S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                    50
 
                        2025-2026 Regular Sessions
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                                (PREFILED)
 
                              January 8, 2025
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by  Sens. COMRIE, HARCKHAM, JACKSON, RAMOS -- read twice and
   ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee  on
   Labor
 
 AN  ACT to amend the workers' compensation law, in relation to extending
   paid family leave benefits

   THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section 1. Section 203 of the workers' compensation law, as amended by
 section  3  of  part SS of chapter 54 of the laws of 2016, is amended to
 read as follows:
   § 203. Employees eligible for benefits under section two hundred  four
 of  this article. Employees in employment of a covered employer for four
 or more consecutive weeks and employees in employment  during  the  work
 period usual to and available during such four or more consecutive weeks
 in  any  trade  or  business in which they are regularly employed and in
 which hiring from day to day of such employees is the  usual  employment
 practice  shall  be  eligible  for  disability  benefits  as provided in
 section two hundred four of this article.  Employees in employment of  a
 covered  employer for twenty-six or more consecutive weeks and employees
 in employment during the work period usual to and available during  such
 twenty-six  or  more consecutive weeks in any trade or business in which
 they are regularly employed and in which hiring from day to day of  such
 employees  is the usual employment practice shall be eligible for family
 leave benefits as provided in section two hundred four of this  article.
 FOR  PURPOSES OF THIS ARTICLE, EMPLOYEES WHO PERFORM CONSTRUCTION, DEMO-
 LITION,  RECONSTRUCTION,  EXCAVATION,  REHABILITATION,  REPAIRS,   RENO-
 VATIONS, ALTERATIONS, OR IMPROVEMENTS FOR MULTIPLE EMPLOYERS PURSUANT TO
 A  COLLECTIVE  BARGAINING  AGREEMENT  SHALL BE ELIGIBLE FOR FAMILY LEAVE
 BENEFITS IF THEY WERE EMPLOYED FOR AT LEAST TWENTY-SIX OF THE LAST THIR-
 TY-NINE WEEKS BY ANY COVERED EMPLOYER WHICH IS SIGNATORY TO A COLLECTIVE
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
              

                                                            LBD00216-01-5
 S. 50                               2
 
 BARGAINING AGREEMENT. Every such employee shall continue to be  eligible
 for  family leave benefits only during employment with a covered employ-
 er. Every such employee shall continue to  be  eligible  for  disability
 benefits  during  such  employment  and for a period of four weeks after
 such employment terminates regardless of whether the  employee  performs
 any work for remuneration or profit in non-covered employment. If during
 such four week period the employee performs any work for remuneration or
 profit  for  another covered employer the employee shall become eligible
 for disability benefits immediately with respect to that employment.  In
 addition  every  such employee who has previously completed four or more
 consecutive weeks in employment with the covered employer  for  purposes
 of  disability  benefits,  or  twenty-six  or  more consecutive weeks in
 employment with the covered employer for purposes of paid family  leave,
 and returns to work with the same employer after an agreed and specified
 unpaid  leave  of  absence or vacation without pay shall become eligible
 for benefits immediately with respect to such employment.  FOR  PURPOSES
 OF  THIS ARTICLE, EMPLOYEES WHO PERFORM CONSTRUCTION, DEMOLITION, RECON-
 STRUCTION,  EXCAVATION,  REHABILITATION,  REPAIRS,  RENOVATIONS,  ALTER-
 ATIONS,  OR IMPROVEMENTS FOR MULTIPLE EMPLOYERS PURSUANT TO A COLLECTIVE
 BARGAINING AGREEMENT AND WHO BECAME ELIGIBLE FOR PAID FAMILY LEAVE BENE-
 FITS BY WORKING AT LEAST TWENTY-SIX OF THE LAST THIRTY-NINE  WEEKS,  AND
 WHO RETURN TO WORK AFTER AN AGREED AND SPECIFIED UNPAID LEAVE OF ABSENCE
 OR VACATION WITHOUT PAY WITH THE SAME OR DIFFERENT EMPLOYER SHALL BECOME
 ELIGIBLE  FOR  FAMILY  LEAVE  BENEFITS  IMMEDIATELY WITH RESPECT TO SUCH
 EMPLOYMENT. IN THE CASE OF EMPLOYEES WHO PERFORM  CONSTRUCTION,  DEMOLI-
 TION,  RECONSTRUCTION, EXCAVATION, REHABILITATION, REPAIRS, RENOVATIONS,
 ALTERATIONS, OR  IMPROVEMENTS  FOR  MULTIPLE  EMPLOYERS  PURSUANT  TO  A
 COLLECTIVE  BARGAINING  AGREEMENT WHO ARE LAID-OFF AND RECEIVE UNEMPLOY-
 MENT BENEFITS, SUCH EMPLOYEES SHALL BE ELIGIBLE FOR FAMILY  LEAVE  BENE-
 FITS  UPON  RETURNING  TO WORK IF THEY ARE OTHERWISE QUALIFIED BY HAVING
 WORKED AT LEAST TWENTY-SIX OF THE LAST THIRTY-NINE  WEEKS.  An  employee
 who  during  a  period in which [he or she] SUCH EMPLOYEE is eligible to
 receive benefits under subdivision two of section two hundred  seven  of
 this  article  returns  to  employment  with  a  covered employer and an
 employee who is currently receiving unemployment insurance  benefits  or
 benefits under section two hundred seven of this article and who returns
 to employment with a covered employer shall become eligible for disabil-
 ity  benefits  immediately with respect to such employment.  An employee
 regularly in the employment of a single employer on a work schedule less
 than the employer's normal work week shall become eligible for disabili-
 ty leave benefits on the twenty-fifth day of such regular employment and
 for purposes of paid family leave an employer shall become eligible  for
 benefits  on  the  one hundred seventy-fifth day of such regular employ-
 ment. An employee who is eligible for disability and family leave  bene-
 fits  in  the  employment of a covered employer shall not be deemed, for
 the purposes of this article, to have such employment terminated  during
 any  period  [he  or  she] SUCH EMPLOYEE is eligible to receive benefits
 under section two hundred four of this  article  with  respect  to  such
 employment.
   § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.