Bill > A09305

This bill modifies New York's state human rights law by making three key changes: First, it requires employers to engage in an interactive process to determine reasonable accommodations for employees, which would be considered a violation unless providing such accommodation would create undue hardship. Second, it updates language around retaliation protections, replacing gendered pronouns with gender-neutral terms like "such person" and expanding the definition of retaliation to include broader protections for employees who oppose discriminatory practices. Third, the bill establishes that an unlawful discriminatory practice can be proven if a protected characteristic (such as age, race, sexual orientation, disability, or military status) was a motivating factor in an employment decision, even if other factors were also involved. This means that employees would have an easier legal standard to demonstrate discrimination, as they would not need to prove that a protected characteristic was the sole reason for an adverse employment action. The bill will take effect 90 days after becoming law, and aims to strengthen anti-discrimination protections in New York's workplace regulations.

Government Affairs

https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2025/A9305