Bill Text: NY A00566 | 2017-2018 | General Assembly | Amended
Bill Title: Relates to the prohibition of discrimination based on an individual's or a dependent's reproductive health decision making.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 46-1)
Status: (Engrossed - Dead) 2018-03-13 - REFERRED TO INSURANCE [A00566 Detail]
Download: New_York-2017-A00566-Amended.html
STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 566--A Cal. No. 88 2017-2018 Regular Sessions IN ASSEMBLY January 9, 2017 ___________ Introduced by M. of A. JAFFEE, DINOWITZ, COOK, GALEF, GOTTFRIED, CAHILL, FAHY, TITUS, MOSLEY, ZEBROWSKI, PICHARDO, SIMON, STECK, BRINDISI, MAYER, SIMOTAS, ARROYO, JOYNER, AUBRY, SEAWRIGHT, ABINANTI, SKOUFIS, PAULIN, ROSENTHAL, HUNTER, HARRIS, BICHOTTE, JEAN-PIERRE, HYNDMAN, DE LA ROSA, BLAKE, D'URSO, CARROLL, BRONSON -- Multi-Sponsored by -- M. of A. BARRON, BRAUNSTEIN, BUCHWALD, CROUCH, DAVILA, GLICK, HOOPER, LUPARDO, MAGEE, PERRY, RIVERA -- read once and referred to the Commit- tee on Labor -- reported and referred to the Committee on Codes -- advanced to a third reading, amended and ordered reprinted, retaining its place on the order of third reading AN ACT to amend the labor law, in relation to discrimination based on an employee's or a dependent's reproductive health decision making 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 203-e to 2 read as follows: 3 § 203-e. Prohibition of discrimination based on an employee's or a 4 dependent's reproductive health decision making. 1. An employer shall be 5 prohibited from accessing an employee's personal information regarding 6 the employee's or the employee's dependent's reproductive health deci- 7 sion making, including but not limited to, the decision to use or access 8 a particular drug, device or medical service without the employee's 9 prior informed affirmative written consent. 10 2. An employer shall not: 11 (a) discriminate nor take any retaliatory personnel action against an 12 employee with respect to compensation, terms, conditions, or privileges 13 of employment because of or on the basis of the employee's or depen- 14 dent's reproductive health decision making, including, but not limited 15 to, a decision to use or access a particular drug, device or medical 16 service; or EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [] is old law to be omitted. LBD01766-02-7A. 566--A 2 1 (b) require an employee to sign a waiver or other document which 2 purports to deny an employee the right to make their own reproductive 3 health care decisions, including use of a particular drug, device, or 4 medical service. 5 3. An employer that provides an employee handbook to its employees 6 must include in the handbook notice of employee rights and remedies 7 under this section. 8 4. An employee may bring a civil action in any court of competent 9 jurisdiction against an employer alleged to have violated the provisions 10 of this section. In any civil action alleging a violation of this 11 section, the court may: 12 (a) award damages, including, but not limited to, back pay, benefits 13 and reasonable attorneys' fees and costs incurred to a prevailing plain- 14 tiff; 15 (b) afford injunctive relief against any employer that commits or 16 proposes to commit a violation of the provisions of this section; 17 (c) order reinstatement; and/or 18 (d) award liquidated damages equal to one hundred percent of the award 19 for damages pursuant to paragraph (a) of this subdivision unless an 20 employer proves a good faith basis to believe that its actions in 21 violation of this section were in compliance with the law. 22 5. Nothing in this section shall be construed to limit any rights of 23 an employee provided through any other provision of law, common law or 24 collective bargaining unit. 25 6. Any act of retaliation for an employee exercising any rights grant- 26 ed under this section shall subject an employer to separate civil penal- 27 ties under this section. For the purposes of this section, retaliation 28 or retaliatory personnel action shall mean discharging, suspending, 29 demoting, or otherwise penalizing an employee for: 30 (a) making or threatening to make, a complaint to an employer, 31 co-worker, or to a public body, that rights guaranteed under this 32 section have been violated; 33 (b) causing to be instituted any proceeding under or related to this 34 section; or 35 (c) providing information to, or testifying before, any public body 36 conducting an investigation, hearing, or inquiry into any such violation 37 of a law, rule, or regulation by such employer. 38 § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.