Bill Text: NY A09063 | 2023-2024 | General Assembly | Introduced
Bill Title: Establishes the "recovery ready workplace act" which provides for the certification of an employer to become a recovery ready workplace.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 5-0)
Status: (Introduced) 2024-02-06 - referred to alcoholism and drug abuse [A09063 Detail]
Download: New_York-2023-A09063-Introduced.html
STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 9063 IN ASSEMBLY February 6, 2024 ___________ Introduced by M. of A. STECK, McDONALD -- read once and referred to the Committee on Alcoholism and Drug Abuse AN ACT to establish the "recovery ready workplace 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 "recovery ready workplace act". 3 § 2. Legislative findings and purpose. The legislature finds that: 4 1. Recovery ready workplace (RRW) programs have been initiated around 5 the country as important interventions in the opioid use disorder (OUD) 6 and substance use disorder (SUD) crisis. 7 2. The goal of RRW programs is to provide outreach, training, and 8 certification to employers in cooperation with government officials, 9 workers, labor unions, and communities to: 10 (a) prevent initiation of new cases of misuse and addiction related to 11 workplace injury and stress through primary prevention of exposure to 12 job hazards and stressors; 13 (b) support employees who are struggling and retain employees by 14 providing access to treatment and pathways to return to work; 15 (c) provide healthy, gainful employment for people in recovery; and 16 (d) reduce absenteeism, presenteeism, and lost productivity among 17 employees with substance use disorder. 18 3. Workers with painful injuries have frequently been overprescribed 19 opioids, resulting in as many as twenty-five percent of workers develop- 20 ing opioid dependence and OUD or SUD. 21 4. RRW programs address the prevention of addiction related to work- 22 place injury and stress while also providing support for workers who are 23 struggling and opportunities for people in recovery to reenter the work- 24 force. 25 5. Between 2009 to 2015, an estimated 225,000 New York workers were 26 lost from the labor market due to opioids. New York's economy cumula- 27 tively lost $179.4 billion dollars in real economic output, which trans- 28 lates to the state's annual real GDP growth rate slowing by 0.8 percent- 29 age points. EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [] is old law to be omitted. LBD14118-01-4A. 9063 2 1 6. Employers who establish RRW programs have saved money due to 2 reduced absenteeism, healthier work environment, greater productivity, 3 lower healthcare costs, greater workplace safety, employee retention, 4 and reduced recruitment and hiring costs. 5 7. Employees in recovery save their employers an average of $8,500 6 dollars annually, with $8,175 dollars attributable to avoiding turnover, 7 replacement, and healthcare costs. 8 8. There is an urgent need to establish resources and standards for 9 RRWs in New York state as a key component of the state's response to the 10 opioid crisis. 11 § 3. Purpose. The purpose of this act shall be to: 12 1. establish the criteria for employers to obtain certification as an 13 RRW; 14 2. protect the rights of employees; 15 3. establish training, outreach, and certification resources; 16 4. establish an advisory board within the New York state office of 17 addiction services and supports; and 18 5. establish incentives for employers. 19 § 4. Definitions. For purposes of this act, the following terms shall 20 have the following meanings: 21 1. "Employer" shall have the same meaning as defined in section one 22 hundred ninety of the labor law, and shall include any person, corpo- 23 ration, limited liability company, or association employing any individ- 24 ual in any occupation, industry, trade, business, or service. "Employ- 25 er" shall include a public employer. 26 2. "Employee" means any person employed for hire by an employer in any 27 employment and shall include public employees. 28 3. "Lived experience" means having first-hand experience living with 29 mental health and/or substance use disorder and the associated chal- 30 lenges. 31 4. "Opioid use disorder" or "OUD" means a problematic pattern of 32 opioid use leading to clinically significant impairment or distress and 33 is a subset of SUD. 34 5. "Member assistance program" means a labor union administered educa- 35 tion and assistance program that provides support to members struggling 36 with mental health or substance use problems. 37 6. "Primary prevention" means a public health strategy that aims to 38 prevent disease or injury before it occurs by preventing exposures to 39 hazards that can cause disease or injury, altering unhealthy or unsafe 40 behaviors that can lead to disease or injury, and addressing mental 41 health issues that can affect physiological outcomes. 42 7. "Public employee" means any person holding a position by appoint- 43 ment or employment in the service of a public employer, except judges or 44 justices of the unified court system and members of the legislature. 45 8. "Public employer" shall mean: 46 (a) the state of New York; 47 (b) a county, city, town, village, or other political subdivision or 48 civil division of the state; 49 (c) a school district or any governmental entity operating a public 50 school, college, or university; 51 (d) a public improvement or special district; 52 (e) a public authority, commission, or public benefit corporation; and 53 (f) any other public corporation, agency, instrumentality, or unit of 54 government which exercises governmental power under the laws of the 55 state.A. 9063 3 1 9. "Recovery" means a process of change through which individuals 2 improve their health and wellness, live a self-directed life, and strive 3 to reach their full potential. 4 10. "Recovery ready workplace advisor" means a person who is an 5 employee of or contractor for a recovery ready workplace program and 6 whose duties include, but are not limited to, assisting employers 7 through the process of becoming a certified recovery ready workplace; 8 11. "Certified peer support advocate" means a person with the lived 9 experience of recovery from a substance use disorder or co-occurring 10 disorder and who is certified to provide non-clinical, strengths-based 11 support to others experiencing similar challenges. "Certified peer 12 support advocates" shall also be known as "peer specialists", "peer 13 recovery coaches", and "peer recovery support specialists". 14 12. "Recovery ready workplace" or "RRW" means an established program 15 to prevent exposure to workplace factors that could cause or perpetuate 16 a SUD while lowering barriers to seeking care, receiving care, and main- 17 taining recovery, and to educate its management team and workers on 18 issues surrounding SUDs to reduce the stigma around such challenge. 19 13. "Substance use disorder" or "SUD" means the recurrent use of alco- 20 hol and/or drugs that causes clinically significant impairment, includ- 21 ing health problems, disability, and failure to meet major responsibil- 22 ities at work, school, or home. 23 14. "Workplace" means any office, warehouse, building, or any other 24 location outside of an employee's residence or other work-from-home 25 location, whether permanent or temporary, where an employee performs any 26 work-related duty or duties in the scope and course of the employee's 27 employment. For purposes of this act, employees may have more than one 28 workplace. 29 § 5. Criteria for employers to obtain certification as a recovery 30 ready workplace. The office of addiction services and supports, shall 31 promulgate regulations establishing the criteria by which an employer 32 can obtain certification as a RRW. Such criteria shall include, but not 33 be limited to, the following: 34 1. a signed letter of interest from the employer to become a RRW; 35 2. issuance of a written declaration to employees; 36 3. collaboration with employees, collective bargaining agents or labor 37 unions, recovery community organizations, and government officials in 38 establishing a RRW and the development of the proposed recovery ready 39 workplace program in writing; 40 4. proactively identifying and addressing the primary prevention of 41 workplace hazards and sources of stress at work associated with opioid 42 and other substance misuse, including prescription medications and 43 through self-medication; 44 5. establishing availability of naloxone onsite and training personnel 45 on its administration and other first aid measures that reduce the risk 46 of death as a result of an overdose; 47 6. supporting and providing information to injured workers on how to 48 avoid opioid and other substance misuse and seek alternative pain treat- 49 ments; 50 7. providing training and orientation to supervisors, management, 51 employees, and union officials; 52 8. providing resources and information to employees; 53 9. connecting with a recovery community organization within six months 54 of certification; 55 10. assessing and addressing workplace culture issues by:A. 9063 4 1 (a) encouraging all qualified applicants, including persons in recov- 2 ery; 3 (b) having programs and practices that promote and support employee 4 health, wellness, and work-life balance, such as but not limited to 5 labor union based member assistance programs; and 6 (c) supporting employees who seek treatment and who require residen- 7 tial or outpatient treatment and related disability leave, including 8 planning for return to work; 9 11. offering health benefits that provide comprehensive coverage for 10 SUDs, including medications for OUD and SUD, aftercare, and counseling; 11 12. evaluating and improving, as needed, access to treatment and 12 recovery resources and ensure mental health and substance use benefits 13 are equal to those for physical health as required by paragraph 5 of 14 subsection 1 of section 3221 and subsections (g) and (h) of section 4303 15 of the insurance law, and the federal mental health parity addiction 16 equity act; 17 13. providing work accommodations for employees in recovery to attend 18 treatment and recovery services and providing reasonable work accommo- 19 dations to support workers in recovery in compliance with federal and 20 state law; and 21 14. ensuring employer RRW policies include confidentiality provisions 22 to maintain confidentiality of employees accessing services. 23 § 6. Employee involvement. 1. An employer shall develop the plan to 24 become certified as an RRW in cooperation with the collective bargaining 25 representative, if any, or with meaningful participation of employees 26 where there is no collective bargaining representative, for all aspects 27 of the plan, and such plan shall be tailored to the specific industry 28 and work sites of the employer. 29 2. Employers shall be encouraged to establish multi-stakeholder 30 committees, subcommittees, or task forces to help develop RRW programs. 31 Where there is a collective bargaining agent, the collective bargaining 32 representative shall select employees to be members of such committee. 33 3. To the extent that any individual voluntarily self-discloses lived 34 experience with SUD or recovery, a RRW committee, subcommittee, or task 35 force shall invite representatives with lived experience to participate 36 in the development and the annual review of the RRW plan, while main- 37 taining confidentiality. 38 4. The employer shall update its drug and alcohol policies in writing 39 within one year of certification. The employer shall make such policies 40 available to all employees, shall review such policies annually in 41 consultation with the employers' RRW committee, and shall update such 42 policies as necessary, except as described in subdivision 5 of this 43 section. 44 5. Employer policies related to accessing treatment and recovery 45 resources shall be evaluated and improved, as necessary, including a 46 review of mental health and substance use benefits to assess parity to 47 those for physical health in conformance with federal, state, and local 48 laws. 49 § 7. No diminishment of employee rights. The provisions of this act 50 shall not be construed to diminish the rights of any employee pursuant 51 to any other law, regulation, or collective bargaining agreement. 52 § 8. Certifying body. 1. A certifying body shall be established within 53 the office of addiction services and supports. 54 2. Such certifying body shall include an advisory board with multiple 55 state agency and stakeholder involvement, to be established by the 56 office of addiction services and supports, which shall include employ-A. 9063 5 1 ers, labor unions, recovery community organizations, community represen- 2 tatives, local and county officials, and persons in recovery. The advi- 3 sory board shall assist in the development of regulations, outreach 4 materials, and program evaluation and shall work with employers to 5 ensure that public notification has been provided to the community about 6 such employer's certification as a RRW. 7 § 9. Incentives. 1. The office of addiction services and supports 8 shall develop a pilot program to provide stipends to employees in recov- 9 ery to cover expenses for transportation, including to and from work and 10 treatment, and auxiliary recovery services during work hours. 11 2. The office of addiction services and supports shall develop a pilot 12 program to reimburse employers for providing traineeships to workers in 13 recovery and shall promulgate rules and regulations to include places of 14 employment as eligible locations for reimbursing organizations who 15 deploy peer services. 16 § 10. This act shall take effect immediately.
