On January 9, Governor Hochul delivered her State of the State message to legislators. She said: “The State of New York is strong – stronger today than when I became Governor two years ago. Healthier. Safer. More affordable.” She highlighted issues which we would expect to see in her budget presentation next week, where we will find more details.
The key provisions in the message were:
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- Safety in the community,
- Addressing Mental Health,
- Making the state more affordable to live in – including consumer protections and affordable housing.
Hochul said she aims to accomplish her goals:
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- “By taking on persistent crime, like retail theft, hate crimes, and domestic violence.
- By revolutionizing our mental health infrastructure so people can actually get the help they need.
- And by protecting your hard earned money from bad actors and predatory lenders, and from politicians who want to raise your taxes.”
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Specific to StateWide’s agenda, she mentioned other issues including:
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- patient financial assistance in hospitals to reduce medical debt,
- addressing access to dentists and the shortage of health care workers,
- combatting elder financial exploitation,
- implementing an “Olmstead Plan” to provide services in the least restrictive environment for a person who has disabilities of any age.