New York · Assembly Bill · 2023-2024 Regular Sessions
AB7859
New York Assembly Bill 7859 — An Act to amend the labor law, in relation to automated employment decision tools

Status ● Failed Effective N/A Passage Likelihood L

WHAT THIS BILL REGULATES · 1 REQUIREMENT TYPE

How Is This Bill Enforced

Enforcement Authority
The bill preserves the authority of the New York Division of Human Rights to enforce Article 15 of the Executive Law (Human Rights Law) and does not limit any candidate's right to bring a civil action in any court of competent jurisdiction. No new enforcement agency is designated by the bill itself.
Private Right of Action
No private right of action. Enforcement is exclusive to the designated authority.
Penalties
The bill does not create a new private right of action or specify statutory damages. It contains a savings clause preserving existing rights to bring civil actions and preserving the Division of Human Rights' enforcement authority. Remedies would depend on the underlying cause of action.

What This Bill Requires

Verbatim statutory text on the left; plain-language analysis and a per-section checklist on the right. Numbered markers cross-link to the matching checklist row.

Statutory Text
Analysis & Obligations
Labor Law § 203-f(1)
Definitions

(1)(a) "Automated employment decision toolAutomated employment decision tool"Automated employment decision tool" means any computational process, derived from machine learning, statistical modeling, data analytics, or artificial intelligence, that issues simplified output, including a score, classification, or recommendation, that is used to substantially assist or replace discretionary decision making for making employment decisions that impact natural persons. "Automated employment decision tool" does not include a tool that does not automate, support, substantially assist, or replace discretionary decision-making processes and that does not materially impact natural persons, including, but not limited to, a junk email filter, firewall, antivirus software, calculator, spreadsheet, database, data set, or other compilation of data.Labor Law § 203-f(1)(a)" means any computational process, derived from machine learning, statistical modeling, data analytics, or artificial intelligence, that issues simplified output, including a score, classification, or recommendation, that is used to substantially assist or replace discretionary decision making for making employment decisionsEmployment decision"Employment decision" means to screen candidates for employment.Labor Law § 203-f(1)(b) that impact natural persons. "Automated employment decision toolAutomated employment decision tool"Automated employment decision tool" means any computational process, derived from machine learning, statistical modeling, data analytics, or artificial intelligence, that issues simplified output, including a score, classification, or recommendation, that is used to substantially assist or replace discretionary decision making for making employment decisions that impact natural persons. "Automated employment decision tool" does not include a tool that does not automate, support, substantially assist, or replace discretionary decision-making processes and that does not materially impact natural persons, including, but not limited to, a junk email filter, firewall, antivirus software, calculator, spreadsheet, database, data set, or other compilation of data.Labor Law § 203-f(1)(a)" does not include a tool that does not automate, support, substantially assist, or replace discretionary decision-making processes and that does not materially impact natural persons, including, but not limited to, a junk email filter, firewall, antivirus software, calculator, spreadsheet, database, data set, or other compilation of data.

(1)(b) "Employment decisionEmployment decision"Employment decision" means to screen candidates for employment.Labor Law § 203-f(1)(b)" means to screen candidates for employment.

This subdivision establishes the two key definitions for the section. Automated employment decision tool is defined broadly to encompass any computational process derived from machine learning, statistical modeling, data analytics, or AI that produces simplified output — scores, classifications, or recommendations — used to substantially assist or replace discretionary hiring decisions affecting natural persons. The definition includes a carve-out for tools that do not automate or materially impact decision-making, such as spam filters, calculators, and spreadsheets. Employment decision is defined narrowly as screening candidates for employment.

Labor Law § 203-f(2)
Notices required for automated employment screening
Deployer

(2)(a)(i)–(iii) 1 Any employer or employment agency that uses an automated employment decision toolAutomated employment decision tool"Automated employment decision tool" means any computational process, derived from machine learning, statistical modeling, data analytics, or artificial intelligence, that issues simplified output, including a score, classification, or recommendation, that is used to substantially assist or replace discretionary decision making for making employment decisions that impact natural persons. "Automated employment decision tool" does not include a tool that does not automate, support, substantially assist, or replace discretionary decision-making processes and that does not materially impact natural persons, including, but not limited to, a junk email filter, firewall, antivirus software, calculator, spreadsheet, database, data set, or other compilation of data.Labor Law § 203-f(1)(a) to screen candidates who have applied for a position for an employment decisionEmployment decision"Employment decision" means to screen candidates for employment.Labor Law § 203-f(1)(b) shall notify each such candidate of the following: (i) That an automated employment decision toolAutomated employment decision tool"Automated employment decision tool" means any computational process, derived from machine learning, statistical modeling, data analytics, or artificial intelligence, that issues simplified output, including a score, classification, or recommendation, that is used to substantially assist or replace discretionary decision making for making employment decisions that impact natural persons. "Automated employment decision tool" does not include a tool that does not automate, support, substantially assist, or replace discretionary decision-making processes and that does not materially impact natural persons, including, but not limited to, a junk email filter, firewall, antivirus software, calculator, spreadsheet, database, data set, or other compilation of data.Labor Law § 203-f(1)(a) will be used in connection with the assessment or evaluation of such candidate; (ii) The job qualifications and characteristics that such automated employment decision toolAutomated employment decision tool"Automated employment decision tool" means any computational process, derived from machine learning, statistical modeling, data analytics, or artificial intelligence, that issues simplified output, including a score, classification, or recommendation, that is used to substantially assist or replace discretionary decision making for making employment decisions that impact natural persons. "Automated employment decision tool" does not include a tool that does not automate, support, substantially assist, or replace discretionary decision-making processes and that does not materially impact natural persons, including, but not limited to, a junk email filter, firewall, antivirus software, calculator, spreadsheet, database, data set, or other compilation of data.Labor Law § 203-f(1)(a) will use in the assessment of such candidate; and (iii) Information about the type of data collected for such automated employment decision toolAutomated employment decision tool"Automated employment decision tool" means any computational process, derived from machine learning, statistical modeling, data analytics, or artificial intelligence, that issues simplified output, including a score, classification, or recommendation, that is used to substantially assist or replace discretionary decision making for making employment decisions that impact natural persons. "Automated employment decision tool" does not include a tool that does not automate, support, substantially assist, or replace discretionary decision-making processes and that does not materially impact natural persons, including, but not limited to, a junk email filter, firewall, antivirus software, calculator, spreadsheet, database, data set, or other compilation of data.Labor Law § 203-f(1)(a), the source of such data, and the employer or employment agency's data retention policy.

(2)(b) 2 The notice required by paragraph (a) of this subdivision shall be made no less than ten business days before the use of such automated employment decision toolAutomated employment decision tool"Automated employment decision tool" means any computational process, derived from machine learning, statistical modeling, data analytics, or artificial intelligence, that issues simplified output, including a score, classification, or recommendation, that is used to substantially assist or replace discretionary decision making for making employment decisions that impact natural persons. "Automated employment decision tool" does not include a tool that does not automate, support, substantially assist, or replace discretionary decision-making processes and that does not materially impact natural persons, including, but not limited to, a junk email filter, firewall, antivirus software, calculator, spreadsheet, database, data set, or other compilation of data.Labor Law § 203-f(1)(a) and shall allow such candidate to request an alternative selection process or accommodation.

This subdivision imposes the bill's core obligation: any employer or employment agency using an automated employment decision tool to screen job applicants must provide each candidate with advance notice covering three categories of information — that an automated tool will be used, the job qualifications and characteristics the tool assesses, and the type, source, and retention policy for data collected. The notice must be delivered at least ten business days before the tool is used, and candidates must be allowed to request an alternative selection process or accommodation.

The notice obligation is triggered by the act of using an automated employment decision tool to screen candidates who have applied for a position, meaning it applies at the screening stage of the hiring pipeline rather than at later stages of employment.

Compliance actions 2 items
1
Employers and employment agencies must notify each job candidate, before using an automated employment decision toolAutomated employment decision tool"Automated employment decision tool" means any computational process, derived from machine learning, statistical modeling, data analytics, or artificial intelligence, that issues simplified output, including a score, classification, or recommendation, that is used to substantially assist or replace discretionary decision making for making employment decisions that impact natural persons. "Automated employment decision tool" does not include a tool that does not automate, support, substantially assist, or replace discretionary decision-making processes and that does not materially impact natural persons, including, but not limited to, a junk email filter, firewall, antivirus software, calculator, spreadsheet, database, data set, or other compilation of data.Labor Law § 203-f(1)(a) to screen them, that (1) an automated tool will be used in their assessment, (2) the job qualifications and characteristics the tool will evaluate, and (3) the type and source of data collected and the employer's data retention policy.
H-01.3
2
Employers and employment agencies must provide the required notice at least ten business days before using the automated employment decision toolAutomated employment decision tool"Automated employment decision tool" means any computational process, derived from machine learning, statistical modeling, data analytics, or artificial intelligence, that issues simplified output, including a score, classification, or recommendation, that is used to substantially assist or replace discretionary decision making for making employment decisions that impact natural persons. "Automated employment decision tool" does not include a tool that does not automate, support, substantially assist, or replace discretionary decision-making processes and that does not materially impact natural persons, including, but not limited to, a junk email filter, firewall, antivirus software, calculator, spreadsheet, database, data set, or other compilation of data.Labor Law § 203-f(1)(a) and must allow the candidate to request an alternative selection process or accommodation.
H-01.4
Labor Law § 203-f(3)
Construction — savings clause

(3) The provisions of this section shall not be construed as to limit any right of any candidate for employment to bring a civil action in any court of competent jurisdiction, or to limit the authority of the division of human rights to enforce the provisions of article fifteen of the executive law.

This subdivision is a savings clause clarifying that the new section does not limit existing rights. It preserves any candidate's right to bring a civil action in a court of competent jurisdiction and preserves the authority of the New York Division of Human Rights to enforce Article 15 of the Executive Law (the New York Human Rights Law). Notably, the bill does not itself create a new private right of action or designate a new enforcement mechanism — it merely preserves pre-existing avenues.

§ 2
Effective date

This act shall take effect on the first of January next succeeding the date on which it shall have become a law.

The act takes effect on the first of January next succeeding the date on which it becomes law. Because the bill has not been enacted, the effective date is indeterminate.

Passage Likelihood

Failed
Status Failed
Final action referred to labor

Legislative History

2023-07-07 referred to labor
2024-01-03 referred to labor

Entry Last Reviewed

2026-05-20
AI generated