Democratic Governor Kathy Hochul delivered her State of the State Address this afternoon.
Legislators from New York’s North Country want to see the upcoming budget to determine how the initiatives in the speech will be funded.
Governor Hochul touted proposals she says will enhance her key priorities: affordability, opportunity, and public safety. She acknowledged many residents are struggling as she called for tax cuts for the middle class and a new inflation refund to taxpayers. She also called for universal childcare and free breakfast and lunches at schools.
Senator Dan Stec, a Republican from the 45th District, had attended an earlier press conference with GOP Congressman Mike Lawler of the lower Hudson Valley calling for a new direction from the governor. Stec, a candidate for Congress himself in the North Country, claims there was not much detail nor substance in the speech.
“The only thing that was new in her speech was her desire to return to using mental health institutions, re-institutionalizing people. Not to say that we shouldn’t every once in a while, rethink and reexamine our decisions how we provide mental health services. But I mean that was the only thing that was new in her speech. Everything else was a retreading of past initiatives that didn’t get through the legislature, whether it was free meals in school or free community college for everybody or universal childcare,” Stec said. “I mean, these are not new initiatives and these are things that are very expensive.”
Assemblyman Matt Simpson, a Republican from the 114th District, contends Hochul is just now acknowledging the issues the GOP has been highlighting.
“Affordability being the top issue. Housing, criminal justice, public safety she talked about. We’ve been raising the issues with bail reform that were passed several years ago. And what really concerns me is spending in a time when we have affordability challenges,” Simpson said. “You know at the end of the day this money comes from New Yorkers, all of us, and where’s this extra money?”
Assemblyman Billy Jones, a Democrat from the 115th District, says Hochul brought up many points legislators have been discussing.
“Affordability. I think that’s a big issue that we obviously keep hearing about from people,” noted Jones. “Middle class tax cut will help a bit. The child tax credit. Sounds like there’s going to be an emphasis on child care as well. It’s all about affordability.”
Simpson was disappointed that Hochul did not include North Country-directed proposals in her speech.
“I didn’t hear anything referenced to the Adirondacks,” lamented Simpson. “I think it needs to be recognized that our North Country infrastructure is antiquated. It needs significant focus if we want to truly have economic development and growth.”
Stec also noticed a lack of regional proposals.
“I was disappointed that she didn’t really talk about anything specific to the region. Now, in fairness to her, she didn’t talk about anything specific to any region of the state,” Stec observed. “It was an opportunity lost, I think. She could have done more to communicate a vision for the state. And the hope is that we’ll get a little more detail and meat on the bone here in a week or two when she rolls out the budget.”
Hochul did not outline how the proposals in the State of the State would be funded during her speech. More than 200 proposals are outlined in the State of the State book issued by the governor’s office. Her budget will be issued in the coming days.
