A flurry of legislating has resulted in Gov. Kathy Hochul’s signing close to 700 bills into law that affect paid family leave, the cost of insulin and even restaurant reservations, among other things.
As we leave 2024 behind, here’s a look at five laws that are set to change New Yorkers’ lives in 2025.
Paid prenatal leave takes effect
Tucked into Ms. Hochul’s budget this year was a provision expanding the state’s paid family leave law: Starting Jan. 1, employers must offer at least 20 hours of paid time off for pregnant employees to attend related medical appointments such as sonograms.
New York appears to be the first state to offer this form of time away from work. In arguing for the program, Ms. Hochul pointed to studies that show that mothers and children have improved health outcomes when they receive such prenatal care.
This benefit is separate from other forms of leave mandated by the state and federal government. Businesses of all sizes must offer it, and are prohibited from asking people who qualify to hand over medical information when they request the time off.
“No one should ever have to fear seeking care because of the costs it will impose or time missed from work,” Governor Hochul said in an statement in April when she announced the budget agreement.
Insulin on insurance will be cheaper
Also taking effect on Jan. 1 is a measure that eliminates co-pays for insulin covered by health insurance plans, which are state-regulated. This builds on a federal policy that capped the cost of insulin for Medicare beneficiaries at $35 a month.
About half of all states regulate the cost of insulin, but New York is the first to eliminate co-pays. The American Diabetes Association estimates that about 1.8 million adult New Yorkers have the illness, and Ms. Hochul said in April that she expected the measure to save New Yorkers $14 million in 2025.
“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,” Monica Billger, the state government affairs director at the American Diabetes Association, said in April.
Restaurant reservations will be (slightly) easier to get
Landing a prime reservation at a hot restaurant has always been something of a New York City sport. But in recent years it has become even harder as a secondary market has prospered; reservations for two at popular restaurants have been seen selling for hundreds of dollars.
To combat that, a new law taking in effect in February will crack down on the practice of selling reservations without the restaurant’s approval.
Most of the reservations are scooped up by bots, which in turn can cause chaos for restaurants, The New York Times reported. Businesses have had trouble getting a clear picture of how many diners they would be serving on a nightly basis and their bottom lines have suffered when reserved tables sit empty.
Pablo Rivero, the chief executive of Resy, a reservation service, told The Times that the new law was “a major step forward in the industry’s effort to protect restaurants and diners from reservation fraud.”
It will still be hard to get a table at Via Carota in the West Village — and the attendant chance of seeing Taylor Swift — but as Ms. Hochul wrote in her approval memo, this law will “level the playing field.”
Canceling your gym membership will also be easier
With the New Year comes resolutions to eat better and work out just a little more. Maybe that means signing up for a gym membership or restarting a monthly relationship with the nearby yoga studio.
When reality hits, an amended law will make canceling simpler and more transparent. Now, when you notify a health club you want to go back to loafing, it must process the cancellation and any refunds within 10 business days.
The updated legislation, which goes into effect in February, also expands the cancellation methods that health clubs must offer.
“This bill ensures that we empower New Yorkers to make the best choices for their health and well-being without being locked into contracts that no longer serve their needs,” said State Senator Roxanne J. Persaud, a sponsor of the bill.
Fashion models will have more protections
Come June, there will be far more oversight and labor protections for models, influencers and fashion workers in New York State.
Modeling management companies have benefited from an exemption that allows them to skirt certain regulations in some cases involving timely pay and contract exclusivity.
The bill requires modeling agencies to act in their clients’ best interest, creates methods to report harassment and also regulates how images of people can be manipulated with artificial intelligence software.
The law, which was first introduced in 2022, also limits the fees management companies can collect.
According to its sponsors, State Senator Brad Hoylman-Sigal and Assemblywoman Karines Reyes, the legislation will close “the legal loophole by which management companies escape accountability and create basic protections for fashion’s creative work force.”
The post Five Laws Going Into Effect for New York in 2025 appeared first on New York Times.
