When Governor Cuomo signed several women’s rights bills into law last year, it was an important victory. That’s because enacting full equality for women has always been one of my top priorities – not just as an Assemblymember, but as a husband and father of two remarkable daughters.

As of Jan. 19, those laws are now in effect. That means all working women in New York State now have legal protection against wage discrimination, sexual harassment and unfair limitations based on pregnancy or familial status. Survivors of domestic violence and human trafficking, a group that is overwhelmingly female, now have more protections as they move forward with their lives.¹ And when employers or creditors discriminate based on sex, successful plaintiffs can now recover their attorney fees.

These changes will have real-world benefits for women. For example, employers are now explicitly prohibited from retaliating against workers who discuss their salaries, which means women can find out whether they make as much as their male coworkers. The new laws also enact protections against sexual harassment in very small companies, provisions that weren’t in place before. Employers also have to make reasonable accommodations for pregnant employees, and landlords are no longer allowed to discriminate against or evict domestic violence survivors based on their status as victims.

Looking backward at the enormous hurdles that women have faced throughout our state’s history, it’s easy to see that we’re making progress. But we must keep looking forward to the work that still needs to be done. During the 2016 legislative session, I will continue to work toward enacting paid family and medical leave so workers can take time off to care for their loved ones without risking their job and financial stability. I will also work to guarantee women the right to make their own reproductive health decisions.

These new laws empower women with the tools to fight for a future where equality is reality, and I will continue to be a strong ally in that fight.

If you have any questions or concerns about this or any other community issue, please don’t hesitate to contact my office at StirpeA@assembly.state.ny.us or by calling 315-452-1115.

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