Will Speros, The Riverdale Press

The state Assembly passed a paid family leave bill on Feb. 2. The legislation would allow New Yorkers up to 12 weeks of paid leave from work in light of births or family illnesses. For Democrats in the chamber, the vote signaled a long-delayed step in the right direction.

“It’s not a radical scheme,” said northwest Bronx Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz, one of the bill’s co-sponsors in the Assembly. “I think it’s in everybody’s interest for people to be able to take time off, to afford to do that, and come back to work as opposed to a business having to extend resources to train someone new. It seems like a win-win.”

Assembly Dems are proposing to fund the bill through a weekly employee payroll deduction of 45 cents during its first year. An employee utilizing his or her paid family leave will receive two-thirds of their weekly wages, allowing for a maximum benefit of almost $630 per week.

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