New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed into law a measure to legalize gestational surrogacy.

The Legislature approved the measure through the state's budget process, which is often used to push through large-scale policy measures.

A Cuomo administration statement reported the legislation sets up a criteria for surrogacy contracts and creates the Surrogates' Bill of Rights. His office says the measure will help LGBTQ couples and people who have difficulties with infertility.

The legislation gives a person acting as a surrogate the right to make "all health and welfare decisions" for themselves and the pregnancy, which includes the ability to get an abortion. It stipulates that a person acting as a surrogate will have the right to be represented by independent legal counsel.

State Sen. Brad Hoylman, D-Manhattan, says he and his husband had their two daughters via surrogacy. But, he said in a statement, they had to travel out of state to do it.

"As a gay dad, I'm thrilled parents like us and people struggling with infertility will finally have the chance to create their own families through surrogacy here in New York," Hoylman, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, said in a statement.

The bill was passed by the state Assembly early Friday morning. Cuomo signed it into law later in the day.

A push to legalize gestational surrogacy failed last June as the 2019 session of the Legislature ended. Its passage now fulfills a policy commitment long pursued by Cuomo.