Enacts the "sick leave for pets care act"; allows employees to receive paid sick leave for the medical diagnosis or treatment of such employees' sick pets.
NEW YORK STATE ASSEMBLY MEMORANDUM IN SUPPORT OF LEGISLATION submitted in accordance with Assembly Rule III, Sec 1(f)
BILL NUMBER: A791
SPONSOR: De Los Santos TITLE OF BILL:
An act to amend the labor law, in relation to allowing employees to
receive paid sick leave to care for a sick pet
PURPOSE OR GENERAL IDEA OF BILL:
To allow employees to receive paid sick leave to care for a sick pet
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:
Amends Section 1, subparagraphs (ii) and (iii) of paragraph (a) and
paragraph (b) of subdivision 4 of section 196-b of the Labor Law Subpar-
agraph (iv) of paragraph (a) adds care for an employee's covered animal
(defined in paragraph (b)) to accrued sick leave.
DIFFERENCE BETWEEN ORIGINAL AND AMENDED VERSION (IF APPLICABLE):
Click here to enter text.
JUSTIFICATION:
As of 2023, pet ownership per household has increased to 66% from 56% in
1988. Additionally, a growing number of younger workers and people
entering the workforce are pet owners, with Millennials accounting for
33% of all pet owners, Gen X accounting for 25% and Gen Z accounting for
16%.
Pet owners consider pets to be a part of their family, something that's
especially true for owners who are younger without children or older
without children to care for in the home. Pet ownership can have
substantial benefits to our health and mental health, and attentive pet
ownership helps the animal live a healthier, happier life. Therefore,
making pet ownership easier is a mutual benefit to both the pet and the
owner. And so, the ability to care for a pet when ill or in need of a
visit to the vet (an appointment that can often be difficult to secure
around regular working hours) is also beneficial to that mutual
relationship.
Permitting paid sick leave in order to care for a pet eases the ability
to be a good and attentive pet owner. It will offer employees flexibili-
ty to schedule appointments for their pet and allow the ability to care
for a pet without the stress of leaving the animal to experience illness
alone - or needing to pay a sitter to care for them - at a time when
there is a growing importance and value for pet ownership and when pet
ownership is on the rise.
PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY: :
Click here to enter text.
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS FOR STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENTS: :
Click here to enter text.
EFFECTIVE DATE: Immediately
https://www.statista.com/statistics/198086/us- household-penetration-
rates for-pet-owning-since-2007/
https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2023
/07/07/about-half-us-of-pet-o wners-say- their-pets-are-as-much-a-part-
of-their-family-as-a-human-member/ :-:
text=Here%20are%20the%20guestions%2Oused,of%20those%20in%20the%20s
uburbs.
https://www.statista.com/statistics/1130651 /pet-ownership-by-genera-
tion-us/
STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
791
2025-2026 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY(Prefiled)
January 8, 2025
___________
Introduced by M. of A. DE LOS SANTOS -- read once and referred to the
Committee on Labor
AN ACT to amend the labor law, in relation to allowing employees to
receive paid sick leave to care for a sick pet
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. Short title. This act shall be known and may be cited as
2 the "sick leave for pet care act".
3 § 2. Subparagraphs (ii) and (iii) of paragraph a and paragraph b of
4 subdivision 4 of section 196-b of the labor law, as added by section 1
5 of part J of chapter 56 of the laws of 2020, are amended to read as
6 follows:
7 (ii) for the diagnosis, care, or treatment of a mental or physical
8 illness, injury or health condition of, or need for medical diagnosis
9 of, or preventive care for, such employee or such employee's family
10 member; [or]
11 (iii) for an absence from work due to any of the following reasons
12 when the employee or employee's family member has been the victim of
13 domestic violence pursuant to subdivision thirty-four of section two
14 hundred ninety-two of the executive law, a family offense, sexual
15 offense, stalking, or human trafficking:
16 (a) to obtain services from a domestic violence shelter, rape crisis
17 center, or other services program;
18 (b) to participate in safety planning, temporarily or permanently
19 relocate, or take other actions to increase the safety of the employee
20 or employee's family members;
21 (c) to meet with an attorney or other social services provider to
22 obtain information and advice on, and prepare for or participate in any
23 criminal or civil proceeding;
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD00703-01-5
A. 791 2
1 (d) to file a complaint or domestic incident report with law enforce-
2 ment;
3 (e) to meet with a district attorney's office;
4 (f) to enroll children in a new school; or
5 (g) to take any other actions necessary to ensure the health or safety
6 of the employee or the employee's family member or to protect those who
7 associate or work with the employee.
8 For purposes of this [subdivision] subparagraph, the reasons outlined
9 above in [subparagraph] clauses (a) through (g) must be related to the
10 domestic violence, family offense, sexual offense, stalking, or human
11 trafficking. Provided further that a person who has committed such
12 domestic violence, family offense, sexual offense, stalking, or human
13 trafficking shall not be eligible for leave under this subdivision for
14 situations in which the person committed such offense and was not a
15 victim, notwithstanding any family relationship; or
16 (iv) for the diagnosis, care, or treatment of a physical illness,
17 injury or health condition of, or need for medical diagnosis of, or
18 preventive care for, such employee's covered animal.
19 b. For purposes of this section, "family member" shall mean an employ-
20 ee's child, spouse, domestic partner, parent, sibling, grandchild or
21 grandparent; and the child or parent of an employee's spouse or domestic
22 partner. "Parent" shall mean a biological, foster, step- or adoptive
23 parent, or a legal guardian of an employee, or a person who stood in
24 loco parentis when the employee was a minor child. "Child" shall mean a
25 biological, adopted or foster child, a legal ward, or a child of an
26 employee standing in loco parentis. "Covered animal" shall mean an
27 employee's animal that is a service animal or an animal kept primarily
28 for companionship in compliance with all applicable laws.
29 § 3. This act shall take effect immediately.
