Happy New Year and Welcome to 2023!

During the new year, many people decide to make changes in their lives. These changes are usually called resolutions- New Year’s resolutions (1). 

Well, we, the people, are the only ones making resolutions in the New Year. 

Our governor (2), Kathy Hochul, has signed in some new laws for New York for the New Year!

1. One new law for the new year is about voting. In New York, there are many people who do not vote. It is a big problem. New York has one of the worst voter turnouts (3) in the United States! To change this, politicians (4) have decided to give New Yorkers more time to register (5) to vote. Before January 1st 2023, New Yorkers had up to 10 days to register to vote. Now, New Yorkers have up to 25 days before an election to register to vote!  Hopefully this will help give more New Yorkers more time to register to vote and then show up to vote!

2. Another new law to begin with the new year is paid family leave for siblings (brothers or sisters)!  This is an amazing change! Paid leave means that workers get paid to leave work to take care of someone in their family if they are very sick. For example, families that have just had children get paid leave to take care of their new babies. Now, if your brother or sister is sick and you need to care for them, you can ask for paid family leave!

3. One final law put into place is no cosmetic (6) testing on animals in New York! This law makes it illegal (against the law) to test make-up and other products on animals. If companies break this law, they can be charged $5,000 and an extra $1,000 every day after!

There are more new laws where these came from, and it is always important to learn about the law and rules of your state and city! 

For more news on the laws and changes happening in New York, you can find information at the Gothamist website below!

Source: New year, new laws: Here are some taking effect in NY on Jan. 1 – Gothamist

Vocabulary:

1. Resolution (1) – a promise to yourself to do something
2. Governor (2) – someone who is officially responsible for controlling a region, city, or organization:
3. Voter turnout (3) – the number of people who show up to vote
4. Politician (4) – someone who works in politics, especially a member of the government
5. To register (5) – to put information, especially your name, into an official list or record
6. Cosmetic (6) –  something that you put on your face or body that is intended to improve your appearance