Requires public and not-for-profit libraries to implement risk evaluations and determinations, workplace trainings, and other measures for the prevention of workplace violence.
STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
7993--A
2025-2026 Regular Sessions
IN SENATE
May 15, 2025
___________
Introduced by Sens. RAMOS, MYRIE -- read twice and ordered printed, and
when printed to be committed to the Committee on Libraries -- commit-
tee discharged, bill amended, ordered reprinted as amended and recom-
mitted to said committee
AN ACT to amend the labor law, in relation to requiring public and not-
for-profit libraries develop and implement programs to protect library
employees
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. The labor law is amended by adding a new section 27-f to
2 read as follows:
3 § 27-f. Duty of libraries to implement programs to prevent workplace
4 violence. 1. Definitions. For the purposes of this section:
5 (a) "Library" shall mean any public, association, or free library, as
6 defined by section two hundred fifty-three of the education law, or
7 library having tax exempt status under section 501 (c) (3) of the United
8 States Internal Revenue Code, located in the city of New York or the
9 state of New York.
10 (b) "Library employee" means an individual who is employed by a
11 library.
12 (c) "Workplace" means any location away from a library employee's
13 domicile, permanent or temporary, where a library employee performs any
14 work-related duty in the course of such employee's employment by a
15 library.
16 2. Written workplace violence prevention policy. The department shall
17 create and publish a model library workplace violence prevention guid-
18 ance document and library workplace violence prevention policy that
19 employers may utilize in their adoption of a library workplace violence
20 prevention policy required by this section. Such model library workplace
21 violence prevention policy shall be publicly available and posted on the
22 website of the department.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD07317-07-5
S. 7993--A 2
1 (a) Such model library workplace violence prevention policy shall:
2 (i) outline a list of factors or situations in the workplace that
3 might place library employees at risk of workplace violence, including
4 but not limited to:
5 (1) working late night or early morning hours;
6 (2) exchanging money with the public;
7 (3) working alone or in small numbers; and
8 (4) uncontrolled access to the workplace; and
9 (ii) outline methods that the library will use to prevent incidents of
10 workplace violence at such workplace or workplaces, including but not
11 limited to the following:
12 (1) making high-risk areas more visible to more people;
13 (2) installing good external lighting;
14 (3) providing employee training; and
15 (4) establishing and implementing reporting systems for incidents of
16 workplace violence.
17 (b) Every library shall adopt the model library workplace violence
18 prevention policy promulgated pursuant to this subdivision, or establish
19 a workplace violence prevention policy that equals or exceeds the mini-
20 mum standards provided by such model library workplace violence
21 prevention policy. Such library workplace violence prevention policy
22 shall be provided to all employees in writing upon hire and annually
23 thereafter pursuant to paragraph (a) of subdivision four of this
24 section.
25 3. Library employee information and training. (a) The department, in
26 consultation with relevant groups as deemed necessary, shall produce a
27 model workplace violence prevention training program. Every library
28 shall utilize the model workplace violence prevention training program
29 pursuant to this subdivision or establish a workplace violence
30 prevention training program that equals or exceeds the minimum standards
31 provided by such model training program. The department's model training
32 program shall include, but not be limited to:
33 (i) information on the requirements of this section;
34 (ii) examples of measures library employees can use to protect them-
35 selves when faced with workplace violence from customers or other
36 coworkers;
37 (iii) de-escalation tactics, including those that can be used when
38 interacting with an individual experiencing a mental health crisis;
39 (iv) active shooter drills;
40 (v) emergency procedures; and
41 (vi) instruction on the use of security alarms, panic buttons, and
42 other related emergency devices.
43 (b) The department shall include information in such model workplace
44 violence prevention training program addressing conduct by supervisors
45 and any additional responsibilities for such supervisors, including ways
46 to address workplace specific emergency procedures, and training on
47 areas of previous security problems.
48 (c) As part of this training, every employer shall communicate to each
49 employee a site-specific list of emergency exits and meeting places in
50 case of emergency. Such workplace violence prevention training shall be
51 provided to all library employees upon hire and on an annual basis ther-
52 eafter.
53 4. Notice of policy. (a) Every library shall provide their library
54 employees, in writing in English and in the language identified by each
55 employee as the primary language of such employee, at the time of hiring
56 and at every annual workplace violence prevention training provided
S. 7993--A 3
1 pursuant to subdivision three of this section, a notice containing such
2 employer's library workplace violence prevention policy and the informa-
3 tion presented at such employer's workplace violence prevention training
4 program.
5 (b) The commissioner shall prepare templates of the model library
6 workplace violence prevention policy created and published pursuant to
7 subdivision two of this section and the model workplace violence
8 prevention training program produced pursuant to subdivision three of
9 this section. The commissioner shall determine, in their discretion,
10 which languages to provide in addition to English, based on the twelve
11 most common non-English languages spoken by limited-English proficient
12 individuals in the state, based on the data in the most recent American
13 Community Survey published by the United States Census Bureau and
14 published online by the New York state office of language access.
15 (c) When an employee identifies as their primary language a language
16 for which a template is not available from the commissioner, the employ-
17 er shall comply with this subdivision by providing that employee an
18 English-language notice.
19 (d) A library shall not be penalized for errors or omissions in the
20 non-English portions of any notice provided by the commissioner.
21 5. Panic buttons. Every library shall install panic buttons at easily
22 accessible locations throughout the workplace or workplaces. For the
23 purposes of this section, "panic button" shall mean a physical button
24 that when pressed immediately dispatches local law enforcement to the
25 workplace. Libraries that identify a better or more immediate option
26 that provides the same protection may obtain permission from the depart-
27 ment to implement such alternate measure or measures.
28 6. Rules and regulations. The commissioner may adopt rules and regu-
29 lations necessary to implement the provisions of this section.
30 7. Evaluation of policy. Beginning in the year two thousand twenty-
31 seven and every succeeding four years thereafter, the department shall
32 evaluate, using the criteria within this section, the impact of the
33 current model library workplace violence prevention guidance document
34 and library workplace violence prevention policy. Upon the completion of
35 each evaluation the department shall update the model library workplace
36 violence prevention guidance document and library workplace violence
37 prevention policy as needed.
38 8. The provisions of this section shall not diminish any other obli-
39 gation of a library otherwise provided under law, rule, or regulation,
40 or under a collective bargaining agreement.
41 § 2. This act shall take effect on the ninetieth day after it shall
42 have become a law. Effective immediately, the addition, amendment and/or
43 repeal of any rule or regulation necessary for the implementation of
44 this act on its effective date are authorized to be made and completed
45 on or before such effective date.
