New year, new laws.
A number of new state measures will take effect in New York the moment 2024 rolls into 2025, including a bump in the minimum wage and a revamp of fare-evasion penalties in the New York City public transit system.
Drivers, meanwhile, will be subject to a new point system that governs when their licenses can be suspended, while pregnant women will be in line for mandatory paid time off for prenatal medical visits.
Here’s a look at some of the new laws coming to New York in 2025:
Minimum wage up to $16.50 in NYC
New York’s minimum wage is set to increase again.
The hourly minimum wage for non-tipped workers will hit $16.50 on Jan. 1 in New York City, Westchester County and on Long Island, up from the current $16.
In the rest of the state, it’ll be $15.50, up from $15.
It’s the second of three yearly increases Hochul and lawmakers approved in the 2023-24 state budget . In 2026, the wage will increase to $17 downstate and $16 in the rest of the state.
Beginning in 2027, future increases in the minimum wage will be automatically tied to the rate of inflation — though the governor’s budget office could step in to block them in poor economic conditions.