Video, Audio, Photos & Rush Transcript: Money in Your Pockets: Governor Hochul Highlights New Affordability Initiatives for Families And Announces Investment in New Bronx Maternal Health Center

Earlier today, Governor Hochul met with new moms and families to highlight new affordability initiatives that will put thousands of dollars back in the pockets of families across New York. Starting in January, families statewide can start filing for up to $1,000 per child under the Governor’s historic expansion of New York’s child tax credit, which will benefit more than 1.6 million families. Additionally, the Governor launched New York’s new “Birth Allowance for Beginning Year” (BABY) Benefit, a nation-leading initiative to provide $1,800 to thousands of eligible families across New York upon the birth of a new baby, providing additional support to vulnerable households.

VIDEO: The event is available to stream on YouTube here and TV quality video is available here (h.264, mp4).

AUDIO: The Governor's remarks are available in audio form here.

PHOTOS: The Governor's Flickr page will post photos of the event here.

A rush transcript of the Governor's remarks is available below:

 What a cozy room we have here, right? Very cozy. Good thing we're all friends. Well first of all, thank you for joining us as we talk about a topic that is critically important to me as the Governor, but also as the first mom Governor — also the first grandma Governor. And I spent a little bit of time with the baby who traveled a great distance to be held by grandma — a little four month old. And it reminded me of how beautiful the journey to parenthood is. But for many families it can also end in tragedy, and that's something we're looking really hard to prevent.

So I want to thank Myla Flores for hosting us here today and to hear her story and her commitment to women to make sure that they do have a healthy outcome. And I want to thank her and all the volunteers, all the workers here at this incredible clinic for what you're doing. And look forward to seeing the WOMB Bus, right? You're going to take me on a tour of the WOMB Bus. So I appreciate that. We'll be hearing from you.

Our Borough President, Vanessa Gibson — this has been a passion of hers since our first conversations. She has been relentless in pushing for more services for the Bronx overall, but particularly when it comes to the fact that the Bronx has one of the highest rates of infant and maternal mortality rates in the state, and that is something she has worked hard to eradicate and we've been partnering on a lot of initiatives. I want to thank her for what she has done.

You're also going to hear from Bruce McIntyre from saveArose Foundation, who — I said, personal stories can often lead to change in policies and it is his profound story that he'll share with you that has touched the hearts of many of us and has fostered a different environment, a different attitude about the challenges that moms are facing when they go in for delivery.

And also Marlenny Rivera, who's a mom and advocate — going to talk to us. Also I'm delighted to have our elected officials who've joined us here today. We have State Senator Gustavo Rivera here. Thank you, Senator Rivera. Assemblymember Jeffrey Dinowitz, thank you. Assemblymember Yudelka Tapia, thank you very much. And Councilmember Eric Dinowitz as well.

So we just finished up a conversation in this very room. We sat with a number of moms and advocates and people telling their stories and talking about the challenges of pregnancy, the challenges of raising kids, which I know are very severe sometimes. But, it reminded me that parenting is one of the greatest gifts we've ever been offered in life. It's something that despite the trials and tribulations — let's keep the light on the subject. It's a profound experience, but let's admit it, it's stressful, right? I mean, all the stresses of providing for the child and if someone is struggling or perhaps a single parent, it's compounded.

We have worked hard as a state to find ways to just help parents. I've said all along, “Your family is my fight,” and I'm committed to that in various different ways. And one of them is making sure that the experience of childbirth is positive for you. That's why we want to make sure that you have the opportunity to leave your job and still get compensated for those prenatal visits. We are the first state of the nation that prioritizes the health of moms and babies before birth by saying you can have 20 hours of paid leave in this state, even if you would've ordinarily lost your income as a minimum wage worker. If you don't show up, you're not paid. We've ended that here in the State of New York, and that's something I'm really proud of and I think we're going to see much more positive outcomes because of that.

We've also said, we understand the cost. The cost of parenting is off the charts, but in those very first months — the formula, if they're having formula — what you need to be a nursing mom or to buy the diapers. I had found out this weekend that the pamper size one didn't work anywhere, we had to go out and get pamper size two. So I have a fresh pack of Pamper size one if anybody wants them, up at the Governor's Residence. But that's what I'm talking about. The changes that — they change so quickly and the clothing. I went out and bought a couple little outfits and we're no longer three to six anymore, we’re into starting the six to nine.

But these all add up. These all add up for families. And so we recognize that as well as working with the legislature on putting more money back in people's pockets. And let's start with the fact that when I first became Governor, parents with children under the age of four received zero. They got nothing. It had to be a four-year-old and up in order to get $300 a year as a child tax credit. I said, “No, that's just — absolutely should be turned upside down.” Parents with children under the age of four will get $1,000 starting this year — starting in January, they can start applying for that tax credit. So let's get the word out about that.

We also launched on November 1st this year — the first time ever, an $1,800 BABY benefit for qualifying families with the newborn. If you're getting public assistance, you'll automatically get a check for $1,800 to cover that cost of the stroller and the car seat and all the other things that are so expensive.

So that's more money back for parents, of course, as well. Also some of the families — I'm sure — received their inflation rebate just came out in the mail. A lot of people are getting that, and I'm hearing a lot on that as we walk the streets. I want to make sure that it’s money in your pockets, but let's zero in on maternal care and infant care when they're born.

We know the statistics are staggering that Black women are three to four times more likely to die, and Black babies are 2.5 times more likely to die in childbirth. Those numbers are staggering. Staggering, and they feel so unnecessary. And you have to ask what's at the heart of all this? And we've done a lot on this. We've issued policies to minimize unnecessary c-sections, for example, and we've promoted doulas and I mentioned the doula directory and getting birthing centers and different places we can help so we can avoid unnecessary c-sections. And we have time off for pumping moms. We have mental health services for moms. Let's be honest, folks, it's a rare mom who doesn't need some extra help when the baby comes — just because your hormones were out of whack, and especially if you have other crying children. I had a couple close in age, so I don't want to go back there. Okay, I'm over it now. The kids are having their own babies. I'm watching them go through it.

So you know what I'm talking about, right? You know what I'm talking about. So my job is to find programs that lift up families. Life is hard enough and you have a Governor and a state that understands what you're going through. We need to be your allies. We need to be your partners, and we want to continue making sure we keep those investments.

And so, we talked about something about a year and a half ago. Vanessa Gibson hosted a round table for us in our office and a lot of expected parents and advocates and members of the doula community and others who came and told their stories. And at the time, we invested $8 million to support the doulas here, but also to expand a maternal center for excellence here in the Bronx to help out families that are in need. But also, she kept saying this to me. She says, “We used to have a birthing center. We used to. We are the first community to have a birthing center in New York and then it closed.”

And her passion and her mission has been to have that restored. I'm here to make that happen today. I'm announcing today $5 million of State dollars to go toward helping this dream come true right here in the Bronx to provide an alternative support system for expectant moms and to make sure they are healthy and their babies are healthy, and we're going to get that done. So congratulations.

We'll be making sure that we have a place where you'll hear Amber's story from Bruce, but a place where those stories are in the past, they don't happen anymore. Every mom who walks in to deliver a baby, walks out. Being an expected mom should not be a death sentence for women of color and for far too long that has been the case. And so we're going to keep these investments.

This center will be serving at least 300 people the first year, is the expectation. And so we're going to continue to expand from there. And so I want to make that happen. Make sure that you know that New York State is the best place to raise a family, and we're going to continue being your partners — and not your doula per se — but in one sense, your doula to help you get through it.

So, thank you, everyone, and again I appreciate it from the bottom of my heart the moms and the advocates who could be very focused on themselves and their own families and their children. And yet, they take their stories and their advocacy all the way to the halls of Albany and here in the City of New York. And I'm so grateful that they lend themselves to that journey, which is so critically important. So, with that, let me turn it over to our Bronx Borough President and a tremendous champion for families here and across the state, Vanessa Gibson.