A Dozen New NY Laws That May Change Your Life In 2016

Another new year means new laws in New York.

Among the hundreds of laws to take effect are a minimum wage increase, stricter protections for women in the workplace and changes to health insurance laws to include coverage of telehealth services.

Here’s a look at some of the laws that may affect your life in 2016:

Minimum Wage

The minimum wage will increase from $8.75 per hour to $9 per hour beginning Dec. 31, 2015 for non-fast food workers. Fast food workers will receive an increase to $9.75 per hour beginning Dec. 31, 2015.

From then, the minimum wage for all workers will increase $1 annually, until $14.50 in 2020 and $15 per hour in 2021, according to data from the NY Labor Department.

Workers’ Rights

New mothers have the right to take reasonable, unpaid breaks at work to pump breast milk for up to three years after giving birth. Employers must provide reasonable accommodations for new mothers to be able to pump in privacy and cannot discriminate against employees for this reason. More info here.

A difference in pay between men and women in the workplace can only be a result of business-related factors such as education, training or experience level.

Women must be paid equal to men. The labor law was changed so that difference in pay between male and female workers can only be based on that a difference in pay must be based on a specified factor other than sex such as education, training or experience, and cannot be based on a sex-based differential, and must be job-related and consistent with business necessity.

A new law allows employees from any company, regardless of size, to file for sexual harassment. The existing law held that an employer must have more than four employees to be considered liable. More info here.

A law will go into effect stating that plaintiffs who win a sexual discrimination case will be eligible to have their legal fees waived.

This law would allow for reasonable attorney’s fees in housing, employment and credit discrimination cases when sex is a basis of discrimination. More info here.

Employers would be prohibited from denying work or promotions based on familial status. Existing law provides protection against discrimination in housing, but not employment. More info here.

Housing discrimination against domestic violence victims will be prohibited, with ability for victims to file for a civil action lawsuit if such discrimination takes place. More info here.

Pregnant workers will have more protections from discrimination in the workplace with a new law that requires employers to reasonably accommodate workers with pregnancy-related conditions unless doing so would create an undue hardship.

“Employees may require a stool to sit on, extra restroom breaks, transfer away from hazardous duties, a temporary reprieve from heavy lifting, or reasonable time for child-birth recovery,” states the law which can be found here.

Health

Health insurance companies will be required to include telehealth services as part of medical coverage.

Telehealth refers to the use of electronic information and telecommunications technologies to support long-distance health care, patient and professional health-related education, public health and health administration. This type of care can include live video interaction between patient and caregiver, transmission of health records through electronic sources like email, remote patient monitoring, which can help a provider track healthcare data for a patient once released and mobile health, which can include health care and public health practice and education through mobile devices, according to Center for Connected Health Policy’s website. More info here.

Occupational and physical therapists were added to the list of telehealth providers to be covered by medical insurance. More info here.

Dentist offices will be considered to be included as part of originating sites for delivery of telehealth services. More info here.

Law Enforcement

A law was passed to clarify law enforcement access to social services reports for investigations into missing children. The intention is to reduce misinformation between agencies about what reports are considered confidential and exclusive, and to prevent barriers into investigating missing children.

The penalty for human trafficking and prostitution in a school zone will be more severe as convictions for these offenses will be bumped up to felonies with harsher sentencing times.

This new law will also provide better coverage of damages and reasonable attorney’s fees for victims. Law enforcement will also be provided with educational materials and defined procedures in the event of a suspected human trafficking incident. More info here.

Veterans

Veterans will be eligible for additional property tax exemptions. More info here.

Veterans who receive property tax exemptions are eligible to continue to receive such exemptions upon moving within the same county. More info here.

Public Space

The scaffolds that mar the New York City sidewalks for an interminable amount of time will no longer be allowed thanks to a new law that requires scaffold renewal permits be limited to “ongoing construction projects,” defined as when construction takes place at least twice a week or that construction has taken place at least twice a week during the six months before the permit was requested for renewal.

Public Agencies

Public meetings by government agencies must be live recorded and published online in a reasonable amount of time to foster government transparency and accessibility. More info here.

Real Estate

Natural resources on a property will remain part of the sale of that property in the case of a home foreclosure. “It should not be the purpose of local governments (usually counties) to act as stewards of the underground energy or mineral rights of properties acquired through foreclosure,” the bill states here.

Religious cemetery corporations will have the same ability as not-for-profit cemetery corporations to obtain approval, under specific instances, to reacquire, re-subdivide and resell old lots, plots or parts which are determined to be abandoned. More info here.

Photo via Flickr/CreativeCommons/Ron Cogswell- The New York State Capitol in Albany