The 2016 budget bill (S.B. 6406C) signed into law on April 4 by New York Governor Andrew Cuomo includes a paid family leave program that will provide partially-paid leave to nearly every employee in the state. New York is the fourth state, following California, New Jersey and Rhode Island, to enact a paid family leave program administered as part of the state disability insurance program.
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New York’s new statewide program of paid family leave is the most comprehensive in the nation and will particularly benefit low-income workers, according to a statement from Cuomo’s office. Such workers often do not have benefits or job security, he explained, and access to leave often is unavailable or, in the case of unpaid leave, cost-prohibitive. Cuomo said that the new policy will help low-wage workers and their families “climb the ladder of opportunity” and provide a better future for all New Yorkers.