Assemblyman Angelo Santabarbara announced that a bill he co-sponsored that would ensure employees are automatically enrolled into the New York State Secure Choice Savings Program has passed in the State Assembly today (A.3213-A).

The New York State Secure Choice Savings Program was passed in the 2018-19 state budget to create a state-administered retirement savings plan for employees working for companies that don’t offer their own retirement plans. These plans are offered to workers who would not ordinarily have access to them in their workplace. This legislation aims to increase access and participation in the program by establishing automatic enrollment.

AARP strongly supports this bill as it makes necessary changes that will require more employers to participate in the Secure Choice program if they do not already offer a way for employees to save on the job. The bill also ensures that employees are automatically enrolled into the state-facilitated IRA program, with the ability to opt out at any time. With New York’s Secure Choice Savings Program going into effect next year, these amendments will maximize employee participation and help empower more New Yorkers to take control of their financial future.

“The Secure Choice program has allowed workers to put their hard-earned money toward a retirement plan that would otherwise not be available to them,” Santabarbara said. “It’s important that we help more employees take advantage of this program and prepare for their futures, which is why I helped move this bill to the Assembly floor. Automatic enrollment has shown to increase participation in retirement plans. As a long-standing member of the Governmental Employees Committee, I’ll continue to be a strong voice for workers.”