This nation-leading policy, proposed in Gov. Kathy Hochul’s 2024 State of the State and signed into law in April, gives workers the ability to take paid leave for any pregnancy-related medical appointments and will go into effect on January 1, 2025.
“No pregnant woman in New York should be forced to choose between a paycheck and a check-up — and that’s why I pushed to create the nation’s first paid prenatal leave policy,” Governor Hochul said. “From raising the minimum wage to investing in affordable child care, we’re making New York the best and most affordable place to raise a family.”
Effective January 1, 2025, any privately employed pregnant New Yorker will now be able to receive an additional 20 hours of paid sick leave for prenatal care. The New York State Department of Labor estimates that about 130,000 pregnant women per year will be eligible for this benefit, with about 65,800 of those being hourly workers.
Pregnancy-related health care includes:
- Physical examinations
- Medical procedures
- Monitoring
- Testing
- Discussions with a health care provider needed to ensure a healthy pregnancy
- Fertility treatment
- End of pregnancy care
The paid prenatal leave benefits are in addition to New York State Paid Family Leave, existing employer-provided leave and existing sick leave benefits. The law applies to all private employers in New York State, with no minimum employee threshold, and is applicable to both full-time and part-time employees.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/lifestyle/career/these-ny-and-nj-laws-will-take-effect-in-2025/ar-AA1wLaAq