There are now 77 Democratic lawmakers in the New York state Assembly who are backing a bill meant to boost wages for home care workers in the state as bipartisan support for the legislation has continued to build over the last several weeks. 

Advocates for the measure now count 84 total sponsors in the 150-member Democratic-controlled Assembly, including seven Republican lawmakers. In the state Senate, 34 Democrats are backing the measure, along with five Republicans. 

“There is a real shortage of home care workers because more and more people can't go into that line of work," said Assemblyman Richard Gottfried, the lead sponsor of the legislation. "We need to enact fair pay for home care so home care workers can be adequately paid, so people can get the care they need without either having to go into a nursing home or forcing a member of the family to give up their career.”

The measure is meant to increase wages for home care workers amid a shortage of those workers, and increase people working in that sector within five years. Gov. Kathy Hochul in her State of the State address last month called for an increase in health care workers with pay raises and bonsuses in order to make up for a shortfall in that sector as well.