Res 0936-2025

Whereas, The New York State ("NYS" or "State") Paid Family Leave (PFL) Law currently provides up to 12 weeks of paid, job-protected leave to eligible employees to bond with a new child, care for a family member with a serious health condition, or assist with military deployment-related needs; and Whereas, Bonding leave is generally reserved for a parent of a child, and the PFL Law does not allow a parent to transfer their unused paid bonding leave to a non-parent caregiver such as a grandparent, even when that caregiver is the primary person providing care to the child during the bonding period; and Whereas, Grandparents have long served critical roles in family structures, which are shaped by changing demographic trends, including increasing life expectancy, and cultural expectations; and Whereas, New York City ("NYC" or "City") is home to more than 8.3 million residents across diverse and multigenerational households, where caregiving responsibilities are often shared among grandparents, extended relatives, stepparents, and chosen family members; and Whereas, These caregiving arrangements are particularly common among low-income families, single parent households, and immigrant communities where kin-based support is culturally significant; and Whereas, In NYC, according to the latest United States Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 203,204 grandparents live with their grandchildren under the age of 18, with 22.8 percent of those grandparents responsible for their grandchildren and 39.8 percent in the labor force; and Whereas, The inflexibility of current PFL provisions can force parents to forfeit unused bonding leave rather than reallocate it to the person caring for their child; and Whereas, Sweden offers a model of expanded caregiver eligibility, permitting parents to transfer up to 45 days of their paid parental leave to another adult caregiver, including a grandparent or close family friend, and up to 90 days for single parents; and Whereas, Allowing the transfer of bonding leave to non-parent caregivers would increase flexibility for working families, reduce child care burdens, and acknowledge the essential role that grandparents and extended kin often play in caregiving; now, therefore, be it Resolved, That the Council of the City of New York calls on the New York State Legislature to introduce, and the Governor to sign, legislation to amend the Paid Family Leave Benefits Law to allow unused paid leave to be transferred to grandparents and other designated caregivers. CGR LS #18705 5/22/2025 5:09 PM 2