For the past three years since Democrats have taken control of New York state’s government, there has been extraordinary progress on everything from climate change, public education, public health and health care, gun violence and criminal justice, voting rights and civil rights.
The Republicans might not say out loud that they intend to reverse course, but we do know – and have now seen – how Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul will lead and the stand she takes on these vital programs because it is all spelled out in her State of the State address as well as her budget proposals.
Since Hochul, the first woman to serve as governor of the state regarded as the birthplace of women’s suffrage, came into office in August, she has signed (remarkably) 400 bills that directly help New Yorkers.
“I am inspired by the belief in the power of government to do good,” Hochul said in her Feb. 17 speech accepting the state Democratic Party’s nomination (with 85 percent of the vote).
Hochul detailed her plans in her State of the State message in January, when she revealed “an ambitious agenda – one that responds to the Covid-19 pandemic but also rebuilds our healthcare and teacher workforces, provides tax relief to those who need it most, speeds up economic growth and creates good paying, middle-class jobs, strengthens our infrastructure and confronts climate change, secures public safety, makes housing more affordable, ensures every New Yorker has a roof over their heads and enacts bold reforms for our State government.
“My fellow New Yorkers: This agenda is for you. Every single initiative is filtered through the lens of how it will help you and your families. I know you’re exhausted, I know you want this pandemic to be over, I know you’re worried about the economy, inflation, your kids and their education and what the future holds.”
She declared, “The time has come for a new American Dream. Today, we start building a better, fairer, more inclusive version that I call the New York Dream. We will create a New Era for New York by embarking on a bold, far-reaching policy agenda that advances our recovery and restores New Yorkers’ trust in government.”
Among Hochul’s New Era initiatives:
A $10 billion plan to rebuild and grow the state’s healthcare workforce by 20 percent over the next five years.
Three-part agenda to prevent and reduce gun violence and violent crime: invest in public safety and fund state and local policing gun safety efforts; create the Interstate Gun Tracing Consortium; and triple investment in community-based gun violence response.
Tax relief: accelerate the phase-in of $1.2 billion in middle-class tax cuts for 6 million New Yorkers by two years – to 2023 – and establish a $1 billion property tax rebate program for 2 million New Yorkers; provide $100 million in tax relief for 195,000 small businesses.
Strengthen New York’s workforce to grow the economy: Create an Office of Workforce and Economic Development; help New Yorkers move between education and careers; expand access to apprenticeships; recruit the next generation of public servants; expand the state’s technology talent pipeline; make New York a model for the employment of workers with disabilities; and protect and strengthen worker’s rights.
“Jails to Jobs,” a new initiative to improve re-entry into the workforce by connecting individuals with education, resources, and opportunities for job placement, which will improve public safety and reduce recidivism.
A $1 billion ‘ConnectALL’ initiative to bring affordable broadband to 1 million New Yorkers.
Make New York a national leader in climate action and green jobs: produce 2 million climate-friendly homes by 2030. A nation-leading $500 million investment in offshore wind will support 6,800 jobs, have a combined economic impact of $12.1 billion statewide, and generate 4.3 gigawatts of energy, enough to power 3 million homes.
Invest in public education and revitalize SUNY: rebuild New York’s teacher workforce: provide incentives to attract teachers and school workers; learning and mental health grants; create a state teacher residency program, and up-skill teacher support workers to earn their certifications.
Increase access to childcare for 100,000 families by increasing eligibility from 200 percent to 225 percent of the federal poverty line; invest $75 million in wages for childcare workers.
Implement an Equity Agenda to promote and support gender equity, racial equity, anti-hate, social justice, the LGBTQIA+ community, immigrants and new arrivals, and veterans with the goal of protecting the health, safety, economic opportunities, and fundamental dignity of every New Yorker.
Make critical reforms to restore New Yorker’s faith in their government: Propose a Constitutional amendment to limit all statewide elected officials to two terms and ban outside income. Also, repeal and replace the Joint Commission on Public Ethics with an ethics entity that is truly independent and transparent, subject to Freedom of Information Law requests and the Open Meeting Laws.
Hochul has made her agenda crystal clear. Now ask Hochul’s primary challengers (Tom Suozzi) and Republican challenger (Lee Zeldin) to detail their plans, not serve up platitudes or slogans.
At the New York State Democratic Convention, state and Nassau County party Chairman Jay Jacobs said: Republicans “have the audacity, the temerity, to stand there time and again critiquing what we do in efforts to make lives of people better, while they stand by and do absolutely nothing.”
“We’re trying to move the state and move the country forward, they want to turn back the clock,” New York City Congressman Hakeem Jeffries said. “We’re fighting to keep and bring people together. They trying to tear us apart. We fight for the people, they fight for the privileged few.”
As several of the speakers noted, “2022 is one of the most consequential elections in our history.”
