New York's New "20 Hour Rule" Is Now In Effect

Today is the start of the New Year and with that comes plenty of new changes to laws across New York State.

One of the biggest changes is a huge benefit to soon-to-be parents.

As of today, a new law in New York State will require all private-sector employers in the state to offer pregnant mothers at least 20 hours of paid leave per year for prenatal appointments.

These "hours" can be used for many different reasons including:

physical examinations
medical procedures
monitoring
testing
discussions with a health care provider needed to ensure a healthy pregnancy
end of pregnancy care
fertility treatment

The 20 hours are only available to the person who is pregnant. Spouses, partners, or other support people are not entitled to 20 hours of paid leave, even if they attend the appointments.

Private-sector employers are considered any employers who employ at least one person outside a government agency.

New York State is the first state in America to require private-sector employers to offer extra time off for prenatal appointments.

You can learn more about the new law by clicking HERE.

There are plenty more laws also now in effect across New York State since we are now in 2025.

Other new laws include another raise in the minimum wage. There will be changes in how restaurants can take reservations and about adding mandatory tipping to bills.

There was also a new change to the New York State Constitution, where the wording on who is protected by the laws of the state has been changed to include covering race, color, creed, and religion.

New Laws That Start In 2024 In New York State

This year was a very busy year for the New York State government. Overall 682 bills were introduced passed by the legislative and signed by Gov. Kathy Hochul this year.

Gallery Credit: Dave Fields