Kathy Hochul in 2023 Governor's State of the State speeches

On Budget & Economy: Housing Compact has goal of 800,000 new homes in a decade

Today, I'm proud to introduce the New York Housing Compact, a groundbreaking strategy to catalyze the housing development we need for our communities to thrive. For our economy to grow. And our state to prosper. The Compact pulls together a broad menu of policy changes that will collectively achieve the ambitious goal of 800,000 new homes over the next decade. Because to do nothing is an abdication of our responsibility to act in times of crisis. Source: 2023 State of the State Address to the New York legislature Jan 10, 2023

On Crime: I stand by bail reform but there's room for improvement

First, the size of someone's bank account should not determine whether they sit in jail, or return home, before they have even been convicted of a crime. That was the goal of bail reform. It was a righteous one, and I stand by it. Second, bail reform is not the primary driver of a national crime wave created by a convergence of factors, including the pandemic. And third, that the bail reform law as written now leaves room for improvement. Source: 2023 State of the State Address to the New York legislature Jan 10, 2023

On Energy & Oil: EmPower Plus helps low-income families retrofit their homes

So today, I'm proposing an ambitious series of policies to insulate our most vulnerable households from exorbitant energy bills, and to clear the path forward for a more sustainable future.We're calling it "The EmPower Plus" program, and it will help low-income families retrofit their homes by adding insulation, upgrading appliances, and switching from fossil fuels to clean electric heating systems. Source: 2023 State of the State Address to the New York legislature Jan 10, 2023

On Energy & Oil: End new fossil-fuel-powered heating equipment by 2030

I'm proposing a plan to end the sale of any new fossil-fuel-powered heating equipment by 2030. And I'm calling for all new construction to be zero-emission, starting in 2025 for small buildings and 2028 for large buildings. We are taking these actions because climate change remains the greatest threat to our planet, and to our children and grandchildren. Source: 2023 State of the State Address to the New York legislature Jan 10, 2023

On Families & Children: Streamline and centralize the child care application process

Less than 10% of families who are eligible for child care assistance are actually enrolled. This is the legacy of a system that is difficult to navigate - by design. That has to change. Our plan will streamline and centralize the child care application process, expand access for the most vulnerable families, increase income eligibility, and lower co-pays, while also supporting the child care providers who are indispensable for working parents. Source: 2023 State of the State Address to the New York legislature Jan 10, 2023

On Gun Control: Developed new strategies to deal with rise in gun violence

The pervasive unease that wormed its way into our day-to-day lives, the social isolation and the economic distress, led to a nationwide rise in crime and gun violence that we are now combatting. To respond, we developed new strategies and invested in new programs.

Strengthening our gun violence prevention laws by passing even stronger ones and closing loopholes.
Banning ghost guns and expanding bail eligibility for gun crimes. Tougher prosecutions of gun trafficking.
Mandating the use of Red Flag law leading to more than 5,000 cases where we kept guns out of the hands of people who shouldn't have them and kept innocent people from being hurt.
Raising the minimum age to 21 to purchase semi-automatic weapons.
Launching a first-in-the-nation 9 state task force on illegal guns which took more than 10,000 illegal guns off our streets this past year.
And tripling our investments in gun violence interruption programs.

Source: 2023 State of the State Address to the New York legislature Jan 10, 2023

On Health Care: $1B and critical policy changes for mental health care

I'm proud to announce we will be investing more than $1 billion dollars and making critical policy changes to finally and fully meet the mental health needs of our state. We will add 1,000 inpatient psychiatric beds, funding 150 new beds in State facilities and bringing 850 psych beds in hospitals back on line. This is more than half of the beds we have lost since 2014 and they will serve more than 10,000 New Yorkers each year. These actions are overdue. Source: 2023 State of the State Address to the New York legislature Jan 10, 2023

On Jobs: I am proposing a plan to peg the minimum wage to inflation

I am proposing a plan to peg the minimum wage to inflation. If costs go up, so will wages. Like other states that have implemented this policy, we will put guardrails in place to make increases predictable for employers, and create flexibility in the event of a recession. But this important change will give the nearly 900,000 minimum-wage workers a lifeline. Those workers are more likely to be women, many of whom are single moms, and they are more likely to be people of color. Source: 2023 State of the State Address to the New York legislature Jan 10, 2023

The above quotations are from 2023 Governor's State of the State speeches. Click here for other excerpts from 2023 Governor's State of the State speeches. Click here for other excerpts by Kathy Hochul. Click here for other excerpts by other Governors.
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Page last updated: Apr 02, 2023