New York Governor Proposes Paid Leave for Prenatal Care

In her State of the State address, the governor of New York announced a proposal to expand the state’s paid family leave (PFL) program to provide prenatal leave [Office of Governor Kathy Hochul, State of the State, 1-4-24].

Under the proposal, employers would be required to provide employees with 40 hours of paid leave to attend prenatal medical appointments (before the birth of a baby). According to the governor, New York would be the first state to offer prenatal leave. The plan would need to be included in legislation, passed by both houses of the state legislature, and signed by the governor to become law.

Under the state’s current PFL program, benefits are not available until four weeks before a child’s birth after a seven-day waiting period. Adding prenatal care as a separate qualifying event under the PFL program would enable pregnant workers to ensure their medical needs are met without using up leave available for bonding with the baby after the birth, according to the governor.

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Lia Coniglio, Esq., is Managing Editor of PayState Update and Senior Manager of State Payroll Information Resources for PayrollOrg.