East Hudson Valley News

Assemblyman Matt Slater and Assemblymember Kimberly Jean-Pierre are championing for the expansion of paid military family leave in New York. Slater, in partnership with Jean-Pierre, has signed onto a letter advocating for paid family leave for military spouses, children, parents, and/or domestic partners, regardless of where the service member is deployed.

"I was stunned to learn the state’s paid family leave does not properly support military spouses when our brave soldiers are deployed. This wrong must be corrected, and I appreciate Assemblymember Jean-Pierre’s partnership on this critically important issue that will serve as a national model," expressed Slater.

Jean-Pierre emphasized the importance of paid family leave for both domestic and international deployments, stating, "Paid family leave for domestic and international deployments is critical to the financial stability of our military families. Service members who are deployed within the United States should not have to exhaust their paid time off before having access to paid family leave. Regardless of the location of their deployment, service members are sacrificing time away from their families and deserve to have the security of paid family leave."

The current law in New York restricts paid family leave to service members deployed to foreign countries, leaving some residents in a difficult situation where they have to use all their paid time off before qualifying for family leave. This has led to service members and their families facing financial challenges during critical times.

Assemblymember Jean-Pierre, who chairs the Veterans Affairs Committee, is dedicated to ensuring that active-duty service members and veterans receive the benefits they deserve for their sacrifices in service to the country. The collaboration between Slater and Jean-Pierre aims to rectify the existing limitations and provide better support for military families in New York.