Gov. Kathy Hochul signed three payments into regulation Wednesday to higher deal with sexual harassment within the office and took a dig at predecessor Andrew Cuomo, saying she “cleaned home” after succeeding him.
“I’m proud to signal payments that can deal with sexual harassment within the office and say that after and for all, my administration has cleaned home. It is a new day in New York,” Hochul mentioned throughout a invoice signing ceremony on the Javits Middle as a part of Ladies’s Historical past Month.
“We created a human assets division, an actual one, so precise actual complaints might be heard by actual folks, who will take motion. We even have an out of doors regulation agency obtainable for folks to complain to, so there’s no sense that anyone inside my administration can cowl up or sweep one thing underneath the rug. Now not will ladies must stay in worry in any office, notably in our administration.”
One of many payments she accredited makes it a violation of the state Human Rights Legislation to launch personnel information as a method of retaliating or discounting the claims of victims of office discrimination. The measure was proposed by Sen. Andrew Gounardes (D-Brooklyn) and Assemblywoman Jessica Gonzalez-Rojas (D-Queens).
Cuomo, the previous three-term governor, resigned underneath menace of impeachment final summer season after 11 ladies accused him of harassment or misconduct. A devastating report by state Lawyer Basic Letitia James’ workplace substantiated the claims.
Cuomo’s workplace had leaked the confidential personnel information of former staffer LindseyBoylan in a bid to discredit her after she accused the ex-governor of sexually harassing her. The invoice would forbid such launch of employment information of an alleged sufferer.
The brand new regulation additionally supplies extra recourse to victims of illegal retaliation by permitting them to file a criticism with the legal professional common, who might file a go well with in state Supreme Court docket.
One other invoice Hochul accredited codifies that each one state authorities employers — government, legislature and judiciary — are topic to the Human Rights Legislation. The invoice was launched by Gounardes and Assemblywoman Yuh Line-Niou (D-Manhattan).
State officers will be unable to keep away from duty for harassment of public staff and make sure that New York’s sweeping anti-harassment rules shield each private and non-private staff, Hochul mentioned.
A 3rd measure, sponsored by Sen. Alessandra Biaggi (D-Bronx) and Assemblywoman Line-Nio requires the state Division of Human Rights to ascertain a toll free confidential hotline for complaints of office sexual harassment.
The hotline will join them with pro-bono attorneys for authorized recommendation.
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