Bill Text: NY S06288 | 2011-2012 | General Assembly | Introduced

NOTE: There are more recent revisions of this legislation. Read Latest Draft
Bill Title: Clarifies methods for the payment of wages and authorizes the payment of wages by use of payroll cards.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2012-04-24 - PRINT NUMBER 6288A [S06288 Detail]

Download: New_York-2011-S06288-Introduced.html
                           S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
       ________________________________________________________________________
                                         6288
                                   I N  S E N A T E
                                   January 20, 2012
                                      ___________
       Introduced  by  Sen.  ROBACH -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
         printed to be committed to the Committee on Labor
       AN ACT to amend the labor law, in relation to clarifying methods for the
         payment of wages and authorizing  the  payment  of  wages  by  use  of
         payroll cards
         THE  PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
       BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
    1    Section 1. The section heading of section 192 of  the  labor  law,  as
    2  amended  by  chapter  301  of  the  laws  of 1974, is amended to read as
    3  follows:
    4    [Cash payment] PAYMENT of wages.
    5    S 2. Subdivision 1 of section 192 of the labor law, as added by  chap-
    6  ter 475 of the laws of 1981 and as renumbered by chapter 170 of the laws
    7  of 1994, is amended to read as follows:
    8    1.  [No  employer  shall  without  the  advance written consent of any
    9  employee directly pay or deposit the net wage or salary of such employee
   10  in a bank or other financial institution.] WAGES SHALL BE PAID USING ONE
   11  OR MORE OF THE FOLLOWING METHODS:
   12    A. IN LAWFUL MONEY OF THE UNITED STATES;
   13    B. BY CHECK PAYABLE AT FACE VALUE UPON DEMAND IN LAWFUL MONEY  OF  THE
   14  UNITED STATES;
   15    C. BY ELECTRONIC AUTOMATED FUND TRANSFER IN LAWFUL MONEY OF THE UNITED
   16  STATES INTO AN ACCOUNT IN THE NAME OF THE EMPLOYEE AT A FINANCIAL INSTI-
   17  TUTION  DESIGNATED BY THE EMPLOYEE; PROVIDED THAT THE EMPLOYEE VOLUNTAR-
   18  ILY GIVES WRITTEN AUTHORIZATION IN ADVANCE TO RECEIVE HIS OR  HER  WAGES
   19  IN THIS MANNER; OR
   20    D.  BY CREDIT TO A PAYROLL CARD IN ACCORDANCE WITH SECTION ONE HUNDRED
   21  NINETY-TWO-A OF THIS ARTICLE.
   22    S 3. The labor law is amended by adding a new section 192-a to read as
   23  follows:
   24    S 192-A. PAYMENT OF WAGES USING PAYROLL CARDS.  1.  AS  USED  IN  THIS
   25  SECTION:
   26    A.  "PAYROLL  CARD"  MEANS  A  PREPAID CARD OR OTHER DEVICE USED BY AN
   27  EMPLOYEE TO ACCESS WAGES FROM A PAYROLL CARD ACCOUNT;
        EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                             [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                  LBD10535-01-1
       S. 6288                             2
    1    B. "PAYROLL CARD ACCOUNT" MEANS AN ACCOUNT THAT IS DIRECTLY  OR  INDI-
    2  RECTLY  ESTABLISHED  THROUGH  AN  EMPLOYER AND TO WHICH TRANSFERS OF THE
    3  EMPLOYEE'S WAGES, SALARY OR OTHER COMPENSATION ARE MADE; AND
    4    C. "PAYROLL CARD ISSUER" MEANS A FINANCIAL INSTITUTION OR OTHER ENTITY
    5  THAT ISSUES A PAYROLL CARD TO EMPLOYEES ON BEHALF OF THEIR EMPLOYER.
    6    2. IF AN EMPLOYER PAYS WAGES TO EMPLOYEES BY CREDIT TO A PAYROLL CARD:
    7    A.  EXCEPT  AS  PROVIDED IN PARAGRAPH B OF THIS SUBDIVISION, EMPLOYEES
    8  MUST BE ABLE TO MAKE AT  LEAST  ONE  WITHDRAWAL  OR  TRANSFER  FROM  THE
    9  PAYROLL CARD ACCOUNT IN EACH PAY PERIOD WITHOUT CHARGE FOR ANY AMOUNT UP
   10  TO AND INCLUDING THE FULL AMOUNT OF THE EMPLOYEE'S WAGES FOR THE PERIOD.
   11    B.  IF  WAGES  ARE PAID MORE FREQUENTLY THAN WEEKLY, EMPLOYEES MUST BE
   12  ABLE TO MAKE AT LEAST ONE  WITHDRAWAL  OR  TRANSFER  EACH  WEEK  WITHOUT
   13  CHARGE FOR ANY AMOUNT UP TO AND INCLUDING THE FULL AMOUNT OF THE EMPLOY-
   14  EE'S WAGES FOR THAT WEEK.
   15    C.  IF  AN  EMPLOYER COMPLIES WITH THE WITHDRAWAL REQUIREMENTS OF THIS
   16  SUBDIVISION AND THE NOTICE  REQUIREMENT  IN  SUBDIVISION  FOUR  OF  THIS
   17  SECTION,  FEES  ASSESSED  BY  THE PAYROLL CARD ISSUER IN ACCORDANCE WITH
   18  SUCH NOTICE SHALL NOT BE DEEMED TO BE DEDUCTIONS FROM  WAGES  AND  SHALL
   19  NOT  BE  DEEMED TO VIOLATE SECTION ONE HUNDRED NINETY-ONE OR ONE HUNDRED
   20  NINETY-THREE OF THIS ARTICLE.
   21    3. EMPLOYERS WHO USE PAYROLL CARDS TO DELIVER WAGES OR  OTHER  COMPEN-
   22  SATION TO THEIR EMPLOYEES MUST ALSO PROVIDE EMPLOYEES WITH THE OPTION OF
   23  RECEIVING  THEIR WAGES OR OTHER COMPENSATION BY ELECTRONIC FUND TRANSFER
   24  IN ACCORDANCE WITH SECTION ONE HUNDRED NINETY-ONE-C OF THIS ARTICLE.  AN
   25  EMPLOYER  THAT COMPENSATES EMPLOYEES USING ELECTRONIC FUND TRANSFERS AND
   26  PAYROLL CARDS ONLY MAY DELIVER WAGES USING A PAYROLL CARD TO ANY EMPLOY-
   27  EE WHO FAILS TO AUTHORIZE ELECTRONIC FUND TRANSFERS OR TO  DESIGNATE  AN
   28  ACCOUNT AT A FINANCIAL INSTITUTION TO RECEIVE SUCH TRANSFERS.
   29    4.  EMPLOYEES  WHO  RECEIVE  WAGES BY CREDIT TO A PAYROLL CARD MUST BE
   30  PROVIDED WITH A MEANS OF CHECKING THEIR PAYROLL  CARD  ACCOUNT  BALANCES
   31  THROUGH  AN  AUTOMATED  TELEPHONE  SYSTEM  AND ONE ADDITIONAL ELECTRONIC
   32  MEANS, WITHOUT COST IRRESPECTIVE OF NUMBER OF INQUIRIES MADE.
   33    5. PRIOR TO PAYING AN EMPLOYEE'S WAGES BY CREDIT TO A PAYROLL CARD, AN
   34  EMPLOYER MUST PROVIDE THE EMPLOYEE WITH NOTICE OF THE FOLLOWING ITEMS IN
   35  PAPER OR PRINTABLE FORM. NOTICE MUST BE PROVIDED IN  THE  LANGUAGES  THE
   36  EMPLOYER  NORMALLY  USES  TO  COMMUNICATE EMPLOYMENT-RELATED POLICIES TO
   37  THEIR EMPLOYEES'.
   38    A. THE TERMS AND CONDITIONS RELATING  TO  USE  OF  THE  PAYROLL  CARD,
   39  INCLUDING  A  LIST  OF  FEES  THAT  MAY  BE ASSESSED BY THE PAYROLL CARD
   40  ISSUER;
   41    B. THE METHODS AVAILABLE TO  EMPLOYEES  FOR  ACCESSING  WAGES  WITHOUT
   42  COSTS;
   43    C.  THE METHODS AVAILABLE TO EMPLOYEES FOR CHECKING THE BALANCE IN THE
   44  PAYROLL CARD ACCOUNT WITHOUT COST; AND
   45    D. A STATEMENT AS TO WHETHER THIRD PARTIES MAY ASSES ADDITIONAL FEES.
   46    6. WAGES CREDITED TO A PAYROLL CARD ACCOUNT MUST  BE  INSURED  BY  THE
   47  FEDERAL  DEPOSIT INSURANCE CORPORATION, THE NATIONAL CREDIT UNION ADMIN-
   48  ISTRATION, OR ANOTHER ENTITY ON A PASS THROUGH BASIS TO THE EMPLOYEE.
   49    S 4. This act shall take effect on the ninetieth day  after  it  shall
   50  have become a law.
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