Bill Text: NY A05913 | 2025-2026 | General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Clarifies the meaning of actively seeking work for purposes of unemployment benefits when the claimant is a member of a labor organization; defines "union hiring hall".

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)

Status: (Introduced) 2025-02-24 - referred to labor [A05913 Detail]

Download: New_York-2025-A05913-Introduced.html

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                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________

                                          5913

                               2025-2026 Regular Sessions

                   IN ASSEMBLY

                                    February 24, 2025
                                       ___________

        Introduced  by M. of A. FORREST -- read once and referred to the Commit-
          tee on Labor

        AN ACT to amend the labor law, in relation to clarifying the meaning  of
          actively seeking work for purposes of unemployment benefits

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

     1    Section 1. Subdivision 2 of section 591 of the labor law,  as  amended
     2  by chapter 26 of the laws of 2021, is amended to read as follows:
     3    2.  Availability,  capability,  and  work search. No benefits shall be
     4  payable to any claimant who is not capable of work or who is not  ready,
     5  willing  and  able  to work in [his or her] their usual employment or in
     6  any other for which [he or she is] they are reasonably fitted by  train-
     7  ing  and experience and who is not actively seeking work. In order to be
     8  actively seeking work a claimant  must  be  engaged  in  systematic  and
     9  sustained  efforts to find work. The commissioner shall promulgate regu-
    10  lations defining systematic and  sustained  efforts  to  find  work  and
    11  setting standards for the proof of work search efforts. Such regulations
    12  shall take into account the need for claimants to provide child care for
    13  their  child  or children. A claimant shall be considered to be actively
    14  seeking work in accordance with this section  if  the  individual  is  a
    15  member  of  a  labor  organization,  as  defined  in subdivision five of
    16  section seven hundred one of this chapter, maintains contact  with  that
    17  union,  and  uses  and complies with the placement services of the union
    18  hiring hall in seeking work. As used in  this  subdivision,  unless  the
    19  context  otherwise  indicates,  "union  hiring  hall"  means  a  service
    20  provided by a labor union or an entity associated  with  a  labor  union
    21  that  places  employees  with  an employer under a collective bargaining
    22  agreement or otherwise places employees with employers.
    23    § 2. This act shall take effect on the same date as the  reversion  of
    24  subdivision  2 of section 591 of the labor law as provided in section 10
    25  of chapter 413 of the laws of 2003, as amended.

         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD07378-01-5