NELA/NY'S LEGISLATIVE AGENDA

NELA/NY’s 2026 Legislative Agenda is robust and ambitious, including both NYS and NYC proposed legislation. For 40 years, NELA/NY has been a leader in advancing legislation that positively impacts the lives of New York's workers and employees. We work with like-minded organizations to advance protections for New York workers. We are excited to share with you our NYS legislative agenda for this year.
NELA /NY New York State Legislative Agenda 2026

Labor Law and Wage Theft Prevention Bills

Labor Law Enforcement Parity Act (S4473 Ramos/ A5000 Bronson) Clarifies that the liquidated and statutory damages available for certain wage violations are not punitive in nature but were instead created to compensate workers. This bill will ensure that New York workers are entitled to Labor Law remedies that are at least as favorable as those available to workers under federal law.
Wage Payment Integrity Act (S2236A/A222A Simon) Requires employers to pay promised bonuses unless those bonuses are clearly labeled as discretionary.
Wage Theft Attachment Act (S4611 Ramos/A4611 Rosenthal) Addresses the problem of uncollectable judgments in wage theft cases by lowering the high standard for asset attachment and successor liability in wage theft cases and reforming procedures for shareholder liability.
EmPIRE Worker Protection Act* (S448A/A4278A Simon) Empowers employees and representative organizations, including labor unions, to bring public enforcement actions on behalf of the state to enforce the Labor Law’s wage theft, health/safety, and anti-retaliation protections. *NELA/NY is a proud member of the EmPIRE coalition, along with numerous other workers’ rights groups.
Remedial Construction of NYLL (S7388 Ramos/A7863 Bronson) Requires that legislative intent be followed when courts interpret certain provisions of the Labor Law, to ensure they are interpreted liberally in favor of workers and exemptions are construed narrowly, notwithstanding interpretations of similar provisions of federal laws. To be reintroduced in early 2026.

Workplace Fairness Bills

Worker’s Rights Enforceability Act (S3868/A1424 Dinowitz) Prohibits mandatory pre-dispute arbitration and class action waiver provisions in employment agreements, except where preempted by federal law.
Salary Transparency Bill* (S5990B Ramos/A5906 Bores). Strengthens the salary transparency law by requiring prospective employers to disclose non-salary compensation, including bonus pay and benefits. *NELA-NY is supporting this bill as a member of a workers’ rights group coalition.
Faithless Servant Reform Act (S7776A Ramos/A8336 Bronson) Limits misuse of disloyalty claims against employees, particularly when they are brought in retaliation against workers who assert their rights under the Labor Law or Human Rights Law.
Anti-Waiver of Employment Rights (S4424A Ramos/ A5411A) Prevents employers from forcing workers to waive their rights under the Labor Law and Human Rights Law as a condition of employment. Such waivers include any agreement to shorten the statutes of limitations for workers’ claims against their employers.
Personnel Records (S3460/A2107 Gonzalez-Rojas) Grants employees the right to review and respond to information in their personnel files.
Do Not Darken My Door (S413/A293 Cruz) Prohibits "no rehire" clauses in employment severance and settlement agreements.
Non-Compete Ban (S4641A) Prohibits most employee non-compete agreements. To be reintroduced in early 2026.

Anti-Discrimination Bills

Jury Verdict Protection Act (S410/A1182 Seawright) Prevents courts from reducing jury awards unless the court finds exceptional circumstances that compel the conclusion that the jury was influenced by partiality, prejudice, mistake, or corruption.
Confidentiality Waiting Period (S1766A Fernandez) Clarifies waiting period for confidentiality terms in settlements of discrimination, harassment, and retaliation claims under the Human Rights Law.
Motivating Factor (formerly S2447 Mayer/ A4992 Bichotte Hermalyn) Preserves the motivating factor standard for discrimination and retaliation claims under the Human Rights Law. To be reintroduced in early 2026.

We encourage you to contact us if you are interested in supporting any of our bills. We are also available to answer any questions or consult on any potential workers’ rights legislation you may be considering.

In solidarity,

Hugh Baran
Julia Elmaleh-Sachs
Christopher Marlborough
NELA/NY Legislative Advocacy Committee Co-Chairs