S681

The Senate passed S681, a bill to amend the Labor Law, on a 52-10 roll call vote on February 4. The measure, sponsored by Sen. Martinez and listed as Calendar Number 191, received support from a strong majority of the chamber. Ten senators voted in opposition: Fahy, Helming, Oberacker, O'Mara, Rhoads, Skoufis, Walczyk, Weber, Weik, and Tedisco. No debate was recorded on the measure before the vote was called. The bill now moves forward in the legislative process.

The New York State Senate passed legislation Wednesday restricting private employers from mandating iris and retina scanning of their employees, while carving out government hospitals and medical colleges from the requirement. Senate Print 681, sponsored by Sen. Martinez, passed 52-9 on a roll call vote. The bill amends Section 201A of the Labor Law to allow employers to retain biometric technology but prohibits mandatory use, giving workers the right to opt out without facing employment retaliation. Sen. Martinez, the bill's sponsor, emphasized that biometric data cannot be reset after a breach unlike passwords, potentially causing lifelong identity fraud. She noted the bill was prompted by a constituent who lost her job for refusing iris and retina scanning. The measure faced opposition from Sen. Walczyk, who raised extensive security concerns about applying the opt-out requirement to high-security facilities including data centers, chip manufacturers, nuclear power plants, airports, and pharmaceutical research facilities. Sen. Walczyk questioned how security protocols could function if employees could opt out of biometric scanning. Sen. Weik opposed the bill as unnecessary business regulation imposing additional costs on companies that have already invested in biometric security measures. Nine senators voted against the bill: Fahy, Helming, Oberacker, O'Mara, Rhoads, Skoufis, Walczyk, Weber, and Weik.