Bill Text: NY S00063 | 2023-2024 | General Assembly | Introduced
Bill Title: Directs the education department to study, review and report on the geographic cost variation of counties in the Hudson Valley labor force region to determine the appropriateness of the region cost index values for purposes of the public school foundation aid formula.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Introduced) 2024-01-03 - REFERRED TO EDUCATION [S00063 Detail]
Download: New_York-2023-S00063-Introduced.html
STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 63 2023-2024 Regular Sessions IN SENATE (Prefiled) January 4, 2023 ___________ Introduced by Sen. HARCKHAM -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Education AN ACT to direct the education department to study, review and report on the geographic cost variation of counties in the Hudson Valley labor force region to determine the appropriateness of the region cost index values for purposes of the public school foundation aid formula The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows: 1 Section 1. Legislative intent. The legislature hereby finds that the 2 introduction of the regional cost index into the state public school aid 3 formula provided a regional approach to recognizing the difference in 4 labor market costs. In a June 7, 2006 report to the board of regents 5 subcommittee on state aid, state education department staff noted in the 6 combination of the city of New York and Long Island that there was 7 "evidence that these two areas actually function as a single labor 8 market region. With professionals, especially those in the education 9 professions, moving to jobs across the lines between New York city and 10 Long Island, it is necessary to consider this entire region as a single 11 area, with similar wage costs". At this same time, the education depart- 12 ment decided to keep the county of Westchester within the Hudson Valley 13 for the regional cost index calculation. In 2016, this state enacted a 14 new law to increase the minimum wage across the state. This legislation 15 included the county of Westchester along with the counties of Nassau and 16 Suffolk, in phasing in such wage increases, setting a new precedent that 17 should be considered by the education department with regard to which 18 labor market the county of Westchester should be included in. 19 § 2. The education department shall, in consultation with the depart- 20 ment of labor, study and review the geographic cost variations of the 21 counties located in the Hudson Valley labor force region to determine 22 the appropriateness of the regional cost index values used within the EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [] is old law to be omitted. LBD01475-01-3S. 63 2 1 public school foundation aid formula, as well as county placement in the 2 Hudson Valley region. Specifically, the education department shall 3 consider the movement of the county of Westchester currently within the 4 Hudson Valley region into the Long Island/New York city region. Such 5 department shall consult with the department of labor to review labor 6 costs for the Hudson Valley region and the Long Island/New York city 7 region. 8 The education department shall also review the regional costs associ- 9 ated with construction and study the impact on applying an up to date 10 cost index on public school building aid reimbursement. 11 § 3. The education department shall, on or before April 1, 2025, 12 report the findings, conclusions and recommendations of such study to 13 the governor, temporary president of the senate and speaker of the 14 assembly. 15 § 4. This act shall take effect immediately.
