Bill Text: NY S02884 | 2019-2020 | General Assembly | Introduced

NOTE: There are more recent revisions of this legislation. Read Latest Draft
Bill Title: Prohibits the use of consumer credit history in hiring, employment and licensing determinations.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 10-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2020-12-28 - COMMITTED TO RULES [S02884 Detail]

Download: New_York-2019-S02884-Introduced.html


                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________
                                          2884
                               2019-2020 Regular Sessions
                    IN SENATE
                                    January 30, 2019
                                       ___________
        Introduced by Sens. SANDERS, CARLUCCI -- read twice and ordered printed,
          and  when  printed  to  be  committed  to  the  Committee  on Consumer
          Protection
        AN ACT to amend the general business law, in relation to prohibiting the
          disclosure or use of a person's consumer credit history to an  employ-
          er,  labor  organization,  employment  agency  or  agent  thereof  for
          purposes of employment decisions
          The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and  Assem-
        bly, do enact as follows:
     1    Section  1.  Section  380-a  of the general business law is amended by
     2  adding a new subdivision (u) to read as follows:
     3    (u) The term "consumer credit history" means  an  individual's  credit
     4  worthiness,  credit  standing,  credit  capacity  or payment history, as
     5  indicated by:
     6    (1) a consumer credit report;
     7    (2) credit score; or
     8    (3) information an  employer  obtains  directly  from  the  individual
     9  regarding  (i) details about credit accounts, including the individual's
    10  number of credit accounts, late or missed payments,  charged-off  debts,
    11  items  in collections, credit limit or prior credit report inquiries, or
    12  (ii) bankruptcies, judgments or liens.
    13    A consumer credit report shall include any written or  other  communi-
    14  cation of any information by a consumer reporting agency that bears on a
    15  consumer's  creditworthiness, credit standing, credit capacity or credit
    16  history.
    17    § 2. Subdivision (d) of section 380-b of the general business  law  is
    18  relettered  subdivision  (f)  and  two  new subdivisions (d) and (e) are
    19  added to read as follows:
    20    (d) (1) Except as provided in this subdivision, it shall be an  unlaw-
    21  ful discriminatory practice for an employer, labor organization, employ-
    22  ment  agency  or any agent thereof to request or to use, and a violation
         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD01243-03-9

        S. 2884                             2
     1  of this article for any person to disclose, for employment purposes  the
     2  consumer  credit  history of an applicant for employment or employee, or
     3  otherwise discriminate against an applicant or employee with  regard  to
     4  hiring, compensation,  or the terms, conditions or privileges of employ-
     5  ment based on the consumer credit history of the applicant or employee.
     6    (2) Paragraph one of this subdivision shall not apply to:
     7    (i) an employer, or agent thereof, that is required by state or feder-
     8  al law or regulations or by a self-regulatory organization as defined in
     9  section  3(a)(26)  of the securities exchange act of 1934, as amended to
    10  use an individual's consumer credit history for employment purposes;
    11    (ii) persons applying for positions as or employed:
    12    (A) as peace officers or police officers, as those terms  are  defined
    13  in  subdivisions  thirty-three  and  thirty-four  of section 1.20 of the
    14  criminal procedure law, respectively,  or  in  a  position  with  a  law
    15  enforcement or investigative function in a law enforcement agency;
    16    (B)  in a position in which an employee is required to be bonded under
    17  local, state or federal law;
    18    (C) in a position in which an employee is required to possess security
    19  clearance under federal law or the law of any state;
    20    (D) in a non-clerical position having regular access to trade secrets,
    21  intelligence information or national security information;
    22    (E) in a position: (I) having  access  to  third  party,  consumer  or
    23  employer funds or assets valued at ten thousand dollars or more; or (II)
    24  that  involves  a  fiduciary  responsibility  to  the  employer with the
    25  authority to enter financial agreements or initiate, modify  or  approve
    26  payments,  valued  at  ten  thousand  dollars  or  more on behalf of the
    27  employer; or
    28    (F) in a position with regular  duties  that  allow  the  employee  to
    29  design,  monitor,  access,  provision  access and/or modify (I) systems,
    30  applications  or  databases  containing  confidential  employer   and/or
    31  customer  data;  or (II) digital security systems established to prevent
    32  the unauthorized use of the employer's or  client's  networks  or  data-
    33  bases.
    34    (3) Paragraph one of this subdivision shall not be construed to affect
    35  the  obligations  of  persons required by state or local law relating to
    36  disclosures by public employees of conflicts of interest.
    37    (4) As used in this subdivision:
    38    (i)  The  term  "intelligence  information"  means  records  and  data
    39  compiled  for the purpose of criminal investigation or counterterrorism,
    40  including records and data relating  to  the  order  or  security  of  a
    41  correctional  facility,  reports  of  informants, investigators or other
    42  persons, or from any type of surveillance associated with  an  identifi-
    43  able  individual,  or  investigation  or analysis of potential terrorist
    44  threats.
    45    (ii) The term "national  security  information"  means  any  knowledge
    46  relating  to  the  national  defense  or foreign relations of the United
    47  States, regardless of its physical  form  or  characteristics,  that  is
    48  owned  by,  produced  by  or  for, or is under the control of the United
    49  States government and is defined as such by the United States government
    50  and its agencies and departments.
    51    (iii) The term "trade secrets" means  information  that:  (A)  derives
    52  independent economic value, actual or potential, from not being general-
    53  ly  known  to,  and  not  being readily ascertainable by proper means by
    54  other persons who can obtain economic value from its disclosure or  use;
    55  (B)  is  the  subject  of  efforts that are reasonable under the circum-

        S. 2884                             3
     1  stances to maintain its secrecy; and (C) can reasonably be  said  to  be
     2  the end product of significant innovation.
     3    The  term "trade secrets" does not include general proprietary company
     4  information such as handbooks and policies. The term "regular access  to
     5  trade secrets" does not include access to or the use of client, customer
     6  or mailing lists.
     7    (5)  Nothing  in  this  subdivision  shall  preclude  an employer from
     8  requesting or receiving consumer credit history information pursuant  to
     9  a lawful subpoena, court order or law enforcement investigation.
    10    (6) Paragraph one of this subdivision shall not apply to any city with
    11  a population of one million or more.
    12    (e)  (1) Except as otherwise provided in this subdivision, it shall be
    13  an unlawful discriminatory practice for any state or municipal agency to
    14  request or use, and a violation  of  this  article  for  any  person  to
    15  disclose,  for licensing or permitting purposes information contained in
    16  the consumer credit history of an applicant, licensee or  permittee  for
    17  licensing or permitting purposes.
    18    (2)  Paragraph  one  of  this subdivision shall not apply to an agency
    19  required by state or federal law or regulations to use  an  individual's
    20  consumer credit history for licensing or permitting purposes.
    21    (3) Paragraph one of this subdivision shall not be construed to affect
    22  the  ability of an agency to consider an applicant's, licensee's, regis-
    23  trant's or permittee's failure to pay any tax, fine, penalty or fee  for
    24  which  liability has been admitted by the person liable therefor, or for
    25  which judgment has been entered by a court or administrative tribunal of
    26  competent jurisdiction, or any tax for which  a  government  agency  has
    27  issued a warrant, or a lien or levy on property.
    28    (4) Nothing in this subdivision shall preclude a licensing agency from
    29  requesting,  receiving,  or  using  consumer  credit history information
    30  obtained pursuant to a lawful subpoena, court order or  law  enforcement
    31  investigation.
    32    (5) Paragraph one of this subdivision shall not apply to any city with
    33  a population of one million or more.
    34    § 3. The division of human rights shall request information from state
    35  and  local  agencies  and non-governmental employers regarding the agen-
    36  cies' and employers' use of the exemptions  established  in  subdivision
    37  (d)  of section 380-b of the general business law for purposes of hiring
    38  and employment. Within two years of the effective date of this act,  the
    39  division  of  human  rights  shall  submit  to  the legislature a report
    40  concerning the results of such request and any  relevant  feedback  from
    41  agencies and employers.
    42    § 4. This act shall take effect on the one hundred twentieth day after
    43  it shall have become a law.
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