Bill > S08494

This bill amends the New York labor law to expand permitted leaves of absence during emergencies to include members of the Civil Air Patrol (CAP) and United States Coast Guard Auxiliary Pilots. Currently, volunteer firefighters and ambulance service members can take leave during declared emergencies, and this bill adds CAP and Coast Guard Auxiliary Pilots to that list. Employees can request and must be granted leave for emergency-related duties, unless the employer can demonstrate that the absence would cause undue hardship to their business. To qualify for the leave, the employee must have previously provided documentation from their unit commander about their volunteer status, and the emergency duties must be directly related to the declared emergency. Additionally, employers can request a notarized statement from the unit commander certifying the periods of emergency response. The bill updates language to use gender-neutral terms like "their" instead of "his or her" and provides these protections to help ensure that volunteer emergency service members can respond quickly when their communities need assistance.

https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2025/S8494