On October 21, 2015, Governor Cuomo signed into law a series of bills that are collectively known as the Women’s Equality Act (“WEA”), which will affect every employer in New York State. Most of the bills comprising the WEA expand existing New York laws to provide greater protections to women in the workplace. These parts of the WEA strengthen New York’s pay equity laws, create new protected classes under the New York Human Rights Law, expand the number of New York employers covered by the sexual harassment laws, enhance penalties for violation of the sex discrimination laws, and require accommodations for pregnant employees. Other parts of the WEA amend the housing discrimination laws to protect victims of domestic violence and strengthen existing laws to combat human trafficking. The parts of the WEA affecting the workplace become effective on January 19, 2016.

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