Bills affecting Gig worker / 1099 contractor in New York — 2026 session

Empowers the commissioner of labor to issue stop-work orders against employers for misclassification of employees as independent contractors or for providing false, incomplete, or misleading information to an insurance company on the number of employees of such employer.

Makes the release of any claim by an employee, or independent contractor who is a natural person, against an employer, unenforceable if, as a condition of such resolution, the employee or independent contractor is prohibited from applying for, accepting, or engaging in future employment with such employer, or any entity or entities related to such employer.

Relates to motor vehicle accident reports; requires contact information including names, addresses, telephone numbers, and email addresses where available, for all parties and telephone numbers and email addresses where available for all witnesses, for a commercial enterprise where a vehicle or bicycle involved in an accident is operated by an employee or independent contractor of such commercial enterprise.

Increases the penalties for internet-based food-ordering service providers failing to provide a link to the city of New York health department or local health department and the amount of such penalty depending on whether such inter-based food-ordering service is primarily a restaurant or just app-based.

Requires the port authority of New York and New Jersey to acquire an economic impact statement by an independent contractor at least 30 days prior to increasing bridge and tunnel tolls.