NYC Council Passes Anti-Sexual Harassment Package

Yesterday, the City Council passed several bills as part of its Anti-Sexual Harassment Package, most of such legislation will affect private employers. Please take special note of 632-a, which requires employers to conduct mandatory annual interactive training and to maintain records of such training–it applies to all companies with 15 or more employees. When further information is available on this anti-sexual harassment training, we will update the industry.
Please see below brief summaries of the bills. Click the bill number for a link to the full text.

City Council Intro No. Summary
657-A This legislation makes the NYC Human Rights Law, with respect to sexual harassment provisions, to apply to all employers, regardless of the number of employees.
660-A This legislation amends the policy statement of the New York City Human Rights Law to include sexual harassment as a form of discrimination that the New York City Commission on Human Rights (“CHR”) shall have the power to eliminate and prevent.
663-A This legislation extends the statute of limitations for filing gender-based harassment claims under the city human rights law from one year to three years.
630-A This legislation requires CHR to design an anti-sexual harassment rights and responsibilities poster that all NYC employers are required to post in a conspicuous/ common location. The poster will be available online for employers. The bill also requires an information sheet on sexual harassment to be distributed to employees at time of hire.
632-A This legislation mandates that all private employers with 15 or more employees conduct annual anti-sexual harassment training for all employees, including supervisors and managerial employees. CHR will be responsible for creating an online interactive training module to be posted on their website for access by employers. An employee who has received anti-sexual harassment training at one employer within the required training cycle is not required to receive additional anti-sexual harassment training at another employer until the next cycle.
693 This legislation amends the division of labor services employment report, required by city contractors, to include employment practices, policies, and procedures as they relate to preventing and addressing sexual harassment.
614-A This legislation requires CHR to conspicuously post on their website online resources about sexual harassment.
612-A This legislation mandates that all city agencies conduct annual anti-sexual harassment training for all employees, including supervisors and managerial employees.
613-A This legislation requires the New York City Department of Citywide Administrative Services (DCAS) to conduct an ongoing assessment of risk factors (developed by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission Select Task Force on the Study of Harassment in the Workplace) associated with sexual harassment to help provide a fair and safe work environment for all city workers. The law sunsets January 31, 2022.
653-A This legislation mandates annual reporting on workplace sexual harassment incidents within city agencies. The administering agency is DCAS. A report is due to the mayor, council, and CHR. CHR will post it to its website.
664-A This legislation requires DCAS to develop a climate survey to be administered on a voluntary basis at all city agencies to determine the general awareness and knowledge of the city’s equal employment opportunity (“EEO”) policy, including but not limited to sexual harassment policies and prevention. The survey will be followed by a report to the mayor and speaker.