If you have been paying any attention to the race for the Democratic nomination for president, you will have undoubtedly heard the candidates talk about the need for more progressive policies to help the average family. Specifically, they often refer to the need to help new parents who must choose between staying home with young children and going to work, as well as those families taking caring of an ill or elderly family member.
Well the New York State legislature must have heard those calls because they answered in kind. The New York State budget, finalized on March 31st, will include the most progressive and comprehensive paid family leave program in the entire country. In implementing paid family leave, New York joins California, New Jersey and Rhode Island as the only states in the country with paid family leave.
The measure passed by the state legislature will cover 12 weeks of paid time off to spend with a new child, including adopted children and foster children. In addition, it allows workers to use that time to take care of a family member who is gravely ill.
The 12 weeks allowed under the New York law will be by far the longest paid family leave law in the country, doubling the amount of time allowed in California and New Jersey, while tripling the four weeks guaranteed by the state of Rhode Island.
The new program will cover both full time and part time employees and will not allow exemptions for small business. While this is a significant step forward, it needs to be noted that, like many programs, this will be phased in by a number of phases. Paid family leave will not be phased in until 2018, and at that time it will only cover eight weeks of paid leave. By 2021 it would reach its full goal of 12 weeks.
In addition, when it is implemented in 2018, it will only cover about 50% of the employees pay. However, by 2021, that number will have jumped up to cover 67% of the employees pay.
What makes this legislation all the more important is that it will guarantee job protection for all of those who used paid family leave, even those employees of small businesses who are not always covered under similar pieces of legislation. Additionally, the legislation allows for both men and women to use paid family leave.
The state of New York has taken a big step forward in helping protect families from having to choose whether to go back to work immediately after having a baby or staying home with your new baby and losing your job in the process. Let’s just hope that in this instance, as New York goes, so does the rest of the nation.
Featured image via Flickr, under Creative Commons Attribution License
