Gov. Signs Bill Eliminating Payroll Threshold for Farmworker Coverage

Smaller farms in New York will have to obtain workers’ compensation coverage for their workers, under a bill that takes effect Jan. 1, 2020. Democrat Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo on Wednesday signed into law S6578/A8419, also known as the Farm Laborers Fair Labor Practices Act. The bill, by Sen. Jessica Ramos, D-Queens, eliminates the threshold used to determine which farms have to provide comp coverage. Currently, only larger farms paying $1,200 or more for labor are required to have a workers’ compensation policy. The bill eliminates that and will require smaller farms to also have ins...