“Today we take time to celebrate women around the world and the tremendous and meaningful contributions they have made to society. I am proud to say in the last two years I helped usher through a comprehensive package of women’s equality laws in the Legislature that protect against sexual harassment, pregnancy discrimination and toughen penalties for domestic violence.

“New York has a proud and honored legacy of pushing for women’s rights and protections. The birth of the women’s rights movement happened in Seneca Falls – right in our backyard. My grandmother, Emma Morris Hawley, who served on the Batavia School Board, was one of the first women elected to a school board in New York State, and my Great Aunt, Ella Hawley Crossett, stood alongside Susan B. Anthony in the fight for women’s rights.

“We have come so far as a state and a nation in furthering women’s rights and I look forward to continuing to champion that cause in the years to come.”