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Gov. Kathy Hochul focuses on New York's affordability, subway safety during State of the State address

N.Y. governor calls for overnight cops on subways in her State of the State
N.Y. governor calls for overnight cops on subways in her State of the State 02:49

NEW YORK -- New York Gov. Kathy Hochul laid out an ambitious agenda for 2025 during her State of the State address at the Hart Theater in Albany on Tuesday.

Hochul was followed by New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy, who shared his State of the State address in Trenton.  

Hochul's main theme was New York's affordability, as she announced numerous proposals that she says will save residents money and keep them from considering moving out of the state.

The governor also addressed public safety, revealing a subway initiative that the NYPD supports.

The "money in your pocket" agenda

When Hochul first revealed what she planned to announce in her State of the State, she stood behind a wall of signs that read, "money in your pocket." That's one of the major themes she focused on Tuesday, as she formally told the Legislature what she wants to accomplish this year.

The governor started out by talking about the battles she has waged to make New York more affordable and what she hopes to get done going forward.

"My commitment to every New Yorker is this: your family is my fight," Hochul said, adding, "A home for your family, it means everything, and we did all this because your family deserves more money in their pockets, as well as a place that they can proudly call their home.

"Our state has to be livable and the people here have to be able to afford to live in it," she added. 

She said first up will be plans for a middle class tax cut for people making $323,000 or less. 

"The tax cut I propose today, and will fight for in the coming months, will deliver the lowest tax rates in 70 years, and it will save hard-working taxpayers $1 billion," Hochul said. "But in itself, it's a monumental win for New Yorkers in the battle for affordability."

Hochul said there will be lots of proposals to make life more affordable, including a plan to send "Inflation Refund" checks of up to $500 to middle class New Yorkers, another to expand the Child Tax Credit from $330 to $1,000 per child, and plans to start the state on a path toward universal child care and to provide free breakfast and lunch for every student in the state.

She said each New Yorker who qualifies for all of the initiatives is looking at a savings of around $5,000.

"Build and build and build some more"

Staying on her affordability theme, the governor said she wants to continue her quest to build or preserve more than 100,000 homes and to install a series of protections for homeowners and first-time homebuyers. She said the state is on pace to reach its five-year goal, but she wants to add an additional $100 million to the cause.

"A stable home is the foundation of a stable life, but for far too many New Yorkers it's a dream that feels impossibly out of reach. And I'm not the first one to say this, but the rent is too damn high. And that goes for people's mortgages as well," Hochul said. "Housing is the number one driver of our affordability crisis, and the only way to decrease housing costs is to increase supply. We need to build and build and build some more."

Help proposed for New Yorkers looking to go to college

Calling education "the great equalizer," Hochul also revealed plans to offer free tuition at city and state colleges for students pursuing degrees in high-demand fields.

New York residents between the ages of 25 and 55 enrolled in associate degree programs for nursing, teaching, engineering and some other fields at schools run by the State University of New York (SUNY) and City University of New York (CUNY) would be eligible. The cost of books and other fees would also be covered.

She said part of the reason for the college initiative was to help fill important jobs in the state down the road.

"These are real savings for New Yorkers pursuing careers. It puts money back in their pockets, while helping us fill these critical jobs in these essential industries," Hochul said.

New Yorkers currently receive discounted tuition at SUNY and CUNY schools, and residents who made less than $125,000 are already eligible for free tuition.

NYPD on every subway overnight

Also top of mind is safety on the subway, in light of several recent attacks, including a woman burned to death while sleeping on a train in Coney Island, and a man randomly pushed onto the tracks on New Year's Eve in Chelsea.

The governor said she will seek funds to put at least one NYPD officer on every train from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. for six months. She has already deployed the National Guard into the subway system and last year she unveiled a five-step plan to install more cameras, target repeat offenders and fund mental health outreach.

"We cannot allow our subway to be a rolling homeless shelter," Hochul said, later adding, "The state will support these efforts financially because we have to stop the chaos."

NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch responded to Hochul's plan for the subways, issuing a statement that said, in part, "The most effective way to prevent crime and make people feel safe in the subway system is to assign more police resources there. This proposal will allow us to put more officers on the trains, including two officers on every overnight train."

Tisch went on to say, "But adding more officers to patrol our trains can only do so much if we do not address the root of the issue: surging recidivism. We must stop the revolving door of our criminal justice system that has allowed too many violent and repeat criminals back onto our streets. I thank Gov. Hochul for these proposed changes to discovery laws that have prevented us and district attorneys from keeping violent criminals off our streets. This is a step in the right direction."

Hochul also announced funding for LED lights to be installed at all subway stations and new protective platform barriers in 100 stations.

Mental health and involuntary commitment

Hochul said she will also offer up a raft of new mental health policies, including a controversial proposal to allow the involuntary commitment of the mentally ill -- something New York City Mayor Eric Adams is also pushing for.

"Our laws must be stronger, and that's why I'm willing to stand up and say we need to expand involuntary commitment into a hospital. That includes someone who does not have the mental capacity to care for themselves, such as refusing help for the basics -- clothing, food, shelter, medical care," Hochul said.

Hochul unloaded on her critics who say involuntary commitment criminalizes poverty or homelessness.

"That is flat-out wrong. This is about having the humanity and the compassion to help people incapable of helping themselves -- fellow human beings, fellow human beings who are suffering," she said.  

Nevertheless, the Legal Aid Society immediately announced its opposition, saying in a statement, "Waiting for those with serious mental illness to reach a breaking point, forcibly hospitalizing and medicating them, and then releasing them back into the community only to repeat the cycle fails to address public safety or meet the needs of people with mental illness."

Absent from the governor's speech, however, was how this will all be paid for. Even with the $15 billion expected from congestion pricing, the MTA still has a $33 billion budget gap.  

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