Bill seeks to protect workers from payroll processing issues

Albany. (AP) A New York lawmaker is working to push forward legislation that would ensure employees are protected from any future issues with payroll processing companies. A bill introduced by Democratic Sen. Kevin Thomas will be on the Senate's Judiciary Committee agenda Tuesday, the Times Union reported. Thomas introduced the bill shortly after thousands of workers across the country had their bank accounts drained with the sudden closing of MyPayrollHR in September. The senator was "flabbergasted'' at the alleged negligence of MyPayrollHR, according to his spokeswoman Emily Mancini. "A missed paycheck can severely disrupt people's lives,'' she said. We want to "make sure people are receiving their paychecks on time and companies are being held accountable.'' The closure of the payroll processing company had sweeping implications for companies that had relied on it to disburse paycheck money to their employees. The bill would allow workers who miss paychecks to recuperate up to three times the amount of the paycheck from companies that ``intentionally prevent the distribution of payroll.'' While the legislation does not have an Assembly sponsor, Mancini said Thomas anticipates a majority of legislators will support the issue.