Establishes the mature worker business initiative within the state office of the aging to encourage businesses to recruit, retain and retrain mature workers.
STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
3887
2009-2010 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
January 28, 2009
___________
Introduced by M. of A. ENGLEBRIGHT, MORELLE, LUPARDO, MARKEY, MILLMAN,
ESPAILLAT, J. RIVERA, MAISEL, ABBATE, BROOK-KRASNY, CLARK, PHEFFER,
MAGNARELLI, ALESSI, GUNTHER, CAHILL, BOYLAND -- Multi-Sponsored by --
M. of A. BENEDETTO, BRADLEY, COLTON, DIAZ, EDDINGTON, GABRYSZAK, GOTT-
FRIED, JACOBS, LATIMER, McENENY, OAKS, PAULIN, PEOPLES, REILLY, SWEE-
NEY, WEISENBERG -- read once and referred to the Committee on Aging
AN ACT to amend the elder law and the economic development law, in
relation to establishing the mature worker business initiative
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. The elder law is amended by adding a new section 302 to
2 read as follows:
3 § 302. Mature worker business initiative. 1. There shall be estab-
4 lished, within the office for the aging, a mature worker business initi-
5 ative. Such initiative shall be subject to the direction and supervision
6 of the mature worker business initiative council.
7 2. The mature worker business initiative council shall be composed of:
8 (a) the director of the office for the aging or his or her designated
9 representative;
10 (b) the commissioner of economic development, or his or her designated
11 representative; and
12 (c) such other persons as shall be designated by the governor, who
13 shall be representatives of state agencies, advocates for the aging and
14 the business community, who are concerned with the role of older workers
15 in the economy, and development of second career opportunities entrepre-
16 neurial initiative. Such members shall serve at the pleasure of the
17 governor.
18 3. The members of the mature worker business initiative council shall
19 serve without compensation, but shall be entitled to their actual and
20 necessary expenses incurred in the performance of their duties pursuant
21 to this article.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD07106-01-9
A. 3887 2
1 4. The director of the office for the aging, or his or her designated
2 representative, shall serve as the chair of the mature worker business
3 initiative council. In the event of the absence of the director or his
4 or her designated representative from any meeting of such council, the
5 members shall elect an acting chair from amongst the membership of the
6 council. Legal, technical and other services shall be provided to such
7 council by the office for the aging, the department of economic develop-
8 ment, the urban development corporation, and other state departments and
9 agencies.
10 5. The mature worker business initiative council shall have the
11 following functions, powers and duties:
12 (a) to develop and implement a program of initiatives that shall
13 establish strategies for identifying businesses that offer arrangements
14 to employees designed to recruit, retain and retrain mature workers, and
15 encourage them to remain in the work force;
16 (b) to develop a certification process for which an employer may apply
17 indicating that such employer has met the qualifications established by
18 the mature worker business initiative council and providing for the
19 designation of such employer as a "mature worker friendly employer";
20 (c) to identify employers which encourage employers to offer arrange-
21 ments to employees designed to recruit, retain and retrain mature work-
22 ers, and encourage them to remain in the work force;
23 (d) to provide technical assistance and training to encourage employ-
24 ers to offer arrangements to employees designed to recruit, retain and
25 retrain mature workers, and encourage them to remain in the work force;
26 and
27 (e) to design and execute a marketing outreach plan to encourage busi-
28 nesses to participate in mature worker business initiatives, and to
29 educate mature workers about businesses that have implemented such
30 initiatives, by means of the office for the aging's internet website and
31 such other appropriate means as the council shall determine to be suit-
32 able for information distribution.
33 § 2. Section 100 of the economic development law is amended by adding
34 a new subdivision 18-h to read as follows:
35 18-h. to work in cooperation with the director of the state office for
36 the aging and the mature worker business initiative council to establish
37 rules, regulations and procedures to implement the provisions of section
38 three hundred two of the elder law. The mature worker business initi-
39 ative shall recognize those employers that provide exceptional support
40 designed to recruit, retain and retrain mature workers, and encourage
41 them to remain in the work force. The commissioner, in cooperation with
42 the director of the state office for the aging, shall make recommenda-
43 tions for enhancing the opportunities for mature workers and which
44 resources of the state may be made available to fully support businesses
45 that have been designated as mature worker friendly employers.
46 § 3. This act shall take effect immediately.
