Bill Text: NY A09348 | 2023-2024 | General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Establishes a rural remote recruitment program to provide monetary incentives for remote workers to relocate into rural areas of New York that opt into the program; provides an application process; provides for funding; requires on an annual basis a program report specifying the number of applicants to the program, the number of applicants approved, the names of participants, information as to benefits and the total increase in rural population.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 10-0)

Status: (Introduced) 2024-03-06 - referred to economic development [A09348 Detail]

Download: New_York-2023-A09348-Introduced.html

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                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________

                                          9348

                   IN ASSEMBLY

                                      March 6, 2024
                                       ___________

        Introduced  by M. of A. SMULLEN -- read once and referred to the Commit-
          tee on Economic Development

        AN ACT to amend the economic development law, in relation to  establish-
          ing a rural remote recruitment program

          The  People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-
        bly, do enact as follows:

     1    Section 1. The economic development law is amended  by  adding  a  new
     2  article 27 to read as follows:
     3                                 ARTICLE 27
     4                      RURAL REMOTE RECRUITMENT PROGRAM
     5  Section 490. Definitions.
     6          491. Rural remote recruitment program.
     7          492. Eligibility criteria.
     8          493. Application and approval process.
     9          494. Powers and duties of the commissioner.
    10          495. Funding.
    11          496. Reporting.
    12    § 490. Definitions. For the purposes of this article:
    13    1.  "Rural  areas"  shall mean any city, town, or village with a popu-
    14  lation density less than  two  hundred  fifty  people  per  square  mile
    15  located  within  a  county  with a population of less than three hundred
    16  thousand people and a population density of less than two hundred  fifty
    17  people per square mile.
    18    2. "Remote worker" shall mean any full time employed person, who works
    19  an  average  of  at least thirty-five hours per week and participates in
    20  the practice of working from one's home  or  another  designated  space,
    21  instead of the traditional office environment.
    22    3.  "Acceptance  date"  shall mean the date upon which an applicant to
    23  the rural remote recruitment program accepts and commits  to  the  terms
    24  and agreements of the program.
    25    4.  "Rural  remote  recruitment  program"  or "program" shall mean the
    26  program established by section four hundred ninety-one of this article.
    27    § 491. Rural remote recruitment program. 1.  There  is  hereby  estab-
    28  lished  within  the  department  a "rural remote recruitment" program to

         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD14684-01-4
        A. 9348                             2

     1  provide monetary incentives for remote workers to  relocate  into  rural
     2  areas of New York that opt into the program.
     3    2.  The  department  shall  coordinate with the department of labor to
     4  develop an application, competitive evaluation process and reporting  to
     5  support the rural remote recruitment program.
     6    §  492.  Eligibility  criteria.  In  order to participate in the rural
     7  remote recruitment program, a remote worker  applicant  to  the  program
     8  must satisfy the following criteria:
     9    1. the applicant must reside in New York outside of a designated rural
    10  area,  reside outside of New York state, or currently reside in a desig-
    11  nated rural area and be working remotely;
    12    2. the applicant must be eighteen years of age or older;
    13    3. the applicant must be employed in a full-time remote position;
    14    4. the applicant must be eligible to work inside the U.S.; and
    15    5. the applicant must be able to relocate into a rural area within six
    16  months of the program and must agree to live in the rural  area  for  at
    17  least twenty-four months.
    18    §  493. Application and approval process. 1. A remote worker applicant
    19  to the program must submit a completed application in such form and with
    20  such information as prescribed by the commissioner.
    21    2. As part of such application, each applicant must:
    22    (a) submit documented proof of  income  to  New  York  state  annually
    23  during the term of the program;
    24    (b) submit proof of residency annually during the term of the program;
    25    (c)  agree  to  allow  the department of taxation and finance to share
    26  their tax information with the department; provided that any information
    27  shared as a result of this agreement shall not be available for  disclo-
    28  sure or inspection under the state freedom of information law; and
    29    (d)  certify,  under  penalty  of  perjury,  that  the applicant is in
    30  substantial compliance with all local, state, and federal tax laws.
    31    3. The commissioner may approve an application from  a  remote  worker
    32  applicant  upon  determining  that  such applicant meets the eligibility
    33  criteria established in this article. Following approval by the  commis-
    34  sioner of an application to participate in the program, the commissioner
    35  shall  issue the applicant a monetary award of up to twenty-six thousand
    36  dollars. The monetary incentive shall be composed of the following:
    37    (a) a relocation incentive of up to fifteen thousand dollars;
    38    (b) a homebuyer incentive of up to ten thousand dollars;
    39    (c) up to one thousand dollars for travel reimbursement for visiting a
    40  rural region of interest prior to joining; and
    41    (d) up to ten thousand dollars for current  remote  worker  applicants
    42  residing in a designated rural area.
    43    4.  Upon acceptance into the program, the incentives are to be paid as
    44  outlined below:
    45    (a) within fourteen days of the department receiving receipts  of  all
    46  out-of-pocket expenses incurred when visiting the rural region of inter-
    47  est,  the  recipient  will  be reimbursed up to one thousand dollars for
    48  out-of-pocket expenses.
    49    (b) within fourteen days of the remote worker  applicant's  acceptance
    50  date,  the  remote worker will be paid a one-time payment of seven thou-
    51  sand dollars.
    52    (c) within fourteen days following the  one-year  anniversary  of  the
    53  remote  worker's  acceptance date, the remote worker will be paid a one-
    54  time payment of four thousand dollars.
        A. 9348                             3

     1    (d) within fourteen days following the expiration of the remote  work-
     2  er's  contract  term,  the  remote  worker will be paid a final one-time
     3  payment of four thousand dollars.
     4    (e)  all payments herein are contingent upon the remote worker abiding
     5  by all the terms and conditions of the program.
     6    5. Upon approval by the commissioner, an interested homebuyer  partic-
     7  ipating  in the program should receive a one-time reimbursement of up to
     8  of ten thousand dollars after submitting necessary proof of contract  as
     9  determined by the commissioner.
    10    §  494.  Powers  and  duties  of the commissioner. 1. The commissioner
    11  shall, in consultation with the commissioner of labor, promulgate  regu-
    12  lations consistent with the purposes of this article that, notwithstand-
    13  ing any provisions to the contrary in the state administrative procedure
    14  act,  may  be  adopted  on  an  emergency  basis. Such regulations shall
    15  include, but not be limited to, eligibility criteria for remote  workers
    16  desiring  to  participate in the program, procedures for the receipt and
    17  evaluation of applications from remote workers  to  participate  in  the
    18  program,  and  such  other  provisions  as  the commissioner deems to be
    19  appropriate in order to implement the provisions of this article.
    20    2. The commissioner shall solely  determine  the  eligibility  of  any
    21  applicant  applying  for  entry  into  the  program and shall remove any
    22  participant from the program for failing to meet any of the requirements
    23  set forth in this article or for  making  a  material  misrepresentation
    24  with respect to their participation in the program.
    25    §  495.  Funding.  The  commissioner  of the department of labor shall
    26  transfer any necessary funding from the Federal Workforce Investment Act
    27  Account as funded by grants under the Workforce Investment  Act,  Public
    28  Law  105-220,  and  the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act, Public
    29  Law 113-128 to the department to support this article.
    30    § 496. Reporting. The commissioner shall prepare on an annual basis  a
    31  program report for posting on the department's website. The first report
    32  will  be  posted by June thirtieth, two thousand twenty-six, and by June
    33  thirtieth every year thereafter. Such report shall include, but  not  be
    34  limited  to, the following: number of applicants; number of participants
    35  approved; names of participants; total  amount  of  benefits  certified;
    36  benefits  received  per participant; total increase in rural population;
    37  and such other information as the commissioner determines.
    38    § 2. This act shall take effect on the first of January next  succeed-
    39  ing the date upon which it shall have become a law.