Enacts the "sweatshop-free college apparel act" which requires institutions in the state of New York establish a sweat-free code of conduct in line with labor standards established by the Workers Right Consortium.
STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
6958
2025-2026 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
March 18, 2025
___________
Introduced by M. of A. RAGA -- read once and referred to the Committee
on Higher Education
AN ACT to amend the education law, in relation to enacting the "sweatsh-
op-free college apparel act"
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. Short title. This act shall be known and may be cited as
2 the "sweatshop-free college apparel act".
3 § 2. The education law is amended by adding a new section 207-c to
4 read as follows:
5 § 207-c. Sweat-free code of conduct. 1. Definitions. For the purposes
6 of this section, the term "institution" shall mean any degree-granting
7 entity, including colleges, universities, and other post-secondary
8 educational entities, authorized to operate in the state of New York by
9 the department. Such institutions shall include, but not be limited to,
10 institutions chartered by the regents, incorporated by a special act of
11 the legislature, or otherwise permitted to maintain a campus or offer
12 educational programs within the state of New York.
13 2. Adoption and implementation of code of conduct. Each institution
14 shall adopt and implement a sweat-free code of conduct for the purchase
15 and licensing of apparel by such institutions as part of its operational
16 policies and ensure compliance, including provisions for enforcement and
17 remediation of any violations of such code of conduct. The sweat-free
18 code of conduct shall meet or exceed the labor standards established by
19 the Workers Right Consortium (WRC) Model Code of Conduct. Each institu-
20 tion shall also affiliate with the WRC and participate in a designated
21 supplier program to effectively enforce such code of conduct provisions.
22 3. Reporting requirements. The department shall submit preliminary and
23 final reports to the governor and the legislature, listing institution
24 in compliance with such institution's sweat-free code of conduct, those
25 affiliated with the WRC, and details on non-compliant purchasing and
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD04129-01-5
A. 6958 2
1 licensing agreements with apparel manufacturers, including such licens-
2 ing agreement's expiration date. Further, the chief executive officer of
3 any non-compliant institution shall submit a detailed explanation on why
4 such institution is not in compliance with such institution's code of
5 conduct or has not established a code of conduct and a timeline for full
6 compliance to the department, to be included in the reports submitted to
7 the governor and the legislature.
8 § 3. The education law is amended by adding a new section 215-e to
9 read as follows:
10 § 215-e. Annual reporting for sweat-free code of conduct. 1. Annual
11 reports to the department. Each institution shall submit an annual
12 report to the department detailing such institution's compliance with
13 the code of conduct such institution established pursuant to section two
14 hundred seven-c of this part, including violations, corrective actions
15 taken and efforts to align apparel licensing practices with ethical
16 labor standards. Institutions shall make these annual compliance reports
17 publicly available on such institution's website no later than the first
18 day of August of each year for the preceding school year.
19 2. Annual reports to the governor and the legislature. The department
20 shall prepare and submit an annual report to the governor and the legis-
21 lature, listing all institutions in compliance with a sweat-free code of
22 conduct established pursuant to section two hundred seven-c of this
23 part, including information on non-compliant purchasing and licensing
24 agreements with apparel manufacturers. Such report shall be made public-
25 ly available on the same page as the departments publicly available
26 education data.
27 § 4. This act shall take effect immediately.
