BILL NUMBER: S3524
SPONSOR: CLEARE
 
TITLE OF BILL:
An act to amend the workers' compensation law, in relation to the maxi-
mum amount of family leave time
 
PURPOSE OR GENERAL IDEA OF BILL:
To increase the amount of family leave time allowed to 26 weeks and to
allow for 100% wage replacement.
 
SUMMARY OF SPECIFIC PROVISIONS:
Section 1 amends paragraph (a) of subdivision 2 of section 204 of the
worker's compensation law to increase the amount of family leave time
provided to twenty-six weeks and allow for one hundred of the employee's
average weekly wage.
Section 2 amends subdivision 2 of section 205 of the worker's compen-
sation law to increase the maximum amount of family leave time to twen-
ty-six weeks.
Section 3 sets the effective date.
 
JUSTIFICATION:
Increasing the amount of paid family leave time from 12 to 26 weeks and
allowing for 100% wage replacement can have several important benefits
including supporting the well-being and health of families, promoting
gender equality, and bolstering employee retention and morale.
Firstly, it supports the well-being and health of families by allowing
parents to bond with their newborns or newly adopted children. This
crucial time helps establish strong parent-child relationships and
promotes the child's development. New York currently allows 12 weeks
which is an insufficient amount of time to develop the crucial bond
between parent and child.
Moreover, paid family leave promotes gender equality by enabling both
mothers and fathers to take time off work to care for their families.
This helps reduce the burden of caregiving primarily falling on women
and encourages shared responsibilities between parents. Additionally,
paid family leave contributes to employee retention and morale. When
employees can take time off without significant financial strain, they
are more likely to return to work and remain committed to their jobs.
This benefits both employees and employers by fostering a positive work-
life balance and increasing productivity. Overall, implementing 26 weeks
of paid family leave recognizes the importance of family well-being,
gender equality, and employee satisfaction, offering numerous advantages
for individuals, families, and society as a whole.
 
PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
2023 - 2024: A.8465 (Forrest) - referred to labor
 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
TBD
 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
Immediately.