Governor Cuomo has signed legislation that will significantly change New York legislation regarding powers of attorney.  The legislation, Chapter 323 of the 2020 Session Laws, will be effective 180 days from yesterday, December 15.  The signing was accompanied by an agreement to amend the legislation (principally, to require that two disinterested witnesses sign the power in addition to the notarization).  It is anticipated that the amendment will be enacted prior to the effective date of Chapter 323.

On November 11, 2020, Governor Cuomo signed into law an amendment to the New York Worker Adjustment and Retraining Act (“NY WARN”), which significantly expands notification requirements for covered employers facing mass layoffs, plant closings, relocations, or other triggering employment losses.

Late on Monday, October 19, 2020, the New York State Department of Labor began issuing guidance on the New York State Sick Leave Law, which was added to the State’s Labor Law in April of this year.

In case you haven’t heard… it’s election season! New York’s amended voting leave law (see our blog post for more on the April 2020 amendments) now requires employers to provide employees with up to two hours of paid leave at the beginning or end of their shift as necessary to enable them to vote.

Just in time for the holiday weekend, the New York State Department of Financial Services (DFS) released its Paid Family Leave (PFL) employee premium rate and benefit level increase information for 2021.