ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WROC) - Among the new laws taking effect in 2025: paid prenatal leave for pregnant workers in New York State. News 8 heard from the state labor commissioner on the push for this change and how it will affect New Yorkers. "It's really about affordability. We know that New York State is a wonderful place to live and raise a family. This just adds to that. Now, you don't have to make that painful choice between a paycheck and a check-up," said Roberta Reardon, New York State Labor Commissioner. The new legislation requires all private sector employers in New York to provide up to 20 hours of paid prenatal leave for pregnant workers. "We ran some numbers and we found out there are approximately 125,000 pregnant workers a year across New York. With using the average wage across the state, that means over $500 for that worker over that year and that's a significant amount of money," said Reardon. State leaders call it a gamechanger for those expecting, and a major step forward in reproductive health care as well as financial savings. Reardon also addresses the possibility of retaliation in the future. "Certainly with prenatal, if you are retaliated against, you should let us know and we will pursue that with your employer. We're working very closely with the business community to make sure they understand these new responsibilities and for the most part, the overwhelming amount of employers want to make sure they're doing the right thing. They want to comply with the law and want to have a healthy workforce and this is actually part of it," she said.