Governor Hochul’s 2025 Executive Budget Proposal released last week includes a number of significant legislative proposals that would directly impact employers in New York state.
Sunset of COVID Paid Leave
Arguably the most highly anticipated proposal is the possible end to the requirement to provide paid leave for New York State employees subject to a mandatory or precautionary order of quarantine or isolation due to COVID-19. As the governor’s memorandum in support notes, New York already has “nation-leading paid sick leave laws” for employees regardless of illness, and “[a]s the federal COVID-19 state of emergency has concluded, it would be prudent for this COVID-19 sick leave initiative to conclude as well.“ Employers across New York state would surely agree with this sentiment. The governor’s proposal would end the state’s COVID-19 Sick Leave Law as of July 31, 2024.
Previously, a bill was advanced to sunset the law after a review of usage by the New York state Departments of Labor and Health. The governor’s latest proposal does not include this requirement; it simply repeals the leave law with no further steps required.
Paid Prenatal Leave
Another significant proposal would amend the New York Paid Family Leave (PFL) law to provide up to 40 hours of paid leave for pregnant employees per calendar year to attend prenatal healthcare appointments. This would be the first law of its kind in the nation. The leave would be in addition to the current allotment of 12 weeks of...
Welcome to Reality Check, NewsGuard’s nonpartisan newsletter that tracks the false claims and conspiracy theories that shape our world — and who’s behind them. Please support us by becoming a premi...