Advocacy

This week, Governor Cuomo signed the NY-HERO Act into law, the bulk of which will go into effect on June 4th 2021. The bill mandates the Department of Labor (DOL) create sweeping regulations requiring workplace plans, standards, protective equipment, and responses to “airborne infectious diseases", which includes not just COVID-19, but potentially other airborne diseases such as the flu. The regulations could end up mandating costly equipment upgrades, disinfection procedures, modifications to work hours and schedules, and employee health screenings, to name a few. The bill allows any employee to file a civil suit against their employer for any alleged violations of the exposure plan.…

​On Thursday, in a stunning unanimous decision, a New York Appellate Court sided with Big I NY, ruling that the 2018 amendment to Insurance Regulation 187 (AKA, the “best interest regulation) is unconstitutionally vague. Big I NY contended that, among many other issues, the regulation is unclear on what specifically producers must do in order to comply. The ruling is the latest development in Big I NY's ongoing legal challenge to the regulation, which began shortly after the regulation was adopted in 2018. The DFS is has 30 days to decide if they will appeal the ruling to the state's highest court, the New York…

​Earlier this week, I and members of the Big I NY board and staff joined employer groups from virtually every sector of the economy at a press conference to voice concerns with the “NY HERO Act", a bill mandating new workplace airborne infectious disease rules and regulations. The bill has now passed both the Senate and Assembly, and will soon head to the Governor's desk.The intent of this bill is noble – protecting workers from airborne diseases. But the reality for employers, particularly small businesses, is more crushing red tape, bureaucracy, and liability. Broadly speaking, the bill mandates the Department of Labor (DOL) to implement sweeping…