Gov. Kathy Hochul made her rounds in New York State Wednesday, starting in Cheektowaga, to urge support for budget proposals as the U.S. contends with what many call an affordability crisis.
Among the governor’s agenda items discussed Wednesday were housing affordability, clean energy, and reforms to the state’s car insurance and liability laws. Hochul says that building more housing will help lower rents in areas where demand for housing exceeds supply.
“We used to be known for affordability here in Western New York, and we still are comparatively, but for families whose incomes might be stuck, they're not going up. It is still a big hit to get that first apartment,” she said.
Hochul says while she supports environmentally responsible construction to protect communities, she is pushing for reforms to the State Environmental Quality Review Act to allow cities in New York State to build more homes, childcare centers and clean energy infrastructure.
Despite opposition from the courts and environmental groups, the governor also reiterated a need to push back deadlines to implement the Climate Leadership and Climate Protection Act.
She doubled down on her support for the legislation, despite some local environmentalists accusing her of wavering on the law, but she argues that the state needs more time to meaningfully implement the emission reduction targets while avoiding dramatic utility spikes for New York residents.
“I will continue being the clean energy governor. This is important to me. We will make these transitions, but in a way that does not hurt our struggling families across the state of New York. We just can't do that right now," she said.
While speaking in the Town of Tonawanda about rising energy prices last Monday, Hochul projected that family utility bills could increase by roughly $4,000 by the year 2030 if the law proceeds under a judge’s current timeline.
Hochul said that New Yorkers are additionally paying the highest care insurance rates in the nation, which she attributes in large part to "unscrupulous actors" purposely staging accidents to profit from court cases.
"We have liability laws that are unlike any others, and they're just letting people monetize this, who make a lot of money off these cases that they're bringing to court," Hochul said. 'They're making money, and that money is coming out of your pockets. I say that has to stop. And that's the that's the next reform I want."
She also made stops in Monroe and Onondaga Counties to lobby for backing in Albany as well.