Nick Reisman is reporting for State of Politics a record number of workers in New York filed for paid family leave in 2021 as the law was fully phased in. Gov. Kathy Hochul's office June 17, announced nearly 147,000 claims for paid family leave were filed last year; since the program went into effect in 2018 more than 543,000 claims have been paid. New York's paid family leave law was approved in 2016 under then-Gov. Andrew Cuomo. The measure was fully enacted in 2021, providing up to 12 weeks of paid leave at 67 percent of a worker's salary. The measure is meant to help workers take time off to care for a sick loved one or bond with a newborn. "No one should have to choose between caring for a loved one and a paycheck, and today's findings demonstrate how critical paid family leave is, especially for working-class New Yorkers," Hochul said. The law is set to expand again in 2023 when family members can take time off to care for a sibling. Read the full story at nystateofpolitics [dot] com.