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Archive for April, 2014

NYC Law Requires Reasonable Accommodation for Pregnant Employees

April 10th, 2014 Comments off
2014 changes to the New York City Human Rights Law (“NYCHRL”) will treat an employee’s pregnancy much the same as a physical disability, requiring city employers with four or more employees to reasonably accommodate their employees’ pregnancy, childbirth, and related medical conditions, so long as the accommodation enables the employee to perform the essential functions of her position.
Reasonable Accommodation under the NYCHRL is defined as an accommodation that does not cause the employer an “undue hardship” which may involve evaluating the nature and cost of the accommodation and the size and financial resources of the employer.
To comply with the NYCHRL, employers must also provide a written notice of the right to be free from discrimination on the basis of pregnancy, childbirth, or a related medical condition and distribute this notice to new employees at the start of their employment and to existing employees within 120 days of the law’s effective date.  Employers that violate the NYCHRL can face private actions and liability for punitive damages and attorneys’ fees.
Categories: Employment Tags: ,

New York City Earned Sick Time Act

April 1st, 2014 Comments off

New legislation is expected to significantly expand the provisions of the New York City Earned Sick Time Act (Act). The Act, which takes effect on April 1, 2014, requires most private employers to provide up to 40 hours of paid or unpaid sick leave per year to employees working in New York City.  The proposed amendments to the Act will expand the Act’s paid sick leave requirements to cover employers with between five and fifteen employees, expand the definition of “family member,” and increase employers’ notice and record keeping requirements.

Categories: Employment Tags: , ,

New Law Makes Significant Changes to New York Estate and Gift Tax

April 1st, 2014 Comments off
The New York State legislature passed a budget bill on April 1, 2014 which will increase the New York State estate tax exemption over a four year period to $5,250,000 and, by 2019, bring the state estate tax exemption in conformity with the federal estate tax exemption.  The increased amounts are as follows:
– April 1, 2014 $2,062,500
– April 1, 2015 $3,125,000
– April 1, 2016 $4,187,500
– April 1, 2017 $5,250,000
– January 1, 2019 $5,000,000 (plus the cost of living index from 2010 – thus making the exclusion the same as the Federal exclusion amount).
In addition, the top New York State estate tax rate will be gradually reduced from 16% to 10% over the same four year period and the generation skipping transfer tax enacted in 1999 will be repealed.  More significantly, the new law will require that the value of any lifetime taxable gifts made by a New York resident decedent after March 31, 2014 be added back into the New York gross estate.  This will increase the amount of estate taxes due.   Contact Kiley, Kiley & Kiley to determine if and how the new law will impact your estate plans.
Categories: Estate Planning, Trusts and Estates, Wills Tags: , , , , ,