STATEWIDE – A MINIMUM-WAGE INCREASE, a paid-prenatal leave law and the end of insulin co-pays are part of a New Year’s gift package to New York residents. Gov. Kathy Hochul announced on Friday, Jan. 3 that three new policies for which she fought are now in effect. One new law increases New York’s minimum wage for three years and then ties future increases to inflation. On Jan. 1, 2024, the State minimum wage increased to $16 in New York City and neighboring counties; another 50 cent increase took effect on Jan. 1, 2025, with the next becoming effective on Jan. 1, 2026. Beginning in 2027, the minimum wage will increase annually by the three-year moving average of the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W) for the Northeast Region. An “off-ramp” is available in the event of certain economic or budget conditions. As part of a first-in-the-nation law, any privately-employed pregnant New Yorker can now receive an additional 20 hours of paid leave for prenatal care, in addition to New York State Paid Family Leave, existing employer-provided leave and existing sick leave benefits. And in the most expansive of these laws, insulin cost-sharing is now prohibited, with the goals of financial relief to New Yorkers and improved adherence to these life-saving medications.