an incarcerated indi-
 6 vidual may be permitted to leave the institution under guard to volun-
 7 tarily perform work for a nonprofit organization; provided that each
 8 incarcerated individual who volunteers to perform work for a nonprofit
 9 organization shall be compensated for their labor in accordance with the
 10 provisions of subdivision five of section one hundred eighty-seven of
 11 this article. As used in this section, the term "nonprofit organization"
 12 means an organization operated exclusively for religious, charitable, or
 13 educational purposes, no part of the net earnings of which inures to the
 14 benefit of any private shareholder or individual.
 15 § 3. Subdivision 1 of section 171 of the correction law, as amended by
 16 chapter 322 of the laws of 2021, is amended and a new subdivision 3 is
 17 added to read as follows:
 18 1. The commissioner and the superintendents and officials of all peni-
 19 tentiaries in the state may [cause] permit incarcerated individuals in
 20 the state correctional facilities and such penitentiaries who are phys-
 21 ically capable thereof to be employed for not to exceed eight hours of
 22 each day other than Sundays and public holidays. Notwithstanding any

 EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
 [ ] is old law to be omitted.
 LBD01730-06-5

 A. 3596--B 2

 1 other provision of this section, however, the commissioner and super-
 2 intendents of state correctional facilities may employ incarcerated
 3 individuals on a volunteer basis on Sundays and public holidays in
 4 specialized areas of the facility, including kitchen areas, vehicular
 5 garages, rubbish pickup and grounds maintenance, providing, however,
 6 that incarcerated individuals so employed shall be allowed an alterna-
 7 tive free day within the normal work week.
 8 3. Any incarcerated individual performing labor as described in this
 9 section shall be compensated for their labor in accordance with the
 10 provisions of subdivision five of section one hundred eighty-seven of
 11 this article.
 12 § 4. Subdivision 7 of section 177 of the correction law, as renumbered
 13 by chapter 256 of the laws of 2010, is renumbered subdivision 8 and a
 14 new subdivision 7 is added to read as follows:
 15 7. Any incarcerated individual performing labor as described in this
 16 section shall be compensated for their labor in accordance with the
 17 provisions of subdivision five of