Relates to fingerprinting or mandatory iris and retina scanning of employees

Latest action Feb 5, 2026

Prohibits fingerprinting or mandatory iris and retina scanning of employees; makes related provisions.

Not chosen yet

Where it stands

Passed one of the two chambers; it still needs the other.

Introduced
In committee
Up for a vote
Passed one chamber
Passed
Enacted

New York State Senate

Amends the Labor Law.

Committee

Labor · New York State Assembly

Also referred to Labor · New York State Senate.

Purpose, from the sponsor's memo

The purpose of this bill is to prohibit the required use of iris and/or retina scanning of employees to retain or gain employment.

Filed with the bill. Read it on nysenate.gov (opens in a new tab)

Recorded votes

Vote: Floor vote
NY SenateFeb 4, 2026Result: passed
(52) (10) (0) (1)
Vote: Committee vote · Labor
Senate LaborJan 28, 2026Result: passed
(10) (2) (0) (0)
Vote: Floor vote
NY SenateMar 26, 2025Result: passed
(52) (9) (0) (2)
Vote: Committee vote · Labor
Senate LaborMar 3, 2025Result: passed
(13) (0) (0) (0)

Cosponsors

Lea Webb and Leroy Comrie

Democratic2

See the full list on nysenate.gov

The sponsor's argument

Why Monica Martinez says this is needed

Implementing a prohibition on mandatory iris and/or retina scanning at the workplace as a condition of maintaining or gaining employment is essential to safeguarding privacy and data protection. Biometric tech- nologies, while advanced and efficient, pose potential risks of unau- thorized access and data breaches as well as unknown health impli- cations. By restricting mandatory iris and retina scanning, we protect employees from invasions of their personal information, fostering a workplace culture of trust. HIPAA does not cover most private employers and thus employees could be at risk of their personal information being shared or obtained without their consent. While workplace security is paramount, it is crucial to balance the implementation of advanced technology with ethical considerations. Prohibiting mandatory iris and retina scanning aligns with our states commitment to prioritizing the health and safety of both employers and employees through transparency. This measure does not prevent employers from implementing the technology, it simply prohibits the requirement of employees consenting to using the technology to continue or gain employ- ment.

This is the sponsor's own case for the bill, quoted from their memorandum. It is not Agora's description of what the bill does.

Full history

Feb 5, 2026
Referred to committee
REFERRED TO LABOR
NY Assembly
Feb 4, 2026
Sent to the executive
DELIVERED TO ASSEMBLY
NY Senate
Feb 4, 2026
Passed a chamber
PASSED SENATE
NY Senate
Feb 3, 2026
Advanced to Third Reading
ADVANCED TO THIRD READING
NY Senate
Jan 29, 2026
2ND Report CAL.
2ND REPORT CAL.
NY Senate

Show full history (10 earlier events)

Jan 28, 2026
1ST Report CAL.191
1ST REPORT CAL.191
NY Senate
Jan 7, 2026
Died in Assembly
DIED IN ASSEMBLY
NY Assembly
Jan 7, 2026
Referred to committee
REFERRED TO LABOR
NY Senate
Mar 26, 2025
Sent to the executive
DELIVERED TO ASSEMBLY
NY Senate
Mar 26, 2025
Passed a chamber
PASSED SENATE
NY Senate
Mar 26, 2025
Referred to committee
REFERRED TO LABOR
NY Assembly
Mar 5, 2025
Advanced to Third Reading
ADVANCED TO THIRD READING
NY Senate
Mar 4, 2025
2ND Report CAL.
2ND REPORT CAL.
NY Senate
Mar 3, 2025
1ST Report CAL.435
1ST REPORT CAL.435
NY Senate
Jan 8, 2025
Referred to committee
REFERRED TO LABOR
NY Senate

About this record

Summary: The summary comes from NY Open Legislation, the New York State Senate's public record. For more, see How we handle summaries.
Cosponsors: The list shows the cosponsors who are on Agora, A to Z. The official record may list more.
Party colors: Parties are shown in the same neutral colors.
Source: From NY Open Legislation, the NY Senate and Assembly, and official rosters. This record was last updated Oct 29, 2026. About our data

Read the record

Read on NY Senate (opens in a new tab) The official record on nysenate.gov.

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