New York Assembly Bill A02132 Latest Draft

   
  STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 2132--A 2025-2026 Regular Sessions  IN ASSEMBLY January 15, 2025 ___________ Introduced by M. of A. WOERNER, STECK, HYNDMAN -- read once and referred to the Committee on Correction -- committee discharged, bill amended, ordered reprinted as amended and recommitted to said committee AN ACT to amend the correction law, in relation to establishing a job fair pilot program The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows: 1 Section 1. Section 201 of the correction law is amended by adding a 2 new subdivision 16 to read as follows: 3 16. (a) The department shall establish a three-year job fair pilot 4 program to assist incarcerated individuals who are within six months of 5 release to community supervision or who are otherwise within six months 6 of their release date in finding employment. Such job fairs shall be 7 held no less than three times per year in the Wende and New York City 8 correctional facility hubs and shall be implemented by the commissioner 9 in cooperation with the commissioner of labor. The commissioner shall 10 appoint a coordinator for such job fair in each prison where such fairs 11 are held. Eligible incarcerated individuals who reside in correctional 12 facilities in the Wende or New York City correctional facility hubs 13 shall be offered the opportunity to attend the job fair and, if they 14 elect to attend, must be escorted or transported to the site of such job 15 fair. Incarcerated individuals who would otherwise be eligible to 16 participate in the pilot program but who reside in Albion, Taconic or 17 Bedford Correctional Facilities shall not be included in the job fair 18 pilot program but shall be offered enhanced job search opportunities for 19 the duration of the program as practicable. Job fairs shall provide 20 incarcerated individuals with help in resume preparation, internet 21 employment searches, interview advice and other relevant job skills. 22 Potential employers and industry representatives shall be identified by 23 the commissioner in cooperation with the commissioner of the department EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [ ] is old law to be omitted. LBD03728-02-5 
 A. 2132--A 2 1 of labor and shall be invited to such job fairs in order to assist 2 incarcerated individuals in finding employment upon release. 3 (b) The department shall promulgate rules and regulations to ensure 4 the safety of incarcerated individuals, staff, potential employers, and 5 industry representatives throughout any job fair held pursuant to this 6 subdivision. 7 (c) The commissioner shall conduct evaluations of the program annually 8 with a summary evaluation at the end of the pilot program. Such evalu- 9 ations shall include recidivism statistics for job fair attendees, as 10 well as number of attendees, employers attending, the number of jobs 11 offered to such attendees prior to the end of their period of incarcera- 12 tion and other relevant information on the efficacy of the job fairs. 13 Such evaluations shall be reported to the public and the legislature by 14 December thirty-first of each year of the pilot program, with recidivism 15 statistics reported for an additional three years after the pilot 16 program has ended. 17 § 2. This act shall take effect one year after it shall have become a 18 law. Effective immediately, the addition, amendment and/or repeal of any 19 rule or regulation necessary for the implementation of this act on its 20 effective date are authorized to be made and completed on or before such 21 effective date.