New York Senate Bill S02115 Latest Draft

   
  STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 2115 2023-2024 Regular Sessions  IN SENATE January 18, 2023 ___________ Introduced by Sen. FELDER -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Cities 1 AN ACT to enact the "save our stores act" The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows: 1 Section 1. Short title. This act shall be known and may be cited as 2 the "save our stores act". 3 § 2. 1. (a) Notwithstanding any other law, rule or regulation to the 4 contrary, in a city with a population of one million or more, any fine 5 or monetary civil penalty assessed against a not-for-profit organiza- 6 tion, school, place of worship or small business by a state or local 7 agency for a violation of state or local law, rule, regulation or execu- 8 tive order during the COVID-19 covered period shall be deemed void and 9 waived unless such fines or penalties are assessed for a violation 10 provided in paragraph (b) of this subdivision. 11 (b) No waiver of fines or penalties shall be given if a state or local 12 agency determines that the violation may result in a natural resource 13 damage claim or serious actual harm, is a violation of human or civil 14 rights law, results in loss of employee wages or benefits, interferes 15 with any remedy, review, or resolution related to harassment or discrim- 16 ination claims, was or is a willful violation, involves tax fraud, 17 violates requirements related to federal funding to the state, relates 18 to state funding or procurement, or is a penal law violation. 19 2. For the purposes of this act, the following terms shall have the 20 following meanings: 21 (a) "COVID-19 covered period" means the duration of the state disaster 22 emergency declared on March 7, 2020 pursuant to executive order number 23 two hundred two of two thousand twenty; and 24 (b) "Small business" means any business which is resident in this 25 state, independently owned and operated, and employs one hundred or less 26 individuals. 27 § 3. This act shall take effect immediately. EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [ ] is old law to be omitted. LBD00133-01-3