Albany, NY – Today, Assembly Member Jessica González-Rojas, Chair of the Task Force on Women’s Issues was joined by Task Force members Assembly Members Sarah Clark, Grace Lee, Claire Valdez, Gabriella Romero, Emily Gallagher, Larinda Hooks, and Anna Kelles along with advocates from Planned Parenthood Empire State Acts, The Collective, New Pride Agenda, Girls for Gender Equality (GGE), National Latina Institute for Reproductive Justice, Citizen Action New York, and the Schuyler Center, rallied in the Capitol to call on the leaders and Governor Hochul to center gender equity in the FY 26 Enacted Budget. The 48-member Task Force shared their priorities and called attention to the atrocious threats to women and gender expansive New Yorkers looming from the Trump administration. Among the priorities of the Task Force are:

• $1.2 Billion for the Universal Child Care Workforce – New York must provide childcare assistance to families struggling most by investing public funds to raise workforce wages to sustain and expand capacity; and by eliminating barriers that prevent some of the lowest-income, otherwise eligible families from accessing childcare assistance. According to a report by the Fiscal Policy Institute, New York families with young children are 40% more likely to migrate out of New York than families without young children. Childcare is unaffordable for most working New Yorkers.
• $23 Million more than the Executive’s proposal for Gender Based Violence services to communities of color and immigrant communities – expanding the New York State Office of Victim Services’ Victim Assistance Program Grants to support culturally and language-specific Sexual Violence services for immigrants and communities of color across the state
• $5 Million more than the Executive’s proposal for the Lorena Borjas Transgender & Gender Non-Conforming Equity Fund – As the Trump administration slashes funding and criminalizes free gender expression, organizations that are serving vulnerable Transgender & Non-Conforming Non-Binary and Intersex communities are under incredible threat. This funding is essential to New York’s commitment to equity for LGBTQ+ communities across the state and will ensure that organizations are prepared to respond to the community's emerging needs.
• $10 Million more than the Executive’s proposal for the Reproductive Freedom and Equity Fund for a total of $35 Million – Due to the threats of the Trump administration to abortion access and providers, we are asking for an additional $10M to increase the program to $35M. This will provide additional assistance to the abortion providers to provide care and support to all who need it.
• $247.5M for the creation of a pilot program for 15,000 eligible new moms living below the federal poverty level – This funding would provide a total of $16,500 to participants for 21 months. This is an opportunity for New York to invest in its most vulnerable residents and help fight against childhood poverty.

The legislators and advocates leaned on the fact that Governor Hochul is the first woman and mother to be Governor of the state. The priorities listed will support diverse and low-income women.

“Today we are demanding that our legislator take action and invest in the critical areas of the lives of New Yorkers. The Trump administration is on the hunt to destroy everything we’ve built, the safety we’ve created, and the progress we’ve made as a State and as a nation. We cannot sit idly by, watching and waiting for a miracle. We have to take charge and take action this budgetary season and protect our most vulnerable populations across New York. We have a commitment to every New Yorker to do all that we can to protect their freedoms and ensure their safety. The Task Force on Women’s Issues is advocating for the rights of all. I urge our legislator to support these budget initiatives for the sake of all New Yorkers,” Assembly Member Jessica González-Rojas, Chair of the Task Force on Women’s Issues.

“As Chair of the Senate Women’s Issues Committee, these priorities are not just essential – they are urgent,” said State Senator Lea Webb, Chair of the Senate Committee on Women’s Issues. “By including them in the one-house budget, we have the opportunity to invest in New York’s most vulnerable families, expand access to reproductive care, support the LGBTQ+ community, and fight childhood poverty. Ensuring these funds are allocated will strengthen our commitment to gender equity and improve the lives of countless New Yorkers who are struggling to make ends meet, and it's critical we act now to build a more equitable and inclusive future."

“New York remains a beacon of hope for LGBTQ+ Americans, especially for those who are transgender and gender nonconforming and our queer youth. The Lorena Borjas Transgender Wellness and Equity Fund supports organizations providing critical services for TGNCNB communities, including health care, housing, and workforce development. These organizations are on the frontlines of defense. Expansion of the Fund is critical to counter federal hostility, address growing safety concerns of TGNCNB individuals and their families, and ensure that all New Yorkers can access the resources they need,” said Kei Williams, Interim Executive Director of The NEW Pride Agenda.

“We urge Governor Hochul and the Legislature to increase the Reproductive Freedom and Equity Grant Fund by an additional $25 million. As reproductive health care faces relentless attacks, New “New York must lead by investing in the providers and organizations that serve the most marginalized, especially low income and LGBTQ+ youth,” said Quadira Coles, Director of Policy at Girls for Gender Equity. “A $50 million investment is essential to sustaining BIPOC-led, culturally-responsive full spectrum care, addressing systemic barriers, and ensuring reproductive health care remains a right for all, not just a privilege for some. Governor Hochul, stand with us—double the funds and protect access for all New Yorkers.”

“It was thrilling to hear Governor Hochul publicly commit in her 2025 State of the State address to achieving universal childcare in New York. However, missing from the governor’s Executive Budget is the investment in the childcare community. The governor’s own Child Care Availability Task Force has identified the creation of a robustly funded permanent public childcare workforce pay equity fund as the most urgent element to keep the state moving toward universal childcare. Without this fund ($1.2B), childcare programs will continue to struggle to recruit and retain workforce, leaving families unable to find care. Also missing from the Executive Budget is the additional investment in the Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP) to prevent eligible families from losing childcare assistance at recertification, and to keep new qualified families from being turned away altogether. New investment in CCAP is also needed to end NY’s inequitable exclusion of families from childcare assistance because they earn less than the minimum wage, or work fluctuating hours. We are hopeful that with the continued leadership of the members of the Task Force on Women’s Issues, we will emerge with a final enacted budget that includes the investments needed in the childcare workforce and the CCAP program to ensure New York moves ever forward toward the promise of universal childcare,” said Dede Hill, Director of Policy, Schuyler Center for Analysis and Advocacy.

“The Latina Institute New York and our activists have been at the forefront of the fight for the Reproductive Freedom and Equity Fund as a crucial tool to protect access to affordable, quality abortion care for New Yorkers. Unfortunately, people across the state still struggle to access and afford abortion care. That is why we are calling on the New York State legislature to fully fund the Reproductive Freedom and Equity Fund, by $10 million, to ensure independent clinics and those providing practical support can continue to provide timely care to all who need it. We urge the New York legislature to make these investments in healthcare that support our communities with safety and dignity, as it is often already under resourced communities who face the biggest barriers to care – Latinas, immigrants, Black and Indigenous people, and those in rural communities. New York has the opportunity, and the obligation, to truly be a leader in abortion access. Let’s make sure this budget reflects that,” said Elizabeth Estrada, New York State Manager at the National Latina Institute for Reproductive Justice.

“While childhood poverty and maternal health remain massive crises in our state, our Federal safety net programs and social supports are under attack,” said Rebecca Garrard, Interim Co-Executive Director of Citizen Action of NY. “In this moment, it is imperative that New York implement programs such as Baby Bucks, which provides resources to low-income parents starting in the last trimester and lasting through the most formative years of a child’s life. We thank this program’s sponsors – Senator Samra Brouk and Assembly Member Clark – as well as the entire Task Force on Women’s Issues for their unwavering support of this and all policies that serve the families of our state.”