Governor Hochul Directs New York State Landmarks to Be Lit Purple in Celebration of Women’s History Month

Governor Kathy Hochul today directed landmarks across the state to be lit purple on March 1 in recognition of Women's History Month. Under Governor Hochul's leadership, New York continues to be a national leader in expanding and strengthening women's rights and safeguarding access to reproductive health care.

"Despite systemic efforts to dismantle women's rights and reverse hard-fought progress under the Trump administration, New York continues to lead the way in the fight for equal rights and efforts to support women and their families," Governor Hochul said. "As New York's first mom Governor and first woman governor, I will continue to advance initiatives that invest in women and girls statewide, ensuring that New York remains a place where their safety, health, and rights are protected."

Governor Hochul's FY 2027 Executive Budget includes investments that build on the Governor's record as a champion for women in New York including:

Delivering Universal Child Care

Governor Hochul this year announced a historic investment totaling $4.5 billion to deliver affordable, universal child care for children under five years of age across New York State. The Governor's investments in universal child care will ease a major stress for New York women and combat the onerous costs that pull parents - and especially moms - away from the workforce. Nearly a third of women in New York City leave the workforce due to lack of affordable child care options. Studies show that implementing universal affordable child care in New York could increase labor force participation by as many as 28,000 additional workers, leading to as much as $1.6 billion in additional wages across the state.

Protecting and Expanding Access to Reproductive Health

Since first taking office in 2021, Governor Hochul has made historic investments to expand reproductive freedom for New Yorkers. In addition to record investments, the Governor has taken action to protect abortion access statewide by codifying abortion as emergency health care in state law and ensuring that hospitals provide abortion care when necessary to protect the life and safety of pregnant New Yorkers. Last year, Governor Hochul also signed legislation to protect New York doctors and patients and secured $25 million annually to fund abortion services through the New York State Abortion Access Program. This year the Governor's proposed budget includes up to $35 million in targeted investments that would allow the state to step in to fully fund services at Planned Parenthood health centers despite draconian federal cuts.

Supporting Workplace Equity and Economic Empowerment

This January marked the one-year anniversary of New York's first-in-the-nation Paid Prenatal Leave law. Under Governor Hochul, New York became the first state in the nation to give eligible workers the ability to take paid leave for any pregnancy-related medical appointments. In its first year of implementation alone, the new law provided up to 2.7 million hours of leave for pregnant workers. Under the law, pregnant New Yorkers who are privately employed are able to receive up to 20 hours of paid leave for prenatal care.

The Paid Prenatal Leave law was implemented in addition to New York State Paid Family Leave, existing employer-provided leave, and existing sick leave benefits, which all work to ensure that working New Yorkers can receive the health care they need to address all pregnancy-related care without putting at risk their employment or finances. The law applies to all private employers in New York State, with no minimum employee threshold, and is applicable to both full-time and part-time employees.

Additionally, to confront traditional barriers to mentoring and leadership resources for young Black and Latina women, Governor Hochul launched the Black Girls Mentoring Initiative and the Latina Mentoring Initiative. This year, she is reaffirming her support for these programs that empower participants to enhance their professional and personal skills while building confidence to become leaders among their peers. These 13 landmarks will be illuminated purple in celebration of women's history month:

• One World Trade Center
• Governor Mario M. Cuomo Bridge
• Kosciuszko Bridge
• The H. Carl McCall SUNY Building
• Alfred E. Smith State Office Building
• Empire State Plaza
• State Fairgrounds - Main Gate & Expo Center
• The "Franklin D. Roosevelt" Mid-Hudson Bridge
• Grand Central Terminal - Pershing Square Viaduct
• Albany International Airport Gateway
• Lake Placid Olympic Center
• MTA LIRR - East End Gateway at Penn Station
• Fairport Lift Bridge over the Erie Canal
• Moynihan Train Hall
• Roosevelt Island Lighthouse

Contact the Governor's Press Office