New 2024 Laws to Focus on for New Yorkers

by Mindy Cohn

With a new year comes a whole slew of new laws set to take effect on January 1. 

The following are just some of the 730 new bills signed into law over the past year by the governor.

Some of the new state laws that are important to know for 2024 include the increase in the minimum wage, which  goes up to sixteen dollars an hour in New York City and fifteen dollars an hour for the rest of New York, as reported on Rockland Daily here.

Another change for the new year is that New York freelance workers will have more rights and protections under the new  Freelance Isn't Free law. The new law will apply to freelance workers being paid at least $800 for their work.

Another change for the workforce is that fifteen-year-olds will be able to work as lifeguards once it's 2024.

New 2024 legislation will protect tenants from water and security issues. One bill is meant to ensure that residents are notified in writing within 24 hours about any water safety issues, while another prohibits keyless security devices in building common areas without written consent and permission from residents.  

Extra compensation for survivors and victims of crime will be enacted with the new year, making it easier for victims to provide the required evidence in order to receive compensation. 

Senate Bill S2060A, which will take effect on January 1, requires that college campus crime statistics be made accessible and that the statistics be posted. Schools will also be required to create new plans for investigating and reporting hate crimes, and they will have to inform new students about crime prevention measures on campus.

New York will close school for two new holidays, which will be added to the academic calendar. The Lunar New Year, celebrated by the Asian American and Pacific Islander community sometime between January 21 and February 20, will be added, as well as Diwali, which will close schools on the fifteenth day of the eighth month of the Indian calendar.