Cuomo To Push For Tax, Minimum Wage Initiatives In State Of The State Address
ALBANY, N.Y. (CBSNewYork/AP) -- Gov. Andrew Cuomo will give his State of the State address Wednesday, but he has already previewed much of his 2015 agenda, including a minimum wage hike, small-business tax cut and a statewide campus sexual consent policy.
Re-elected in November, the Democrat has proposed a new mechanism to provide property tax relief to more than 1.3 million New York taxpayers, establishing a commission to set salaries and limit outside income for state legislators, and restricting the prosecution of juveniles as adults.
Over the past week, he also has advocated awarding three upstate regions $500 million each for economic development and forgiving student loans for New York college graduates who stay to work.
The state minimum wage would rise to $10.50 an hour by the end of next year, with New York City's rising to $11.50, under the Cuomo administration proposal. The statewide minimum now is $8.75, scheduled to rise to $9 at the end of this year.
The tax cut for small businesses would drop the rate from 6.5 percent to 2.5 percent over a three-year period. When phased in fully, the cut would reduce overall taxes by an estimated $32 million for 42,000 taxpayers.
Intended to help stop campus sexual assaults, proposed legislation would expand the policy for state schools to New York's private colleges and universities. It would require that a woman give "clear, unambiguous, and voluntary" consent before any sexual activity.
For upstate economic development, seven regions would have until July 1 to submit a proposal for using the $500 million, with three winners to be selected. The regions are the Finger lakes, the Southern Tier, central New York, the Mohawk Valley, the Capitol Region, the mid-Hudson valley and the North Country.
The proposed property tax credit would apply to homeowners whose payments exceed 6 percent of their income and whose annual adjusted household incomes are below $250,000. Taxpayers would get an average credit of about $950. It would be phased in over four years.
The student loan forgiveness would help an estimated 7,100 graduates, covering the first two years of repayments. It would be open to graduates who participate in the federal Pay as You Earn loan repayment program and who now make less than $50,000.
For the 213 state lawmakers, a proposed commission would recommend salary levels, with lower pay to legislators with outside incomes. It would also set a cap on the amount of outside income and set expense reimbursements. Legislators get a base salary, unchanged in 15 years, of $79,500 for what's considered part-time work.
For juvenile offenders, the Cuomo-appointed Commission on Youth, Public Safety and Justice is recommending raising the age of criminal responsibility in New York from 16 to 18, shifting nonviolent offenses for those under 18 to family court, and keeping young people out of adult jails, WCBS 880's Paul Murnane reported.
The commission said the proposals are projected to reduce personal crimes by 1,500 to 2,400 every five years by intervening early in juvenile crime and breaking the cycle of recidivism.
The governor Tuesday also unveiled his ambitious plan to modernize New York's infrastructure and transportation system, most notably proposing a rail link to LaGuardia Airport.
As Cuomo prepares to deliver his State of the State address, Siena College pollster Steven Greenberg said the governor's favorability has inched up two points to 60 percent, as he looks for deals with legislative Republicans.
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"The election season is over. Campaigns are over. ... ," Greenberg said. "And the governor spent the last month focusing on the programs, the proposals, ideas. A lot of those proposals are resonating with voters.
"The governor has many more cards to play than the Legislature," he added. "But Andrew Cuomo's proven over his first four years that he knows how to use the carrot and stick."
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