March 27, 2025
Albany, NY
Earlier today, Governor Kathy Hochul visited Watervliet Elementary School to speak with students and parents about her 2025 State of the State Affordability Agenda.
“I made a promise to New Yorkers: their family would be my fight,” Governor Hochul said. “ With rising costs making it harder for families to make ends meet, my Affordability Agenda promises to put more money back in their pockets–up to $5,000 more for many New York families. That’s what I am fighting for and that’s what this year’s Budget is all about.”
To make New York more affordable for families, Governor Hochul’s Affordability Agenda would:
- Provide universal free school meals for New York’s 2.7 million school children
- Reduce middle class taxes to their lowest level in 70 years
- Return up to $500 to families in a first-of-its-kind Inflation Refund Check
- Increase the Child Tax Credit to $1,000 for children ages 0-3 and $500 for children ages 4-16
- Put New York on the path to universal child care and invest $110 million in child care capital funding
- Distribute free diapers and other supplies for 100,000 Babies
- Advance a nation-leading legislative proposal to improve maternal and infant health through the provision of a birth allowance — the New York State BABY Benefit
The Governor’s Affordability Agenda builds on her strong record of advancing policies that aim to make New York a place where all families can thrive. That record includes a historic $25 billion investment to increase the supply of affordable housing in the state, launching the country’s first-ever statewide paid prenatal leave policy to support working mothers, fighting to prevent utility rate hikes in the state and more.
Source: https://www.governor.ny.gov/news; midtowntribune.com