Gov. Kathy Hochul is facing criticism for vetoing a pair of bipartisan bills intended to make child care more accessible, and watering down a third.

Advocates were already disappointed that the governor’s executive budget for 2025 which set the tone for the legislative session did not include more child care initiatives. Getting the three bills passed outside of the budget process was a moderate victory for advocates and lawmakers.

State Assmemblymember Sarah Clark sponsored one of the bills, which would have eliminated a minimum earnings requirement for child care assistance.

“We never fixed this archaic rule on minimum wage earnings,” she said “We can’t continue to say we’re going to help more and more families but not fix this thing that’s really effecting our lowest wage earners, these are the ones that can least afford things right now.”

Also vetoed was a bill that would “decouple” child care assistance from a parents’ exact working hours, modernizing the system to account for fluctuating hours. The governor also vetoed that bill last year.

“The way we pay for child care is based on the exact time you’re at your work, but for those who do shift work or whose hours change every week, it’s really hard,” she said.

The governor cited cost outside the budget as the reason for her veto, telling lawmakers she would be open to considering such initiatives as part of the budget process.

Of the three primary child care bills the governor was considering, only presumptive eligibility made it through. Gregory Brender, chief policy and innovation officer at the Day Care Council of New York, explained that it will allow families to be presumed eligible for assistance before their paperwork has fully processed. This will be especially helpful for new hires who are still getting their child care situation sorted out.

“People wait months to get approval, and people who need child care to go to work, you can’t wait months,” he said.

The catch, he said, is that the governor amended the bill to give counties the opportunity to opt in, rather than a statewide requirement.

“We are going to be urging counties throughout the state to do this because we need families accessing child care immediately, there is a child care crisis facing families in New York state,” he said.

Clark told Spectrum News 1 she is still hopeful that the governor will include the measures in her own executive budget given the fact that she cited cost in her veto, and given the governor’s chosen theme for her upcoming proposals: affordability.

“I think if we’re all on that same page that families are struggling to afford the things they need, child care and fixing it is top of the list,” he said.

If these bills are not part of the executive budget getting them passed through budget negotiations or once again as stand alone legislation will be a priority heading into next session.