S2175

The New York State Senate passed S2175, sponsored by Sen. Kennedy, which amends the Workers' Compensation Law. The bill received 62 affirmative votes and was approved without recorded debate. The measure takes effect January 1.

The New York State Senate unanimously passed legislation Tuesday that would add stillbirth as a qualifying condition for paid family leave, allowing grieving parents to take time off work without losing income during their bereavement. Senate Print 2175, sponsored by Sen. Tim Kennedy, passed 61-0 on a roll call vote. The bill recognizes that approximately 3,000 stillbirths occur annually in New York State, or roughly 1 in 160 births. Kennedy shared personal testimony about the loss of his daughter, Brigid Nicole, who lived for four minutes in 2007, and his sister's stillborn son in 2004. "This is personal for all of those families, including many in this room here today," Kennedy said. Sen. Scarcella-Spanton cited a case where a mother had to use accumulated vacation days after her stillborn son's death, losing time with her newborn daughter. The legislation drew bipartisan support, with senators praising it as overdue recognition of the impact of stillbirth on families. Sen. May expressed strong support while calling for the state to expand bereavement leave policies to cover other types of family losses. Sen. Martins noted the legislation should have been included when paid family leave was originally enacted. The bill takes effect January 1.