January 11, 2024 — During her State of the State address on January 9, New York State Governor Kathy Hochul told a joint session of assemblymembers, state senators and other government officials and guests that New York is on the rise.
“The state of New York is strong,” Hochul said. “Stronger today than when I became governor two years ago. Healthier. Safer. More affordable.”
Hochul began by praising the work of her administration and the legislature coming together in 2023 to lower unemployment from 7.4 percent to 4 percent, creating 600,000 jobs across the state, raising funding for education by $5.3 billion, healthcare by $112 billion and investing $7 billion into childcare.
The State of the State book details 204 policy initiatives intended to address many of the concerns raised by New Yorkers. In her address, the governor focused on her “key priorities” for New York: Fighting crime, fixing New York’s mental health system, and protecting consumers.
Many of the proposals reflected PEF priorities as outlined in the union’s “Fund Our Future” campaign.
For example, PEF is focused on pushing New York state to establish an Acceptable Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) policy, expanding the number of mental health beds offered by state-operated institutions, expanding the Department of Labor’s ability to enforce wage theft, developing apprenticeships programs for state employees, extending the Nurse Loan Forgiveness program, and addressing services available to parolees and protecting against high-risk parolees.
“If government can’t keep New Yorkers safe, nothing else matters,” Governor Hochul said. “In the last year we’ve reduced gun violence, bringing shootings down by more than a third across the state.”
Governor Hochul cited mental health as being a large part of New Yorkers’ concerns. While New Yorkers are concerned about their safety, the governor said that access is key.
“High quality care must be widely available, accessible, and affordable. Yet for decades, our mental health system was deprioritized and defunded,” Governor Hochul said. “Over the 10 years before I took office, funding for mental health grew only 2 percent. Not even keeping up with inflation.”
PEF is advocating for $10 million in the next budget to hire more staff at OMH and OASAS who can provide immediate, on-site evaluation of individuals who present for treatment. Additionally, PEF believes the State should spend $30 million to restore the more than 120 residential facilities for the developmentally disabled that have been shuttered by OPWDD over the past several years.
The governor detailed expanding consumer protection laws, including protecting students from predatory student loan practices and manipulative debt collectors. She also focused on medical debt and increases to disability leave, which have not seen any increases in 35 years.
“What’s the point of paying for this benefit your entire life if it only provides a fraction of what you need to recover?” said Governor Hochul. “We must right this wrong and increase this benefit from the paltry $170 a week people get right now to as much as $1,250. That’s seven times more than what it has been, and I say it’s about time.”
On the jobs front, the governor announced a new consortium comprised of academic institutions like Cornell, RPI and NYU, that will be geared toward making New York a leader in Artificial Intelligence research and development. The consortium, dubbed Empire AI, will work to create and launch an AI computing center in Upstate New York. The governor believes that AI can be used to help bolster the way we live, including helping to protect against environmental disaster, helping to diagnose illness, and more.
PEF is concerned with the use of AI and its impact on the State workforce, especially in the public sector. PEF Executive Board members and ITS employees Christopher Ford and Prakash Lal testified on the impact of artificial intelligence on the state workforce in November.
The governor also remains focused on new programming to attract and retain State workers to fill the more than 12,000 vacancies in state agencies. PEF will continue to advocate for improvements to Tier 6 of the pension plan as a key incentive for employees to make a career out of working for New York State. In addition, PEF will advocate for new legislation to address inappropriate conduct in the workplace by defining bullying and requiring training of employees and employers to clean up toxic workplaces.
For her final message to New Yorkers, Governor Hochul urged them to stay optimistic. The future of New York is bright.
“We are a state where resiliency runs in our blood. No mountain is too steep to summit. Our strength is forged from the diversity and industry of our people. We succeed because of our contrasts, our amazing differences. We know we are more powerful together than on our own. It’s fascinating that our great state could be home to the world’s leading financial institutions and the tiny Mom and Pop shops that dot the Main Streets of charming villages.”