Minimum wage increase, early voting by mail among new New York State laws for 2024

ALBANY — Millions of New Yorkers will see a little more in their pay beginning Jan. 1 as the minimum wage rises to $16 an hour in most areas, including on Long Island, with future raises tied to increases to inflation.

Two other bills effective Jan. 1 will allow all voters to participate in elections by mail during the nine-day early voting period and allow cities to combat damage from overpopulation of deer.

The minimum wage law will immediately impact 3 million workers. More workers paid close to minimum wage also often see a boost when the minimum is raised.

“New Yorkers are getting a pay raise!” said Gov. Kathy Hochul in signing the bill Dec. 11.

On Long Island, in New York City and in Westchester the minimum wage will rise to $16 per hour, up from $15. In the rest of the state, the minimum wage rises to $15, from $14.20.

The increase is the latest annual hike required of employers. For example, on Long Island the minimum wage rose by $1 annually. The minimum wage on Long Island was $10 an hour on Jan. 1, 2017, according to state Labor Department statistics.

In 2025, the minimum wage on Long Island, in New York City and in Westchester will climb to $16.50, with another 50 cents added in 2026. The rest of the state will continue to trail the metropolitan area by $1 per hour. Starting in 2027, the minimum wage will rise with inflation.

“Going forward in the future, we'll be indexing the minimum wage for the first time ever to inflation,” Hochul said. “So, families can finally start getting ahead, which is so important to all of us.”

The state Labor Department will be checking to make sure employers pay the higher minimum wage. Failure to pay is considered wage theft and can be prosecuted as criminal larceny under a law enacted this year. The Labor Department will mount an informational campaign for employers and employees about the raise as well as wage theft.

“We want to make sure everyone is aware of that,” Hochul said.

But the impact of the increase in the minimum wage by $1 is far greater than it may seem, said Frank Kerbein, of the state Business Council.

The wage increase automatically triggers wages for lines of work with their own minimum wages, such as waitstaff and other “tipped workers,” increases “wage orders” for housing and meal allowances paid by some employers, and can impact some workers exempt from hourly work, including administrators and bookkeepers.

For employers, it can compound other costs, such as the state’s worker compensation insurance and paid sick leave for workers who contract COVID-19.

“It’s like death by a thousand cuts,” Kerbein said. “All of this makes New York state a less competitive place to establish a business.”

Supporters, however, say raising the minimum wage will help boost the economy.

“Minimum wage increases turn into spending on food, car repairs, school supplies and more,” said Phil Andrews, president of the Long Island African American Chamber of Commerce. “Small businesses thrive when the people who are our customers have more money to spend. And there are strong connections between employee pay, employee retention, productivity and customer service.”

In other new laws:

Under the Jan. 1 change to state election law, voters will be able to mail ballots during the early voting period without the excuse of illness or being out of town required by traditional absentee ballots. No-excuse voting by mail began as a temporary measure during the COVID-19 pandemic to limit spread of the virus at crowded polls.

However, Republican legislators have sued to block the New York Early Mail Voter Act.

Senate Republican leader Rob Ortt of Lockport called the new law an unconstitutional scheme by Democrats “who repeatedly attempt to rig the system in their favor.” He and his Republican partners note that voters rejected no-excuse voting by mail in a 2021 referendum. The ballot question was opposed by a well-financed Republican campaign.

A court decision is pending and could delay implementation of early, no-excuse voting by mail.

Another significant bill effective Jan. 1 creates a pilot program to stem urban damage by deer to public and private property and through car-deer accidents. The law, sponsored by Sen. Rachel May (D-Syracuse) and Assemb. Pamela Hunter (D-Syracuse), allows the state Department of Environmental Conservation to review requests by cities to determine if deer in the city limits are a threat to property or public health. The state could then issue a “deer cull permit” to a nuisance wildlife specialist to kill deer in cities.

“While deer themselves are not dangerous, an overpopulation of deer can lead to an increase in automobile accidents, destruction of property and Lyme disease,” Hunter said. “Clear standards for deer management must be established to ensure safe and effective practices that are considerate of the environment, human health, ecological health and property.”

The bills passed by the Legislature and signed into law by Hochul are all effective Jan. 1. Most bills in recent years don’t begin at the start of the year, but several months after adoption. Much of that time is for “rule making,” in which state officials convert the legislative language into specific instructions in how to implement the law. Public comment periods on the proposed rules is also provided before the laws are effective.

By Michael Gormley

michael.gormley@newsday.com@GormleyAlbany

Michael Gormley has worked for Newsday since 2013, covering state government, politics and issues. He has covered Albany since 2001.