A new law will suspend sales taxes for the purchases of diapers in New York state as officials seek to further relieve consumers from spiking inflation.

At the same time, Gov. Kathy Hochul on Monday pointed to $70 million in child care funding being made available in order to expand services and encourage people to return to work.

Hochul, in New York City on Monday, touted the funding, which is coming in part from federal aid as the state moves to expand child care offerings.

"It's not just the funding, it's having the creative vision to figure out what we're going to do in this pandemic world with surplus space, high need for child care, the money from Washington and smart people who want to do whatever we can to strengthen New York families," Hochul said.

The money is meant to provide support for 340 new child care providers in the state and is expected to add 12,000 new slots. That includes 592 slots for infants and toddlers as well as more than 500 slots for parents or guardians who work non-traditional hours.

Hochul pointed to the cost of living troubles facing families amid spiking inflation. More broadly, the pandemic has complicated child care efforts for families. More than 2,000 child care programs disappeared during the pandemic and 2 million fewer women are in the workforce.

Hochul on Monday said she wants to reverse that trend.

"We have to address this head on. We should have done it earlier; it's the right thing to do," she said.