Gov. Kathy Hochul offers many policy proposals during State of the State
ALBANY, N.Y. -- In her State of the State Address on Tuesday, Gov. Kathy Hochul unveiled an ambitious plans to build affordable housing, open more psychiatric beds, fix bail reform, and address New York's affordability crisis.
Her plan to tie the minimum wage to inflation drew the most sustained applause of her entire speech. It was just one of a number of proposals to make the Empire State more affordable and stem the tide of out-migration.
"This important change will give over 900,000 minimum-wage workers a lifeline," Hochul said.
It was Hochul's first opportunity to outline her agenda following a bruising election campaign in which Republican opponent Lee Zeldin slammed her on everything from congestion pricing to bail reform. The moderate Democrat is still for congestion pricing, but admitted that bail reform has divided the Legislature like no other issue, with the public demand for reform clashing with with resistance from progressives. Publicly, she called on lawmakers to have "a thoughtful conversation -- not this, but this."
What she didn't say in her speech was that her key proposal is to have the Legislature eliminate the so-called "least restrictive"' provision of the bail law, which forces judges to go easy in bail-eligible cases.
"We can agree that the bail reform law as written leaves room for improvement," Hochul said.
The governor also called for:
- Adding 1,000 psychiatric beds and 3,500 units of supporting housing
- Building 800,000 units of housing over the next decade, including a program to build near train stations
- Energy discounts for low-income New Yorkers
- Making abortions available on SUNY and CUNY campuses
The governor's bail reform proposal drew immediate criticism from the Legal Aid Society, which said preventing judges from considering the least restrictive option for pre-trial detention "accomplishes nothing of value."
