Hochul calls for a ‘new era for New York’ in historic first state of the state address
Gov. Kathy Hochul delivered her first state of the state address on Wednesday after succeeding scandal-scarred Andrew Cuomo — offering a raft of proposals to usher in what the Empire State’s first female leader is calling a “new era for New York.”
Hochul wore a “suffragette white” outfit for her speech to a smaller-than-usual crowd due to the surging Omicron variant of the coronavirus and immediately noted the fact that she’s the first woman to deliver a state of the state address.
“But I didn’t come here to make history. I came here to make a difference,” she said.
Hochul outlined plans to deliver tax relief and boost spending on healthcare workers, education and climate-friendly, “green” initiatives while steering clear of ongoing controversies over bail reform and her coronavirus vaccine and mask mandates.
She also served up a crowd-pleasing proposal for lawmakers to again let bars and restaurants sell drinks “to go,” adding, “So: Cheers, New York!”
Hochul’s historic speech to legislators took place in the Assembly Chambers in Albany, a marked difference from the practice of her predecessor, who held campaign-style rallies in Albany’s convention center and last year gave a series of online speeches from an office in the Capitol known as the “War Room.”
Hochul took a shot at Cuomo, who resigned in August amid a sexual harassment scandal, by noting that those gathered for her speech were honoring “our state’s remarkable history … by coming together in this beautiful Assembly Chamber, its original and rightful setting.”
Notably absent, however, was Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie (D-Bronx), who tested positive for the coronavirus Wednesday morning.
An electronic briefing book distributed ahead of Hochul’s speech outlined multiple fiscal plans that will be included in her budget proposal, due Jan. 18.
But there’s not a single reference in the 237 pages to the word “bail,” despite raging controversy over the effects of Cuomo-era reforms that critics have blamed for recent spikes in crime and violence — especially by gang members — across the state.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams, a Hochul ally, has been outspoken on the negative impact of bail reform and in November vowed to appoint judges who “understand that my city must be safe.”
In a tweet following Hochul’s 34-minute speech — which began about 20 minutes late — Adams congratulated her on her “powerful remarks.”
“We have to meet this moment and deliver results for New Yorkers. The largest city in the country is ready to get the job done,” he wrote.
The executive director of the New York State Association of Chiefs of Police, which supports eliminating bail but letting judges lock up dangerous defendants, noted that while Hochul didn’t mention bail reform, “she also didn’t say she wasn’t going to make changes.”
“And she has made statements in the past that she would be open to making changes,” said Patrick Phelan, a former police chief in upstate Greece. “We can’t just ignore that segment of people who are committing acts of violence and reoffending … I think it will be a political problem as well for the Legislature and the governor if they don’t effect some sort of change.”
Outside the Capitol, flag-waving protesters held signs with sayings that included “UNMASK OUR KIDS” one engaged in street theater by wearing a white lab coat and ghoulish, oversized mask while wielding a large, prop vaccine syringe.
Hochul’s proposals include spending $10 billion to help expand the state’s health care workforce by 20 percent, including by offering free tuition, stipends for graduates who remain in the state and a “retention bonus” of up to $3,000 per employee.
“A once-in-a-lifetime pandemic demands a once-in-a-lifetime response … and we’ll make the largest investment in health care in state’s history,” she said.
Hochul also wants to provide $100 million in tax relief for small businesses and speed up $1.2 billion in middle-class tax cuts that began taking effect in 2018.
More than 2 million homeowners would also get $1 billion in property tax rebates this year, with low-income households and seniors reaping the biggest benefits.
Hochul also wants to end New York City’s “421-a” tax abatement program for the development of rental apartments and replace it with something that would create “permanent and deeper affordability” for low-income households and “ensure maximum efficiency of taxpayer dollars.”
During her speech, Hochul said she was “launching a new, five-year housing plan to create and preserve 100,000 affordable homes, including 10,000 units with supportive services for high-risk populations, like runaway youth and formerly incarcerated individuals.”
Hochul also vowed to “fix outdated land-use laws that hold back our housing supply” and said that “the conversion of hotels and offices is part of our overall housing strategy.”
Real Estate Board of New York President James Whelan voiced support for what he called Hochul’s “sensible proposals for addressing the city’s housing crisis.”
“New York City needs far more rental apartments, particularly at lower rents — and it’s clear the private sector must continue to play a key role in producing it,” he said.
Hochul’s proposed spending on climate-friendly, “green” initiatives would include $1 billion to encourage the purchase and use of electric vehicles.
Funding for the state’s proposed Clean Water, Clean Air and Green Jobs Environmental Bond Act — which goes before the voters in November — would also increase $1 billion to $4 billion.
Andrew Rein, president of the independent Citizens Budget Commission, commended Hochul for having “laid out an expansive recovery and policy agenda,” specifically noting her pro-business proposals.
“We also caution that the programs presented, many of which appear beneficial, must be affordable or they risk the State’s future capacity to serve New Yorkers, including those most in need,” Rein said in a prepared statement.
During her speech, Hochul also warned, “We need to take a hard look in that mirror and deal with harsh realities.”
“Like the fact that 300,000 New Yorkers left our state last year alone,” she said.
“That’s the steepest population drop of any state in the nation — an alarm bell that cannot be ignored.”
Hochul urged “those who left temporarily because of the pandemic or [are] trying to decide their next steps during these uncertain times” to reconsider and return.
“You do not want to miss what’s going to happen next,” she said.
“Right now, in real-time, we’re building a new New York worthy of your talents and your ambitions.”
Senate Minority Leader Rob Ortt (R-Lockport) said people were fleeing the state “because New York is increasingly unaffordable, not just for people in the city” and because of rising crime.
“You can’t be prosperous if you’re not safe,” he told reporters following Hochul’s speech.
“You look at a place like, you know, Florida. You look at a place like Texas, Tennessee – soon these places will have more New Yorkers than we do.
“We have to recognize that in the last several years, the only business we’re helping is U-Haul.”
On the critical issues of crime and public safety, Hochul plans to triple spending for the state police to trace the purchase of guns used in crimes and fund additional training for cops on the 2019 “Red Flag Law,” which permits the seizure of firearms from people deemed dangerous to themselves or others.
She also wants to create a “Jails to Jobs” program for criminals awaiting release from lockups.
Hochul also included her support of the Clean Slate Act, a proposal aimed at helping former inmates and parolees obtain employment and housing that would seal criminal convictions for certain felony records after seven years and misdemeanor records after three years.
The bill died in the state Assembly last June after clearing the state Senate.
In one proposal that she didn’t mention during her speech, Hochul’s briefing book calls for “expanding access to sterile syringes” by letting emergency departments and health departments give them away to people showing “signs and symptoms of injection drug use.”
City Councilman Robert Holden (D-Queens) called that idea “alarming.”
“You don’t give drug addicts the tools of the trade,” he said.
“I don’t think helping them get high is the answer to the problem.”
Another proposal in Hochul’s briefing book would let some addicts have their fixes all but delivered to their doors through the creation of “a robust mobile methadone program as a way to reach unserved and underserved communities.”
Hochul is also proposing to abolish the much-criticized Joint Commission on Public Ethics, which recently sparked outrage over its handling of Cuomo’s $5.1 million deal to sell his memoir of the coronavirus pandemic.
Hochul would replace the 14-member commission — whose members are appointed by the governor and legislative leaders — with an independent, rotating board composed of five deans from the state’s laws schools or their designees.
Only a simple majority vote would be required to conduct probes or sanction officials for ethical lapses, eliminating the veto power that’s held by JCOPE members.
Assemblyman Mike Lawler (R-Rockland County) blasted Hochul’s plan to reform the ethics board.
“The idea that academia is going to oversee ethics in New York state is laughable,” he said.
“It should be coming from the judiciary. The judiciary should be appointing the ethics panel, not the politicians and not academia.”
The governor also wants to boost higher education, especially the publicly funded CUNY and SUNY systems, the latter of which is mentioned 153 times in her briefing book.
Hochul would make part-time students eligible for tuition assistance, which would be a boon to those who hold down jobs or have families and has been debated by lawmakers for years.
SUNY schools in Buffalo and Stony Brook would also host “flagship” research centers to spur new patents and economic development.
