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NY A07452
Bill
Status
5/22/2023
Primary Sponsor
Harvey Epstein
Click for details
AI Summary
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Establishes a prison labor board comprised of government officials, formerly and currently incarcerated individuals, nonprofit representatives, and organized labor members to oversee prison labor programs and ensure compliance with labor law requirements.
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Requires all labor programs to be designed for rehabilitation and community reentry, not for generating profits or cost-savings for the state or private entities, with a minimum wage of at least the state minimum wage under labor law.
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Prohibits forced labor, requires safe working conditions, grants incarcerated workers the right to organize and collectively bargain, and protects workers from retaliation for reporting violations.
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Prevents the Department of Corrections from attaching or garnishing incarcerated individuals' earnings without their consent and requires all accrued interest on inmate accounts be credited to those individuals.
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Eliminates the preferred vendor status of the correctional industries program (Corcraft) in state procurement, removing its purchasing priority over other entities.
Legislative Description
Establishes a New York state prison labor board to ensure that all labor programs comply with the requirements of the labor law and are for the purpose of promoting successful rehabilitation, reentry and reintegration into the community and not for the purpose of earnings or cost-savings which inure to the benefit the state or any private individual or corporation; prohibits the department of corrections and community supervision from unfairly attaching, garnishing or disbursing the funds of incarcerated individuals where such individuals have not requested disbursement; requires that all interest accumulated on incarcerated individuals' funds be credited to such individual's accounts; eliminates the preferred status of the department of corrections and community supervision regarding commodities and services furnished by the correctional industries program; and repeals certain provisions of the state finance law relating to such preferred status.
Last Action
referred to correction
1/3/2024