ALBANY- Governor Kathy Hochul, the state’s 57th governor, delivered the 2024 State of the State address in Albany on Tuesday.
Hochul’s address focused on reducing the cost of living, addressing inflation, and creating more housing throughout the state. She also addressed public safety and pledged to focus on reducing retail theft, domestic violence, and hate crimes.
“If government can’t keep its citizens safe, nothing else matters,” she said.
Hochul said that in 2023, statewide gun crimes dropped by 30 percent. She also said that modifications to the state’s bail reform laws have reduced crime and have made the state safer, both indications that her public safety plan is making a difference.
Hochul unveiled what she called a “targeted plan” to focus on reducing domestic violence. According to the governor, in New York City alone, 84 percent of domestic violence arrests lead to dismissals. To help hold domestic abusers accountable, Hochul pledged an additional $20 million of targeted funding for district attorneys.
When it comes to retail theft, Hochul said, “I say no more, the chaos must end.” She announced a new state police unit that will focus on retail theft and said she supported strengthening laws for individuals who commit violent crimes against retail vendors.
Hochul also spoke about a recent rise in hate crimes. She said there has been a 95 percent increase in hate crimes against Jewish residents in the City of New York since the October 7th attack on Israel by the Hamas terrorist group. She also said there has been an increase in Muslim hate crimes and to curb the violence, proposed making more offenses eligible for prosecution as hate crimes.
“For decades, the mental health system has been deprioritized and defunded,” said Hochul. Calling mental health the “defining challenge of our time,” she spoke about the increased funding her administration has secured. She said that this investment has resulted in more than 1,000 new psychiatric beds and pledged to make mental health services eligible to every school age child.
Hochul also called for the significant expansion of mental health courts. She wants to see additional services made available to New Yorkers with mental health conditions, which she said will not only help patients but make the state safer. “When people don’t get help, their conditions only become more intense,” she said.
Addressing affordability, the governor also said that raising the minimum wage and tying it to inflation has changed the lives of many New Yorkers. She also called for a dramatic increase in the compensation for disability leave from $170 per week to $1,250 per week noting there has not been a change in the benefit in 35 years and that an update is long past due.
Hochul said the most critical issue on housing affordability is the unreasonably high rents and mortgages residents of the state face. She said the primary cause of the problem is a lack of housing.
“Outmigration is a problem we need to talk about,” she said. “Until we address our housing shortage, many of our neighbors will continue to struggle financially.”
To provide up to 15,000 new housing units Hochul plans to use university campuses and provide incentives for localities that support new housing developments. Describing the state’s housing market in an “affordability crisis,” she said now is the time to act outlining a plan to support New York City with the creation of 500,00 new homes.
Speaking to the upcoming state budget, Hochul said, “We cannot spend money we do not have. Inflation just didn’t hit families, it hit state government as well.” She said that since federal pandemic money is gone the state will have to live within its means as this year’s budget is crafted.
“You’ve heard promises before, and it’s hard not to be cynical,” said Hochul as she closed her address. She said that even in the face of difficult times, the future for the state is bright. Quoting pop star Taylor Swift, Hochul reminded New Yorkers that, “Everybody here was somebody else before,” and said that the best pathway forward is one of optimism and hope.
