Relates to the establishment of a wage data clearinghouse to evaluate the long-term effectiveness of workforce development and education programs in the state.
STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
9141
IN SENATE
February 5, 2026
___________
Introduced by Sen. RAMOS -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
printed to be committed to the Committee on Labor
AN ACT to amend the labor law, in relation to the establishment of a
wage data clearinghouse
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 45 to read
2 as follows:
3 § 45. Wage data clearinghouse. 1. The commissioner, subject to avail-
4 able appropriations and in consultation with the commissioner of educa-
5 tion and the state workforce investment board, shall establish a wage
6 data clearinghouse. The purpose of the wage data clearinghouse shall be
7 to use existing unemployment insurance data as described in section five
8 hundred thirty-seven of this chapter and other available labor, educa-
9 tion and workforce development data to evaluate the long-term effective-
10 ness of workforce development and education programs and to identify
11 gaps in the availability of existing and proposed workforce development
12 training to meet employment needs. In addition, the clearinghouse shall
13 conduct any other research it identifies as contributing to increasing
14 the attainment of long-term employment of residents of this state, espe-
15 cially those who are unemployed or underemployed.
16 2. The wage data clearinghouse shall be administered by an academic
17 institution in the state of New York with proven expertise in analyzing
18 labor data and shall be selected by the commissioner, in consultation
19 with the commissioner of the education department and the state work-
20 force investment board, through a request for proposals process. Crite-
21 ria shall include, but not be limited to, the demonstrated ability of
22 the chosen institution to analyze unemployment insurance and wage
23 reporting data and to leverage and attract federal funds and non-govern-
24 mental funds. The commissioner is authorized to provide funding to a
25 selected academic institution for operating a wage data clearinghouse of
26 up to six hundred thousand dollars, subject to appropriation. Any
27 unused allocation may be made available in the subsequent fiscal year.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD05939-03-6
S. 9141 2
1 3. The department shall provide the wage data clearinghouse with all
2 state and federal unemployment insurance and wage and employment related
3 data it has available, including but not limited to unemployment insur-
4 ance data as described in section five hundred thirty-seven of this
5 chapter. All disclosure requirements specified in section five hundred
6 thirty-seven of this chapter shall apply to all wage data clearinghouse
7 employees working with the data.
8 4. A statewide wage data clearinghouse advisory board is hereby estab-
9 lished for the purpose of determining statewide objectives and the wage
10 data clearinghouse's research and evaluation priorities after consulta-
11 tion with the director of the wage data clearinghouse. The advisory
12 board shall appoint a director with expertise in large data systems and
13 data security with preference given to a candidate who has experience
14 with workforce development. Such director shall receive an annual salary
15 within amounts appropriated. (a) The advisory board shall consist of
16 twelve members, including: the chancellor of the state university of New
17 York, or such chancellor's designee; the commissioner of the state
18 education department, or such commissioner's designee; the commissioner
19 of the state department of labor, or the commissioner's designee; a
20 representative of superintendents of schools, appointed by the governor;
21 a representative of a district superintendents of schools, appointed by
22 the governor; a representative of community colleges, appointed by the
23 governor; and, six members of the public, including two appointed by the
24 speaker of the assembly, one appointed by the minority leader of the
25 assembly, two appointed by the president pro tempore of the senate, and
26 one appointed by the minority leader of the senate. The public members
27 of the advisory board shall have expertise in large data systems and
28 data security, workforce development programs, economic development,
29 business management and/or organized labor. (b) The members of the advi-
30 sory board shall receive no compensation for their services, but shall
31 be allowed their actual and necessary expenses incurred in the perform-
32 ance of their duties pursuant to this section, subject to the approval
33 of the department. (c) Advisory board members who represent state agen-
34 cies shall be appointed for terms of three years, and members who repre-
35 sent local governments shall serve terms of two years and all other
36 members shall serve terms of four years. Vacancies shall be filled in
37 the same manner as original appointments for the remainder of the unex-
38 pired term. (d) Advisory board members shall each be granted voting
39 rights and will together elect a chair whose designation shall be made
40 biannually. (e) The advisory board shall meet at such times and places
41 as may be determined by its chair. The advisory board shall meet at a
42 minimum of six times in the first year and a minimum of three times per
43 year thereafter. All meetings shall be open to the public pursuant to
44 article seven of the public officers law. A majority of the members of
45 such council shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business.
46 (f) After consultation with the director, the advisory board shall
47 discuss and vote on research priorities and topics for the clearinghouse
48 that do not duplicate any research or statistics the department under-
49 takes and that focus on the need of the users of the analysis, which are
50 state and local policy makers, educational entities, workforce develop-
51 ment providers, businesses, and economic development administrators.
52 5. The wage data clearinghouse shall use unemployment insurance data
53 as described in section five hundred thirty-seven of this chapter
54 provided by the department and any other data sets including data
55 provided by state, federal or local agencies it deems appropriate. The
56 clearinghouse shall keep private and safeguard any personally identifi-
S. 9141 3
1 able information it obtains and shall not release such information to
2 any other party, and shall use any data it obtains solely for the
3 purpose of furthering the effectiveness and efficiency of workforce
4 development efforts as provided in this section.
5 6. The wage data clearinghouse shall release reports and aggregated
6 data to the department, which shall be posted on the department's
7 website as well as on any website maintained by the clearinghouse.
8 7. One year after selection of the academic institution that will
9 serve as the clearinghouse, the department shall submit to the director
10 of the budget, the chair of the senate finance committee, the chair of
11 the assembly ways and means committee, the chairs of senate and assembly
12 labor committees, the speaker of the assembly, and the president pro
13 tempore of the senate, an evaluation of this program prepared by the
14 department. Such evaluation shall be submitted every four years there-
15 after.
16 § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
