State lawmakers focused on struggling New York families ahead of budget talks support provisions in Gov. Kathy Hochul's executive proposal to help children and families, but said they want more included in the final spending plan.

Hochul's executive budget included several proposals intended to help children and families out of poverty, including expanding Medicaid coverage for children up to 6 years old, opting into an Electronic Benefit Transfer program to feed 2 million low-income children in the summer and more money for school-based health clinics.

"I'm living these challenges every day as a parent, so I'm definitely on board with a lot of these issues," said Assemblywoman Rodneyse Bichotte Hermelyn, a Brooklyn Democrat.

And many lawmakers think more needs to be done.

U.S. Census Bureau data shows nearly 1 in 4 children live in poverty in New York City, which is even higher in Rochester and Buffalo, where 1 in 2 children live below the federal poverty level.

Senate Labor Committee chair Jessica Ramos sponsors legislation to create a PILOT program to help low-income parents out of poverty.

The bill, nicknamed MILC, would establish the Mothers & Infant Lasting Change allowance, or provide a nominal amount of money to pregnant women in their last three months of pregnancy through the first 18 months of the child's life to assist with rising expenses.

The benefit would be available to parents who make 200% below the federal poverty line, or below $39,000 annually.

"We're looking to help the poorest mothers, which unfortunately, is a growing population in New York state," Ramos said. 

The allowance would also be given to 5,000 needy mothers in rural communities.

Families could use the money to afford formula, diapers and other necessities to help lift them out of poverty and prevent people from eviction and relying on public shelters or services.

"We want to make sure that the babies are taken care of, that they are fully nourished, that they are healthy," Ramos said. "This is an idea to help the poorest moms in New York City, in Syracuse, in Rochester, in Buffalo."

Lawmakers will fight for the allowance, which would cost $250 million, to be put in the final budget. 

The senator said the bill compliments Hochul's focus on improving the health and wellbeing of mothers, children and families in the state.

"I really applaud the first mom governor who understands what it's like to be starting a family in New York state," Ramos said. "I just want us to go a little farther and really help those moms who are having trouble making ends meet."

Hochul's State of the State address last month featured a six-point plan to improve maternal and prenatal care, and expand resources for doulas and postpartum depression, which Bichotte Hermelyn supports. The assemblywoman has led multiple policy fights in the state Legislature to improve prenatal care after her son, Jonah, died at 22-and-a-half weeks premature.

The assemblywoman said she wants more support for local birthing centers and providers in distressed communities in the final budget to reduce New York's maternal and infant mortality rates, which rank higher than the national average.

"We're really excited that people are taking an interest and are making sure that women who are giving birth survive, and their children survive," Bichotte Hermelyn said.

Other lawmakers continue to fight to fund health care for undocumented immigrants ages 19 to 64, or for legislation known as Coverage For All, to be put in the final budget. The bill would require the state Health Department commissioner to apply for a request from the federal government to allow the use of federal dollars for health care for undocumented New Yorkers.

It's estimated to save the state $500 million in emergency Medicaid spending annually, sponsor Assemblywoman Jessica González-Rojas said. 

"It'll pay off in the long run. It will save us money in the future," the Queens assemblywoman said. "It is investment up front, but it's both the right thing to do and it's fiscally smart."

She also wants to increase the minimum available Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefit, also known as food stamps, to $100, as some New Yorkers receive as little as $23 per month.

"We did not see that in the executive budget," González-Rojas said. "So those are the kinds of issues we're fighting for to, again, ensure that we can live in a safe, affordable and livable city and state."