New York lawmakers gathered at City Hall Tuesday to call for passage of the "Boss Bill," which would strengthen current workplace anti-discrimination laws in the state.

The bill, (A.8769A/S.6578B), would close a loophole in the labor laws and protect worker's rights to access reproductive healthcare and services, shiled them from employer retaliation, and protect their right to privacy over their personal medical decisions.

The bill's sponsor is State Senator Liz Krueger, co-chair of the New York State Bipartisan Pro-Choice Legislative Caucus and Assembly member Ellen Jaffee.  The bill passed the Assembly with bipartisan support during the final weeks of the New York legislation session but was not given a vote in the Senate.

"We nick named it the Boss Bill. It's not just about the Hobby Lobby case, although that has highlighted the issue. We know that the Supreme Court made a horrendous decision in saying that your boss, for his or her personal beliefs, can decide whether or not you get reproductive health in your insurance," Krueger said.

She added, "What I did with this bill was make it explicit under New York State labor law that your employer could not discriminate against you based on decisions you made about reproductive health decision, whether or not you were using insurance to pay for it, and whether you were a man or a woman."

Krueger told reporters under New York State labor law an employer could fire an employee if they don't agree with an employee's decision to get a vasectomy, even if the employee knows they don't want any more children, because such a decision could conflict with an employer's opinion. An employer can fire an employee because they disagree with an employee's decision to use birth control or to get an abortion whether or not it is insurance covered, and an employer could fire an employee over a decision to have a child but not be married. An employer might say their religion teaches them a woman cannot have a child out of wedlock.

The "Boss bill" passed the New York Assembly, and there was some support in the Senate. It passed through the New York Senate Labor Committee but was prevented from coming to the floor for a full vote before the end of the legislative session.   Krueger is optimistic that with help from advocates, the bill will pass in both houses in the new session come January 2015.

The labor law loophole also has implications for the LGBT community, even though separate laws protect them from discrimination. 

Krueger told reporters, "Under New York State labor law I couldn't fire you because you're gay or lesbian but an employer's religious teaching could say a gay or lesbian shouldn't have a child, and could fire you for the reproductive decisions you made but not because you're gay or lesbian."

Krueger added, "There are 100 separate court cases about people being discriminated against for reproductive health decisions on the job. I received calls from people over their fears of being fired because of a boss' opinions about a decision they were making. The concept that you have the right to privacy in your healthcare decisions isn't really true. It is pretty hard to hide the pregnancy on the job. And your health insurance company every three months sends a summary record to your employer of what kinds of services have been used by the employees. If you are working for a company with 10,000 people they might not be able to figure out which four people use certain services each month but a small company with 50 people, ten of which are women, only three of which are reproductive age, it's not that hard to figure out who is using what even though you are supposed to have the right to privacy."

At the City Council, a resolution will be presented for vote to support the passage of the "Boss Bill."

At the congressional level, Senator Patty Murray (D) from Washington, D.C. introduced a bill that would ban private corporations from refusing to provide mandated benefits for birth-controls pills and devices that violate the companies' religious beliefs. A House bill was introduced by sponsored by Colorado's Diana DeGette and New York's Louise Slaughter and Jerrold Nadler.