(The Center Square) — New York will usher in a host of new laws in 2025 that will expand paid leave and worker’s compensation benefits, reduce the cost of insulin for diabetes patients and make it easier to get a restaurant reservation or cancel a gym membership.
Topping the new laws that go into effect on Jan. 1 is the state’s new paid pre-natal leave policy, allowing pregnant employees to take 20 hours of paid leave for a long list of pregnancy-related doctor visits.
Under the new law, approved as part of the state budget, employers will be required to offer 20 hours of paid leave for expectant mothers in addition to existing sick leave. The policy covers physical examinations, medical procedures, testing and monitoring, fertility treatment and abortions, according to the Hochul administration.
The New York State Department of Labor estimates about 130,000 pregnant women a year will be eligible for the new benefit, with about 65,800 of them hourly workers.
“Hardworking New Yorkers shouldn’t have to worry about how they’ll buy food or pay rent when they need time off to care for a new child or family member with a serious health condition, or get injured on the job,” Gov. Kathy Hochul said in a statement. “Likewise, business owners who have their own bills to pay and families to support also need affordable solutions.”
New York workers will also benefit from an increase in the state’s minimum workers’ compensation weekly benefit to $325 per week, approved under legislation signed into law by Hochul in September 2023. That’s up from $275 per week in 2024, according to the Hochul administration. Before Jan. 1, 2024, the minimum weekly benefit was $150 per week for over a decade.
Meanwhile, the workers’ compensation assessment rate for employers in 2025 will be 7.1% of the standard premium or premium equivalent – a 22% decrease from 2024 – which the Hochul administration says will save New York businesses $191 million.
Another New York law taking effect on Jan. 1 will eliminate patient co-pays for insulin covered by private health insurance plans, which are state-regulated.
In New York, more than 1.8 million adults, or 11.7% of the state’s adult population, have been diagnosed with diabetes, according to the American Diabetes Association. An additional 92,000 are newly diagnosed with diabetes every year, the group said.
“New York has taken a transformative step in the state budget to address medication affordability and accessibility,” Monica Billger, the association’s state government affairs director, said in a recent statement. “We know that an individual’s ability to manage diabetes and prevent life-threatening complications is directly tied to their ability to access the medication they so desperately need.”
A new law taking effect in February seeks to crack down on the practice of selling restaurant reservations at popular New York City eateries, which has created a flourishing secondary market. It makes it costly for consumers to get a seat at local restaurants.
Another new state law will make it easier for New Yorkers to cancel their gym memberships by requiring clubs to process cancellations within 10 business days of receiving notice, cutting through a cumbersome process that has long plagued health-conscious consumers.
The new law, signed as part of a consumer protection package by Hochul in November, provides an out for those committing to their New Year’s resolution fitness goals who decide to back out later.
“By expanding the options for cancellation and making the process easier, we are standing up for consumers and ensuring they can make decisions that fit their lives,” state Sen. Roxanne Persaud, D-Brooklyn, a primary sponsor of the bill, said in a statement.
