April 19, 2024 | less than a minute read

New York Poised to Enact Paid Prenatal Leave

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Howard Lavin

Partner

Get in touch

Howard Lavin

Partner

This week, Gov. Kathy Hochul announced a conceptual agreement with leaders of the New York State Assembly and Senate on key provisions of the Fiscal Year 2025 New York State Budget.

Among the areas of agreement, effective January 1, 2025, the New York State Paid Sick Leave Law, Labor Law Section §196-b, would be amended to require every New York State employer to provide employees with up to 20 hours of paid prenatal personal leave in any 52-week calendar period for health care services related to pregnancy, including physical examinations, medical procedures, monitoring and testing, and discussions with health care providers. Paid prenatal personal leave would be taken and paid in hourly increments.

We will continue to monitor developments. Stay tuned!

4-a. In addition to the sick leave provided for in this section, on and after January first, two thousand twenty-five, every employer shall be required to provide to its employees twenty hours of paid prenatal personal leave during any fifty-two week calendar period. Paid prenatal personal leave shall mean leave taken for the health care services received by an employee during their pregnancy or related to such pregnancy, including physical examinations, medical procedures, monitoring and testing, and discussions with a health care provider related to the pregnancy.