New York state’s Child Poverty Reduction Advisory Council (CPRAC) voted on Wednesday to advance $9 billion of child poverty reduction recommendations to Gov. Kathy Hochul. The hope is that she includes the recommendations in her State of the State address and her executive budget.

CPRAC was created in 2021 by passage of the Child Poverty Reduction Act, which has a goal of reducing poverty in the state by 50% by 2031.

Richard Buery, the CEO of the Robin Hood Foundation, is a member of the council. He joined Capital Tonight’s Susan Arbetter to discuss the recommendations, which include child tax credits and an enhanced nutrition program, among other proposals. 

New York state has among the highest rates of child poverty in the nation: Nearly 1 in 5 New York children live in poverty according to a report by the state comptroller released earlier this year.

Almost half of those children live in deep poverty, meaning they are in a household with income that is 50% below the federal poverty line.