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Assemblywoman Barbara Lifton (D/WFP-125AD, Tompkins/Cortland) praised the passage of Paid Family Leave as part of the 2016-2017 New York State budget agreement. Under the proposal approved by the Governor and state legislature, New York workers will be eligible for up to 12 weeks of paid leave from work to care for a newborn or an ailing family member.

"This is critical legislation that is long overdue," said Lifton. "New Yorkers shouldn't have to choose between their jobs and their loved ones, but increasingly families are being forced to make this decision. I've championed Paid Family Leave in the Assembly repeatedly over the years, and the Assembly has voted for it many times. We are very happy that the Governor and the Senate have joined with us in enacting this historic law that is so important to working families."

Under the proposal, starting in 2018, workers will be eligible for 50 percent of an employee's annual average wage, capped at half the state weekly average wage. In 2021, the number will rise to two-thirds of an employee's annual average wage, capped at 67 percent of the state weekly average wage. The program will be funded by payroll deductions, costing workers approximately $1 per week.

"Implementing this legislation puts families first and increases fairness and opportunity," said Lifton. "New Yorkers shouldn't have to choose between their financial security and their families."

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