Paid Family Leave

Dear Friends,

Strong families are the glue that keeps our communities together. As your State Senator, my top priority is taking steps to ensure that you and your family have the opportunities to live and thrive, and to be together in the times that matter. 

This year, I proudly helped pass the most comprehensive paid family leave package in the nation. When fully implemented, it will provide 12 weeks of paid leave to someone taking care of a newborn, aiding an ailing family member or in need of time home due to the deployment of a relative on active duty in the armed forces.

Tending to an infant or caring for a sick parent are important moments you should have the opportunity to be there for. You shouldn’t have to worry about job security or how to make ends meet during these important, emotionally taxing times. Paid family leave ensures you don’t have to make a choice between work or family. 

Here’s how the program works:

• Beginning in 2018, benefits will begin at 50 percent of an employee’s wage, with a cap of 50 percent of the statewide average salary.
• By 2021, employees will be eligible for 67 percent of his or her salary, with a cap of 67 percent of the statewide average.
• The program will be funded via a nominal payroll deduction on employees, costing businesses nothing.
• Employees will be eligible for paid family leave after 6 months of employment.

There’s nothing that matters more than family. I’m proud to have helped pass an historic paid family leave package that shows just that. Going forward, I look forward to continuing my efforts to make New York State an even more vibrant place to work, live and raise a family, for all of our families.

Respectfully,

Senator Bill Larkin
39th Senatorial District