Directs the comptroller to withhold certain payments to be made to the federal government until asylum seekers in the custody of the city of New York are granted documentation or authorization for employment.
STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
4864
2025-2026 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
February 6, 2025
___________
Introduced by M. of A. RAJKUMAR -- read once and referred to the Commit-
tee on Ways and Means
AN ACT relating to directing the state comptroller to withhold certain
payments to be made to the federal government; and providing for the
expiration and repeal of such provisions upon expiration thereof
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. 1. The state comptroller is directed to withhold eight
2 million dollars in payments or future obligations to the National Rail-
3 road Passenger Corporation and/or to the federal department of the trea-
4 sury for payments in the category "interest on leases, loans and claims"
5 for every day that the federal government does not grant to asylum seek-
6 ers who are in the custody of the city of New York documentation or
7 other authorization permitting such persons to be eligible for employ-
8 ment.
9 2. For the purposes of this act:
10 (a) "Asylum seeker" means an individual who changes their country of
11 usual residence to seek temporary or permanent residence in another
12 country, and who has applied for asylum under 8 U.S.C. § 1158 or is
13 eligible to apply;
14 (b) "Refugee" shall have the same meaning as set forth in 8 U.S.C. §
15 1158;
16 (c) "Temporary protected status" shall have the same meaning as set
17 forth in 8 U.S.C. § 1254a; and
18 (d) "Removal proceedings" shall have the meaning as set forth in 8
19 U.S.C. § 1229a.
20 3. Authorization or documentation permitting employment shall include,
21 but are not limited to, eligibility for temporary protected status,
22 granting refugee status, or a new federal law in effect that makes
23 asylum seekers eligible within thirty days of applying for asylum.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD08620-01-5
A. 4864 2
1 § 2. This act shall take effect immediately and shall expire and be
2 deemed repealed when every adult asylum seeker in New York city's custo-
3 dy at the time of such effective date receives an employment authori-
4 zation document, or is eligible for an employment authorization document
5 within 30 days, provided that the asylum seeker is not undergoing
6 removal proceedings; and provided that the mayor of the city of New York
7 shall notify the legislative bill drafting commission when the federal
8 government has complied with the requirements for employment authori-
9 zation for asylum seekers in order that the commission may maintain an
10 accurate and timely effective data base of the official text of the laws
11 of the state of New York in furtherance of effectuating the provisions
12 of section 44 of the legislative law and section 70-b of the public
13 officers law.
