By Forum Staff
Governor Kathy Hochul on Tuesday delivered the 2024 State of the State Address and released her “Our New York, Our Future” agenda.
The State of the State includes 204 initiatives to make New York more affordable, more livable and safer, Hochul said.
“The State of New York is stronger, healthier, safer and more affordable than it was two years ago when I became Governor, but there is more work to do,” Hochul said. “Every proposal announced today serves to improve our state and ensure our communities are not just surviving, but that they are thriving. Our New York is our future, and the future is brighter than ever.”
Since Hochul took office two years ago, shootings and murders have declined by double digits. To build on that progress, Hochul proposes:
- Cracking down on retail theft with a dedicated State Police “Smash and Grab” unit and an interagency Joint Operation on retail theft
- New initiatives from Office of Gun Violence Prevention to continue progress in fight against gun violence
- Providing new funding and tools to prosecutors to hold domestic abusers accountable
- Allowing additional crimes, such as graffiti and arson, to be prosecuted as hate crimes
- New legislation to crack down on illicit cannabis storefronts that undermine public health and disturb communities
Treating Serious Mental Illness That Threatens Public Safety
Decades of disinvestment in mental health are having a devastating effect on our State, and as a result too many vulnerable New Yorkers are slipping through the cracks. Hochul proposes:
- Opening 200 new psychiatric inpatient beds under a multi-year expansion plan
- Establishing a law enforcement and mental health coordination team and funding crisis intervention training for law enforcement
- Improving mental health admission and discharge procedures for hospitals
- Funding mental health court expansion and court-based mental health specialists
- Increasing transitional and specialized housing
Addressing the Youth Mental Health Crisis
After convening New York’s first-ever Youth Mental Health Summit in 2023, Hochul is recommitting her efforts to help struggling kids and teenagers by:
- Providing resources to schools so that every school that wants one can open a school-based mental health clinic
- Establishing new Youth Assertive Community Treatment (ACT) Teams statewide
- Expanding loan repayment programs for children’s mental health practitioners
- Pushing for the passage of legislation that would hold social media companies accountable
Transforming and Strengthening New York’s Health Care System
To stabilize and transform the state’s health care system, Hochul announced a bold health care agenda that includes:
- Expanding affordable health care options through NY State of Health and better access to primary care
- Continuing aggressive efforts to combat the opioid crisis and support individuals struggling with addiction
- Supporting providers by launching the Health Care Safety Net Transformation Program and strengthening cybersecurity
- Improving access to mental health and addiction services by expanding out-of-network coverage when timely appointments are not available for in-network coverage
The Consumer Protection and Affordability Agenda
As part of last year’s Budget, Hochul secured a historic minimum wage increase to raise wages through 2027 and then index it to inflation – a change that began taking effect earlier this month. To build on her mission of protecting New York consumers and keeping money in New Yorkers’ pockets, Hochul will:
- Propose the first expansion of New York’s consumer protection law in more than 40 years
- Advance legislation to ensure Buy Now Pay Later loan providers treat customers fairly
- Expand paid medical and disability leave benefits over the next five years
- Eliminate co-pays for insulin cost-sharing for any New Yorker on a State-regulated health insurance plan
- Combat medical debt and protect low-income New Yorkers from medical debt lawsuits
Since Hochul took office two years ago, shootings and murders have declined by double digits. To build on that progress, Hochul proposes:
- Cracking down on retail theft with a dedicated State Police “Smash and Grab” unit and an interagency Joint Operation on retail theft
- New initiatives from Office of Gun Violence Prevention to continue progress in fight against gun violence
- Providing new funding and tools to prosecutors to hold domestic abusers accountable
- Allowing additional crimes, such as graffiti and arson, to be prosecuted as hate crimes
- New legislation to crack down on illicit cannabis storefronts that undermine public health and disturb communities
Treating Serious Mental Illness That Threatens Public Safety
Decades of disinvestment in mental health are having a devastating effect on our State, and as a result too many vulnerable New Yorkers are slipping through the cracks. Hochul proposes:
- Opening 200 new psychiatric inpatient beds under a multi-year expansion plan
- Establishing a law enforcement and mental health coordination team and funding crisis intervention training for law enforcement
- Improving mental health admission and discharge procedures for hospitals
- Funding mental health court expansion and court-based mental health specialists
- Increasing transitional and specialized housing
Addressing the Youth Mental Health Crisis
After convening New York’s first-ever Youth Mental Health Summit in 2023, Hochul is recommitting her efforts to help struggling kids and teenagers by:
- Providing resources to schools so that every school that wants one can open a school-based mental health clinic
- Establishing new Youth Assertive Community Treatment (ACT) Teams statewide
- Expanding loan repayment programs for children’s mental health practitioners
- Pushing for the passage of legislation that would hold social media companies accountable
Transforming and Strengthening New York’s Health Care System
To stabilize and transform the state’s health care system, Hochul announced a bold health care agenda that includes:
- Expanding affordable health care options through NY State of Health and better access to primary care
- Continuing aggressive efforts to combat the opioid crisis and support individuals struggling with addiction
- Supporting providers by launching the Health Care Safety Net Transformation Program and strengthening cybersecurity
- Improving access to mental health and addiction services by expanding out-of-network coverage when timely appointments are not available for in-network coverage
The Consumer Protection and Affordability Agenda
As part of last year’s Budget, Hochul secured a historic minimum wage increase to raise wages through 2027 and then index it to inflation – a change that began taking effect earlier this month. To build on her mission of protecting New York consumers and keeping money in New Yorkers’ pockets, Hochul will:
- Propose the first expansion of New York’s consumer protection law in more than 40 years
- Advance legislation to ensure Buy Now Pay Later loan providers treat customers fairly
- Expand paid medical and disability leave benefits over the next five years
- Eliminate co-pays for insulin cost-sharing for any New Yorker on a State-regulated health insurance plan
- Combat medical debt and protect low-income New Yorkers from medical debt lawsuits
Better Transit, Safer Streets
Hochul has made transformative infrastructure investments that will transform the way New Yorkers live, work and get around. As part of the State of the State, she is proposing:
- Planning the expansion of the Second Avenue Subway to Broadway
- Moving forward to the engineering phase of the Interborough Express
- Combatting fare evasion by drivers and subway riders
- Providing New York City with tools to lower its own speed limits through “Sammy’s Law”
Expanding Access to Affordable, High-Quality Higher Education
Hochul is committed to supporting public higher education and helping students access a high-quality, affordable education. In the 2024 State of the State, Hochul is proposing:
- Offering direct admission to high achieving students from the top 10 percent of New York high school classes to SUNY and CUNY campuses
- New legislation requiring school districts to ensure every high school senior completes the FAFSA
- Ensuring eligible students take advantage of SNAP benefits to address food insecurity among college students
- Boosting college student voter participation by having SUNY and CUNY provide information about voter registration in various campus information packets
