New Assistance for Families Quarantined Due to COVID-19

Posted: March 19, 2020 in Health, In the News

            Assemblyman Kevin Byrne (R,C,Ref-Mahopac) is proud to announce bipartisan legislation (A.10153) which extends New York’s paid family leave program to those who are under government-mandated quarantine due to the COVID-19 outbreak, passed the Assembly with his support and was recently signed into law by Governor Cuomo on March 18, 2020.

            “COVID-19 is not only a public health crisis, it is also a financial crisis for many New Yorkers,” said Byrne. “This is because, in an effort to continue to reduce the spread of COVID-19, federal and state governments have taken unprecedented actions to reduce density and large crowds. In doing so, many businesses are now closed or in other ways limited, which has had a huge impact on both businesses and employees. These actions, while necessary, have created enormous challenges for hard-working New Yorkers by eliminating their ability to earn income due to being quarantined. I am proud to be a part of this bi-partisan legislation which puts money in the pockets of workers during a government mandated quarantine.”

“In addition to this piece of legislation, I have already joined many of my colleagues in support of conference’s proposed Small Business Emergency Recovery Act of 2020 to ensure businesses themselves will be able survive this crisis. Right now, many small businesses on Main Street are limited in how they can produce and sell their products and/ or services. We must act now to ensure our small businesses have the support they need to survive and recover once the existing public health emergency concludes.

We must work to ensure that New York stays afloat during this crisis.  This is one way we can do so.”

Assemblyman Kevin Byrne is the ranking member of the Assembly Health Committee and represents the 94th Assembly District, including portions of Westchester and Putnam Counties.