New York A 4864: Relates to work authorization for asylum seekers

Status: REFERRED TO WAYS AND MEANS (as of 2026-01-07)

State: New York · Session: 2025-2026 · Bill: A 4864

Sponsors: Jenifer Rajkumar

Bill Text

Bill Search and Legislative Information | New York State Assembly 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

 Skip to main content 

 New York State Assembly

 Speaker Carl E. Heastie

 --> 
 --> 

 --> 

• 
 Assembly Members 

• 
 Legislative Info 

• 
 Public Hearings 

• 
 Speaker's Press 

• 
 Assembly Reports 

• 
 Committees & More 

• Bill Search Home
• Laws
• Legislative Calendar
• Public Hearing Schedule
• Assembly Calendars
• Assembly Committee Agenda 

 Javascript must be enabled to properly view this page. 

 Bill No.: 

• Summary 
• Actions 
• Committee&nbspVotes 
• Floor&nbspVotes 
• Memo 
• Text 
• LFIN 
• Chamber&nbspVideo/Transcript 
A04864 Summary:

BILL NOA04864 

&nbsp

SAME ASNo Same As

&nbsp

SPONSORRajkumar

&nbsp

COSPNSR

&nbsp

MLTSPNSR

&nbsp

&nbsp

Directs the comptroller to withhold certain payments to be made to the federal government until asylum seekers in the custody of the city of New York are granted documentation or authorization for employment.

Go to top A04864 Actions:

BILL NOA04864 

&nbsp

02/06/2025referred to ways and means

01/07/2026referred to ways and means

Go to topA04864 Committee&nbspVotes:

Go to topA04864 Floor&nbspVotes:

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

Go to topA04864 Text:

 STATE OF NEW YORK
 ________________________________________________________________________

 4864

 2025-2026 Regular Sessions

 IN ASSEMBLY

 February 6, 2025
 ___________

 Introduced by M. of A. RAJKUMAR -- read once and referred to the Commit-
 tee on Ways and Means

 AN ACT relating to directing the state comptroller to withhold certain
 payments to be made to the federal government; and providing for the
 expiration and repeal of such provisions upon expiration thereof

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

 1 Section 1. 1. The state comptroller is directed to withhold eight
 2 million dollars in payments or future obligations to the National Rail-
 3 road Passenger Corporation and/or to the federal department of the trea-
 4 sury for payments in the category "interest on leases, loans and claims"
 5 for every day that the federal government does not grant to asylum seek-
 6 ers who are in the custody of the city of New York documentation or
 7 other authorization permitting such persons to be eligible for employ-
 8 ment.
 9 2. For the purposes of this act:
 10 (a) "Asylum seeker" means an individual who changes their country of
 11 usual residence to seek temporary or permanent residence in another
 12 country, and who has applied for asylum under 8 U.S.C. § 1158 or is
 13 eligible to apply;
 14 (b) "Refugee" shall have the same meaning as set forth in 8 U.S.C. §
 15 1158;
 16 (c) "Temporary protected status" shall have the same meaning as set
 17 forth in 8 U.S.C. § 1254a; and
 18 (d) "Removal proceedings" shall have the meaning as set forth in 8
 19 U.S.C. § 1229a.
 20 3. Authorization or documentation permitting employment shall include,
 21 but are not limited to, eligibility for temporary protected status,
 22 granting refugee status, or a new federal law in effect that makes
 23 asylum seekers eligible within thirty days of applying for asylum.

 EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
 [ ] is old law to be omitted.
 LBD08620-01-5

 A. 4864 2

 1 § 2. This act shall take effect immediately and shall expire and be
 2 deemed repealed when every adult asylum seeker in New York city's custo-
 3 dy at the time of such effective date receives an employment authori-
 4 zation document, or is eligible for an employment authorization document
 5 within 30 days, provided that the asylum seeker is not undergoing
 6 removal proceedings; and provided that the mayor of the city of New York
 7 shall notify the legislative bill drafting commission when the federal
 8 government has complied with the requirements for employment authori-
 9 zation for asylum seekers in order that the commission may maintain an
 10 accurate and timely effective data base of the official text of the laws
 11 of the state of New York in furtherance of effectuating the provisions
 12 of section 44 of the legislative law and section 70-b of the public
 13 officers law.

Go to top 

• 

 Sitemap 

 Request Information 

 Directions and Maps

View New York A 4864 on LegisTrack → — full text, sponsors, votes, campaign finance, and cross-state matches.