S 3054: Provides benefits to Metro-North employees involved in or who witness a serious injury or fatality of another person in the course of an assigned duty.

  
  STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 3054 2025-2026 Regular Sessions  IN SENATE January 23, 2025 ___________ Introduced by Sen. HARCKHAM -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Transportation AN ACT to amend the public authorities law, in relation to providing benefits to Metro-North employees involved in or who witness a serious injury or fatality of another person in the course of an assigned duty The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows: 1 Section 1. The public authorities law is amended by adding a new 2 section 1266-n to read as follows: 3 § 1266-n. Benefits for employees involved in or who witness serious 4 injuries or fatalities of another person in the course of an assigned 5 duty. 1. For any employee of the Metro-North Commuter Railroad Company 6 who witnesses or is otherwise involved in a serious injury or fatality 7 of another person through the course of such employee's assigned duty, 8 Metro-North shall provide mandatory benefits, including but not limited 9 to: 10 (a) seven consecutive working days of paid leave, beginning the imme- 11 diate subsequent day the employee is scheduled to work, excluding the 12 employee's regularly scheduled days off; 13 (b) mental health services, including counseling, at the option of the 14 employee; and 15 (c) a mandatory mental health examination conducted by the employee's 16 health care provider before being approved to return to work, with up to 17 four additional weeks of paid leave, if recommended by their health care 18 provider. 19 2. Such employee shall be compensated by Metro-North at an amount not 20 less than the employee would have earned on the assignment they would 21 have worked until such employee has used their full allotment of 22 mandated time off pursuant to this section. 23 § 2. This act shall take effect immediately. EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [ ] is old law to be omitted. LBD07165-01-5