Labor & Employment

Protects certain employees from a reduction of wages due to their involvement in the investigation of a violation of a workplace violence protection program.

Provides that no provision of section eighty of the civil service law shall modify, replace or supersede any provision of a collective bargaining agreement that provides for greater rights than required by such section.

Relates to terms and conditions of employment for members of the collective negotiating unit consisting of investigators, senior investigators, and investigative specialists in the division of state police; relates to the employee benefit fund for members of such unit; makes an appropriation therefor; repeals certain provisions of law relating thereto.

This bill extends the expiration date of disability benefits for volunteer firefighters suffering from heart or coronary artery conditions. It amends a 1977 law to keep the benefit program active until June 30, 2030, instead of ending in 2025. The change directly affects volunteer firefighters who qualify under this specific disability provision, ensuring continued access to benefits without altering the eligibility criteria or benefit amounts.

Requires the office of parks, recreation and historic preservation to develop and approve operational safety plans prior to the deployment of any employee in hazardous conditions; requires the plan to include a comprehensive risk assessment identifying potential hazards associated with the deployment, mitigation measures to address identified risks, detailed information on team composition, identification of an on-site authorized person responsible for overseeing operations, a clear chain of command, emergency contact information for all team members, and evacuation procedures.

Relates to the terms and conditions of employment for members of the collective negotiating unit consisting of troopers in the division of state police and salary schedules for members of such unit; relates to the employee benefit fund for members of such unit; provides for the payment of overtime pursuant to the terms of any agreement (Part A); relates to the terms and conditions of employment for members of the collective negotiating unit consisting of commissioned and non-commissioned officers in the division of state police and salary schedules for members of such unit; relates to the employee benefit fund for members of such unit (Part B).

S 7798 makes technical adjustments to New York State's 2025-26 aid to localities budget, specifically reallocating $90 million from the General Fund to the "Underserved Communities and Civic Engagement Program." The bill directs funding to seven specific nonprofit organizations, including the Asian American Foundation, New York Urban League, and Catholic Charities Community Services, for services like housing assistance, workforce training, and healthcare in underserved areas. This is a procedural budget modification with no new policy changes, simply adjusting existing allocations. The bill became law on May 23, 2025, and applies immediately to the 2025-26 fiscal year.

Enacts into law major components of legislation necessary to implement the state education, labor, housing and family assistance budget for the 2025-2026 state fiscal year; relates to contracts for excellence; relates to calculation of state aid to school districts; relates to a statewide dual enrollment policy; extends workforce education; relates to maximum class sizes for special education; extends chapter 82 of the laws of 1995; relates to foundation aid; provides for special apportionment for salary expenses; provides for special apportionment for public pension accruals; establishes a dual enrollment program; relates to universal pre-kindergarten and the Statewide universal full-day pre-kindergarten; extends provisions relating to paperwork reduction; relates to funding a program for work force education; extends provisions for monitors in the Hempstead union free school district, the Wyandanch union free school district and the Rochester city school district; relates to supplementary funding for the East Ramapo central school district; extends provisions authorizing the Roosevelt union free school district to finance deficits by the issuance of serial bonds; relates to requirements for zero emissions school buses; relates to certain instructional requirements for nonpublic schools (Part A); establishes a universal free school meals program; repeals provisions relating to the community eligibility provision state subsidy (Part B); relates to school policies regarding the use of internet-enabled devices during the school day (Part C); relates to scholarships awarded to part-time students by the New York state higher education services corporation; makes conforming changes; repeals provisions relating to tuition awards for part-time undergraduate students; relates to the New York state part-time scholarship award program (Part D); relates to authorizing the excelsior scholarship cover the cost of tuition in the state university of New York system (Part E); creates a New York opportunity promise scholarship for certain students who matriculated at a SUNY or CUNY community college, are over 25 years of age, have applied for certain tuition assistance programs, are eligible for resident tuition rates, and have not already obtained a postsecondary degree (Part F); provides for reduction of taxes pursuant to shelter rent (Part L); utilizes reserves in the mortgage insurance fund for the neighborhood preservation program, the rural preservation program, the rural rental assistance program, and the New York state supportive housing program (Part N); extends certain provisions relating to restructuring financing for residential school placements (Part O); authorizes child care support centers which are certified by the office of children and family services to place individuals as substitute caregivers at licensed and registered child care programs (Part P); relates to the provision of public assistance allowances to public assistance recipients upon the birth of a new child (Part Q); relates to increasing the standards of monthly need for aged, blind and disabled persons living in the community (Part R); relates to the effectiveness of provisions of law relating to the powers and duties of the commissioner of social services relating to the appointment of a temporary operator (Part S); relates to the healthy terminals act; amends certain definitions relating to covered airport location and covered airport workers; provides for the applicable standard rate as meaning the wage and benefit rates designated by the commissioner of labor (Part T); limits the amount of liquidated damages for certain frequency of pay violations (Part U); relates to civil penalties for violations of certain wage payment provisions (Part V); increases the civil penalties for violations of child labor laws (Part W); establishes a database for the employment of minors; allows for registration of minors and employers in such database; digitizes the process for minors to apply for employment (Part X); expands certain payments previously made to parents of deceased service members to spouses and minor children of such service members; authorizes the commissioner of veterans' affairs to conduct an outreach program for the purpose of informing the public and persons who may be eligible to receive an annuity (Part Y); requires submission of an annual report on the New York state museum (Part AA); decreases the length of the suspension period applicable to certain individuals who lose their jobs due to a labor dispute, such as a strike, and who seek to obtain unemployment insurance benefits (Part BB); requires social services for a city of a population of a million or more shall spend a certain amount of local funds for child care block grants (Part CC); establishes the crime of evading arrest by concealment of identity (Part DD); expands the merit time allowance and limited credit time allowance programs (Part EE); authorizes the commissioner of education to appoint a monitor to oversee the Mount Vernon city school district; requires such monitor to schedule three public hearings; requires the monitor and board of education to develop a proposed financial plan for the 2025--2026 school year and the four subsequent school years (Part FF); relates to the conversion to condominium ownership for the preservation of expiring affordable housing in the city of New York; provides expanded homeownership opportunities from the conversion of certain residential rental buildings to condominium status by property owners that commit to preserve the inventory of expiring affordable housing in the city of New York (Part GG); establishes the housing access voucher pilot program (Part HH); amends section 2 of chapter 868 of the laws of 1975 constituting the New York state financial emergency act for the city of New York, in relation to the effectiveness thereof (Part II); establishes the city of Buffalo parking authority; provides for its powers, duties and obligations (Part JJ); increases the maximum benefit rate for unemployment insurance (Part KK); amends provisions relating to discovery reform (Part LL); provides for the administration of certain funds and accounts related to the 2025-2026 budget; authorizes certain payments and transfers; relates to the administration of certain funds and accounts (Part MM).

Bill A 8000 provides emergency funding to ensure the continued operation of state government. It allocates funds for the salaries and benefits of state employees across the executive, legislative, and judicial branches, including those in state-operated special employment programs. The bill also covers essential non-personal service expenses for state departments and agencies. These appropriations are authorized for the period from April 1, 2025, through April 23, 2025, to support government functions until a full state budget is passed.

This bill provides emergency funding to cover essential state government operations from April 1 to April 9, 2025, during a budget gap before the new fiscal year begins. It directly affects all state employees (including executive branch officials, judiciary staff, and legislature personnel) and agencies by authorizing payments for payroll, accrued liabilities, and operational costs during this period. Key provisions include funding for personal services, employee fringe benefits (like health insurance and retirement contributions), and non-personal service expenses incurred through April 9. The appropriation ensures continuity of government services without disrupting existing programs or authority under current law.