STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 8931 IN ASSEMBLY January 30, 2024 ___________ Introduced by M. of A. BRONSON -- read once and referred to the Commit- tee on Labor AN ACT to amend the workers' compensation law, in relation to extending paid family leave benefits The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows: 1 Section 1. Section 203 of the workers' compensation law, as amended by 2 section 3 of part SS of chapter 54 of the laws of 2016, is amended to 3 read as follows: 4 § 203. Employees eligible for benefits under section two hundred four 5 of this article. Employees in employment of a covered employer for four 6 or more consecutive weeks and employees in employment during the work 7 period usual to and available during such four or more consecutive weeks 8 in any trade or business in which they are regularly employed and in 9 which hiring from day to day of such employees is the usual employment 10 practice shall be eligible for disability benefits as provided in 11 section two hundred four of this article. Employees in employment of a 12 covered employer for twenty-six or more consecutive weeks and employees 13 in employment during the work period usual to and available during such 14 twenty-six or more consecutive weeks in any trade or business in which 15 they are regularly employed and in which hiring from day to day of such 16 employees is the usual employment practice shall be eligible for family 17 leave benefits as provided in section two hundred four of this article. 18 For purposes of this article, employees who perform construction, demo- 19 lition, reconstruction, excavation, rehabilitation, repairs, reno- 20 vations, alterations, or improvements for multiple employers pursuant to 21 a collective bargaining agreement shall be eligible for family leave 22 benefits if they were employed for at least twenty-six of the last thir- 23 ty-nine weeks by any covered employer which is signatory to a collective 24 bargaining agreement. Every such employee shall continue to be eligible 25 for family leave benefits only during employment with a covered employ- 26 er. Every such employee shall continue to be eligible for disability 27 benefits during such employment and for a period of four weeks after 28 such employment terminates regardless of whether the employee performs EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [] is old law to be omitted. LBD03554-01-3A. 8931 2 1 any work for remuneration or profit in non-covered employment. If during 2 such four week period the employee performs any work for remuneration or 3 profit for another covered employer the employee shall become eligible 4 for disability benefits immediately with respect to that employment. In 5 addition every such employee who has previously completed four or more 6 consecutive weeks in employment with the covered employer for purposes 7 of disability benefits, or twenty-six or more consecutive weeks in 8 employment with the covered employer for purposes of paid family leave, 9 and returns to work with the same employer after an agreed and specified 10 unpaid leave of absence or vacation without pay shall become eligible 11 for benefits immediately with respect to such employment. For purposes 12 of this article, employees who perform construction, demolition, recon- 13 struction, excavation, rehabilitation, repairs, renovations, alter- 14 ations, or improvements for multiple employers pursuant to a collective 15 bargaining agreement and who became eligible for paid family leave bene- 16 fits by working at least twenty-six of the last thirty-nine weeks, and 17 who return to work after an agreed and specified unpaid leave of absence 18 or vacation without pay with the same or different employer shall become 19 eligible for family leave benefits immediately with respect to such 20 employment. In the case of employees who perform construction, demoli- 21 tion, reconstruction, excavation, rehabilitation, repairs, renovations, 22 alterations, or improvements for multiple employers pursuant to a 23 collective bargaining agreement who are laid-off and receive unemploy- 24 ment benefits, such employees shall be eligible for family leave bene- 25 fits upon returning to work if they are otherwise qualified by having 26 worked at least twenty-six of the last thirty-nine weeks. An employee 27 who during a period in which he or she is eligible to receive benefits 28 under subdivision two of section two hundred seven of this article 29 returns to employment with a covered employer and an employee who is 30 currently receiving unemployment insurance benefits or benefits under 31 section two hundred seven of this article and who returns to employment 32 with a covered employer shall become eligible for disability benefits 33 immediately with respect to such employment. An employee regularly in 34 the employment of a single employer on a work schedule less than the 35 employer's normal work week shall become eligible for disability leave 36 benefits on the twenty-fifth day of such regular employment and for 37 purposes of paid family leave an employer shall become eligible for 38 benefits on the one hundred seventy-fifth day of such regular employ- 39 ment. An employee who is eligible for disability and family leave bene- 40 fits in the employment of a covered employer shall not be deemed, for 41 the purposes of this article, to have such employment terminated during 42 any period he or she is eligible to receive benefits under section two 43 hundred four of this article with respect to such employment. 44 § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.