Leader Stewart-Cousins Joins Advocates for Working Families in Call for Passage of Paid Family Leave Insurance Bill

Democratic Conference Leader Stewart-Cousins, joined by Senators Addabbo and Krueger, urged her colleagues in the Senate to pass the Paid Family Leave Insurance Bill (S.4742-B) before the end of session at a press conference held on Monday, June 9th. The bill, which passed the Assembly in March and is sponsored by Senator Addabbo in the Senate, would provide workers with up to 12 weeks of partial wages during time off from work taken to care for an infant or seriously ill family member. This bill would be entirely employee-paid through small payroll deductions that start at just $0.45 cents and rise to roughly $0.88 a week over four years. 

The Leader said, "Passing paid family leave is not just the right thing to do, it is the right economic thing to do. We have a responsibility to ensure that hard working New Yorkers are not financially penalized when they must take time to care for a loved one. Implementing these common sense reforms will lead to a more committed workforce that is better able to contribute to the state economy and care for relatives during their times of need."