Governor Hochul Launches Fully Paid Paternity Leave Initiative for New York State Employees

Governor Kathy Hochul has launched a nation-leading initiative to provide fully paid child care benefits to New York State employees. The Governor announced in a newsletter that more than 10,000 unrepresented public employees will be eligible for 12 weeks of fully paid leave for use in connection with a newborn, foster or adopted child. Most employees will be able to go on vacation from today.

“The dedicated New Yorkers who keep our state moving should not be forced to choose between a paycheck and caring for their child, and this policy will make New York State a model for helping working families.” Governor Hochul said. “My administration is committed to giving our public servants the support they need because it’s not only good for their families, it’s good policy.”

Despite the well-documented positive benefits of paid parental leave for maternal and child health, as well as family economic security and labor force retention, the United States is the only developed country in the world that does not have a national paid parental leave policy. New parents and guardians are subject to a variety of different federal, state, and local leave regulations in addition to any employer-sponsored benefits.

Governor Hochul first announced this initiative as part of her 2023 State of the Union report. Since then, the Office of Labor Relations (OER) and the Department of Public Service have been working to create the program and make it available to unrepresented government employees. Under the policy released today, all non-represented executive employees who work full-time or work at least 50 percent part-time are eligible for this benefit, with eligibility beginning on their first day of service. OER will continue to engage state unions to extend this benefit to their employees through collective bargaining.

Director of Human Resources Michael Volforte said: “Paid parental leave will go a long way for working families, helping parents take care of their children without fear of losing their paycheck. Under Governor Hole’s leadership, I look forward to working with our union partners to bring fully paid parental leave to New York State workers.”

This was stated by New York State Public Service Commissioner Timothy R. Hogs.“Giving paid parental leave to New York State employees will truly help our hardworking government employees provide for their children and strengthen family bonds. This is just one of many actions Governor Hochul is taking to strengthen and support the dedicated public servants of New York State, and the Department of Public Service is excited to advance the Governor’s vision.”

New York has long been a leader in providing parental leave benefits, with the passage of the state’s Paid Family Leave (PFL) law in 2016. In 2021, Governor Hochul signed into law a bill expanding the scope of the law to include caring for a seriously ill sibling.