Sets base wage requirements for certain human services workers employed in eligible state-funded programs that provide health and/or welfare assistance.
STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
8337
2025-2026 Regular Sessions
IN SENATE
June 3, 2025
___________
Introduced by Sen. COMRIE -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
printed to be committed to the Committee on Rules
AN ACT to amend the labor law, in relation to wage requirements for
certain support professionals
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 224-g to
2 read as follows:
3 § 224-g. Wage requirements for certain support professionals. 1.
4 Definitions. For the purposes of this section, the following terms shall
5 have the following meanings:
6 (a) "Human services worker" shall mean any employee that either
7 provides direct care, support, or treatment to an individual participat-
8 ing in an eligible program and services as defined in this section or
9 any employee who may not provide direct care to an individual but whose
10 job title goals are to help improve or enhance an individual's health
11 and/or welfare by addressing social problems and who are not making the
12 base wage as established in this section. Such definition shall not
13 include executive professionals.
14 (b) "Eligible program" means any state-funded program or service that
15 is provided to individuals or groups of individuals, for the purpose of
16 improving or enhancing such individuals' health and/or welfare, by
17 addressing social problems that are funded, licensed, or certified by
18 the offices, if such program or service is provided to individuals or
19 groups of individuals, for the purpose of improving or enhancing such
20 individuals' health and/or welfare, by addressing social problems.
21 (c) "Downstate region" means the region consisting of Bronx, Kings,
22 New York, Nassau, Queens, Richmond, Suffolk, and Westchester counties.
23 (d) "Rest of the state" means all other counties of the state not
24 included in downstate region.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD09634-03-5
S. 8337 2
1 (e) "Offices" means the office of mental health, office for people
2 with developmental disabilities, office of addiction services and
3 supports, office of temporary and disability assistance, office of chil-
4 dren and family services, the state office for the aging, the department
5 of education, the department of health, the office of victim services,
6 and any other state agency that may have eligible programs, if such
7 program or service is provided to individuals or groups of individuals,
8 for the purpose of improving or enhancing such individuals' health
9 and/or welfare, by addressing social problems.
10 (f) "Social services district" shall have the same meaning as defined
11 by section two of the social services law.
12 2. Human services worker wages. (a) The provisions of this paragraph
13 shall apply to the downstate region. Beginning April two thousand twen-
14 ty-six, for the downstate region, and pending federal approval where
15 necessary, the commissioners or other chief officers of the offices
16 shall provide sufficient funding for any contracts between such offices
17 and not-for-profit organizations and any eligible programs funded by
18 allocations or reimbursements from such offices to social services
19 districts to provide a base wage to human services workers employed in
20 eligible programs, and to human services workers employed by any
21 contractors or subcontractors working in any eligible program, to ensure
22 such human services workers are paid a base wage. Such base wage shall
23 be twenty-nine dollars per hour for the downstate region and shall be
24 phased in subject to the following schedule:
25 (i) beginning April first, two thousand twenty-six, the base wage
26 shall be twenty dollars per hour;
27 (ii) beginning April first, two thousand twenty-seven, the base wage
28 shall be twenty-four dollars per hour;
29 (iii) beginning April first, two thousand twenty-eight, the base wage
30 shall be twenty-six dollars per hour; and
31 (iv) beginning April first, two thousand twenty-nine, the base wage
32 shall be twenty-nine dollars per hour or four hundred percent of the
33 federal poverty level, whichever is greater.
34 (b) The provisions of this paragraph shall apply to the rest of the
35 state. Beginning April first, two thousand twenty-six, and pending
36 federal approval where necessary, the commissioners or other chief offi-
37 cers of the offices, shall provide sufficient funding for any contracts
38 between such offices and not-for-profit organizations and any eligible
39 programs funded by allocations or reimbursements from such offices to
40 social services districts to provide a base wage to human services work-
41 ers employed in eligible programs, and to human services workers
42 employed by any contractors or subcontractors working in any eligible
43 program, to ensure such human services workers are paid a base wage.
44 Such base wage shall be twenty-nine dollars per hour for the rest of
45 state and shall be phased in subject to the following schedule:
46 (i) beginning April first, two thousand twenty-six, the base wage
47 shall be nineteen dollars per hour;
48 (ii) beginning April first, two thousand twenty-seven, the base wage
49 shall be twenty-one dollars per hour;
50 (iii) beginning April first, two thousand twenty-eight, the base wage
51 shall be twenty-three dollars per hour;
52 (iv) beginning April first, two thousand twenty-nine, the base wage
53 shall be twenty-six dollars per hour; and
54 (v) beginning April first, two thousand thirty, the base wage shall be
55 twenty-nine dollars per hour or four hundred percent of the federal
56 poverty level, whichever is greater.
S. 8337 3
1 (c) Annual human services worker base wage increase. (i) The
2 provisions of this subparagraph shall apply to the downstate region. On
3 and after April first, two thousand thirty, the base wage rate applied
4 under paragraph (a) of this subdivision shall be adjusted annually by
5 the offices. Such adjusted base wage rate shall be determined by
6 increasing the then current year's base wage rate by the rate of change
7 in the average of the three most recent consecutive twelve-month periods
8 between the first of August and the thirty-first of July, each over
9 their preceding twelve-month periods published by the United States
10 department of labor non-seasonally adjusted consumer price index for
11 northeast region urban wage earners and clerical workers (CPI-W) or any
12 successor index as calculated by the United States department of labor,
13 with the result rounded to the nearest five cents.
14 (ii) The provisions of this subparagraph shall apply to the rest of
15 the state. On and after April first, two thousand thirty-one, the base
16 wage rate applied under paragraph (b) of this subdivision shall be
17 adjusted annually by the offices. Such adjusted base wage rate shall be
18 determined by increasing the then current year's base wage rate by the
19 rate of change in the average of the three most recent consecutive
20 twelve-month periods between the first of August and the thirty-first of
21 July, each over their preceding twelve-month periods published by the
22 United States department of labor non-seasonally adjusted consumer price
23 index for northeast region urban wage earners and clerical workers
24 (CPI-W) or any successor index as calculated by the United States
25 department of labor, with the result rounded to the nearest five cents.
26 3. Eligible employee list. The commissioners or other chief officers
27 of the offices, in consultation with the division of the budget, shall
28 establish a list of eligible employee titles for base wages in accord-
29 ance with subdivision two of this section. Using forms and processes
30 that shall be developed by the commissioners or other chief officers of
31 the offices, employers shall indicate the number of eligible employees
32 based on such list of eligible titles.
33 4. Allocations. The commissioners or other chief officers of the
34 offices shall distribute an allocation to each eligible provider based
35 on the forms developed pursuant to subdivision three of this section.
36 The funds distributed pursuant to this section shall be used to enhance
37 base wages of eligible employees.
38 5. Reimbursement. Where appropriate, transfers to the department of
39 health shall be made as reimbursement for the state share of medical
40 assistance.
41 § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
