Hochul releases plan for New York State

Assembled by River Reporter staff
Posted 1/17/23

ALBANY, NY — On January 10, Gov. Kathy Hochul delivered her 2023 State of the State address, outlining her plan for achieving the New York dream. In the address, Hochul outlined key components …

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Hochul releases plan for New York State

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ALBANY, NY — On January 10, Gov. Kathy Hochul delivered her 2023 State of the State address, outlining her plan for achieving the New York dream. In the address, Hochul outlined key components to make, she said, a more affordable, more livable and safer New York.

The plan, which is not yet approved, included:

Public safety: “There has been no aspect of the discussion around public safety more controversial than bail reform... But I believe there are several things most people can agree upon,” said Hochul.

“First, the size of someone’s bank account should not determine whether they sit in jail or return home before they have even been convicted of a crime. That was the goal of bail reform. It was a righteous one, and I stand by it,” she said. “Second, bail reform is not the primary driver of a national crime wave created by a convergence of factors, including the pandemic. And third, that the bail reform law as written now leaves room for improvement. As leaders, we cannot ignore that, when we hear so often from New Yorkers that crime is their top concern. And so, to my partners in the legislature, let’s start with this shared understanding and have a thoughtful conversation during the budget process about improvements we can make to the law.”

Hochul additionally proposed expanding the number of New York state police community stabilization units, bolstering trooper participation in federal task forces, doubling funding for the state’s Gun Involved Violence Elimination initiative, and investing in alternatives to incarceration and reentry programs.

Housing affordability: “Over the last 10 years, our state has created 1.2 million jobs—but only 400,000 new homes. Many forces led to this state of affairs. But front and center are the local land-use policies that are the most restrictive in the nation. Through zoning, local communities hold enormous power to block growth,” said Hochul.

She proposed a strategy to build 800,000 new homes over the next decade to meet the shortage, including requirements for all cities, towns and villages to achieve new-home creation targets on a three-year cycle. For upstate municipalities, the new-homes target will be one percent  more new homes built over three years.

Communities can repurpose  underutilized office parks and strip malls or offer new incentives towards multi-family buildings—tailoring strategies to what’s available, she said.

Localities that do not meet the targets could have some breathing room at first if they implement so-called “Preferred Actions”— good-faith actions to “create zoning capacity to achieve the growth targets.”

After three years, in localities that do not meet growth targets or do not take steps to implement the preferred actions, Hochul said, “proposed housing developments that meet particular affordability criteria, but may not conform to existing zoning, may take advantage of a fast-track housing approval process if the locality denies the permit.”

Climate initiatives: “In 2019, this legislature instituted aggressive mandates and deadlines for reducing emissions. And now, we are executing on that plan. Of course, we must do so thoughtfully. In a way that prioritizes affordability, protects those who are already struggling to get by, and corrects the environmental injustices of the past,” said Hochul.

Her proposals will create the Energy Affordability Guarantee to ensure participating New Yorkers never pay more than six percent of their incomes on electricity, and provide $200 million in relief for utility bills for up to 800,000 New York households earning under $75,000 a year that are not currently eligible for the state’s current utility discount program. Additionally, Hochul announced a package of decarbonization initiatives for buildings, including zero-emission new construction and the phase-out of the sale of new fossil-fuel heating equipment.

This announcement also included $500 million in clean-water funding, coupled with the creation of community assistance teams to help disadvantaged communities access financial assistance. The Department of Environmental Conservation and the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority would advance a cap-and-invest program that establishes a cap on greenhouse gas emissions, invests in programs that drive emissions reductions in an equitable manner prioritizing disadvantaged communities, limits costs to economically vulnerable households, and maintains the competitiveness of New York industries.

Health care: “When it comes to keeping people safe and protecting their well-being, fixing New York’s mental-health care system is essential—and long overdue,” said Hochul. “Even before COVID, rates of mental illness had been on the rise. And since the onset of the pandemic, more than one in three New Yorkers have sought mental health care, or know someone who has.”

Hochul’s proposals to address mental illness include increasing operational capacity for inpatient psychiatric treatment by 1,000 beds, creating 3,500 new housing units for individuals with mental illness, dramatically expanding outpatient services, expanding insurance coverage for mental health services and expanding mental health services for school-aged children.

Hochul also announced steps to strenghten the state’s safe harbor for abortion care, including ensuring that all SUNY and CUNY systems either offer medication abortion in their campus health facilities or establish a relationship with a local reproductive health care provider, and to increase health care coverage and affordability.

“We will do the hard things, the necessary things, to lift up and support New Yorkers and clear a path for them to realize the New York Dream,” said Hochul. “That is my promise to the people of New York, and I will work with the members of the legislature to keep that promise.”

The River Reporter will examine these proposals in depth in future issues.

Reactions to the State of the State

Former candidate for NY state governor Lee Zeldin

“After watching Kathy Hochul’s state of the state address, it’s clear that our state under Hochul is leaping off a cliff,” said Zeldin. He called for proposals including term limits for statewide officials, a crime state of emergency and the suspension of cashless bail, a lifted cap on charter schools, reversed ban on natural gas extraction and “the largest tax cut in the history of the state.

“In the meantime, New Yorkers will continue to suffer with incompetence and fraud with no accountability.”

Sen. Peter Oberacker (NY-51)

“The state of the state message came up short when it comes to pro-growth, tax relief policies that are vital,” said Oberacker. He welcomed Hochul’s recognition that bail reform isn’t working, welcomed strengthened mental health and drug addiction programs, and expressed concern about the cost of environmental programs. “Our state budget is already higher than Texas and Florida combined, and additional spending and tax hikes are unacceptable.”

Assemblywoman Aileen Gunther (NY-100)

“As the chair of the Assembly Mental Health Committee, I was extraordinarily encouraged to see the governor propose such a robust investment in our state’s mental health system,” Gunther said. The assemblywoman had advocated for improvements such as increased inpatient bed numbers, improved insurance coverage and better outpatient services for mental health crises, and “with this announcement we can see a path to providing the type of comprehensive  mental health care New Yorkers deserve.”

Citizen Action of New York

“New Yorkers are counting on Gov. Hochul to right the wrongs of the pandemic-era economy with skyrocketing costs on housing, childcare, groceries and gas. To do so, she will need to hold corporate power accountable through tenant protections, making the wealthy and corporations pay what they owe in taxes, and regulating away from fossil fuels to a clean energy economy,” said Citizen Action of New York co-executive director Jess Wisneski.

Catskill Mountainkeeper

In a newsletter, Catskill Mountainkeeper highlighted proposals in the state-of-the-state, including a universal energy rebate to help New Yorkers invest in clean, efficient and cost-effective technologies and recommendations from the NYS Climate Action Council, such as the cap-and-invest program. “Mountainkeeper and NY Renews will work hard to ensure that this vision translates into tangible programs that will help NY State achieve the clean and equitable renewable energy future we need and deserve,” said Katherine Nadeau, Catskill Mountainkeeper Deputy Director.

Education Law Center

The Education Law Center applauded Hochul for committing to funding the final year of the three-year phase-in of foundation aid in the 2023-24 state budget to the cost of $2.7 billion. Upon taking office in 2021, Hochul committed to full funding of the 2007 foundation aid formula, ending over a decade of state recalcitrance to fulfilling the promise of adequately funding the state’s public schools, the organization said.

Governor Hochul, State of the State

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