Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi joined Governor Andrew Cuomo at the West Side YMCA for a rally Thursday to try to push a paid family leave bill through the state legislature.
Pelosi, is a Democrat from California, one of only three states that offer paid family leave.
As envisioned, the proposal would fund, using employee contributions, up to 12 weeks of paid family leave -- to care for a sick child, a sick parent or to help after the birth of a child.
There is federal family leave but it isn't paid, and Pelosi backs making it national law.
"Expanding paid family leave is a key pillar of what leading economists in the united states have been talking about - and that is when women succeed, America succeeds," Pelosi said.
"Now if an employee goes to an employer and says. 'I need a few weeks off', they'll probably say, 'Take a few weeks, by the way take a few more weeks, by the way, don't bother coming back because I'm gonna replace you.' So there are times in life when you need to tend to family," Cuomo said.
Cuomo is also pushing for a minimum wage hike to $15 an hour.
Republican insiders have called it unlikely the Republican controlled Senate would do both, as is, in the same year.