Governor Hochul Updates New Yorkers on State's Progress Combating COVID-19 - JANUARY 5, 2022

 

104,713 Vaccine Doses Administered Over Last 24 Hours    

96 COVID-19 Deaths Statewide Yesterday

 Governor Kathy Hochul today updated New Yorkers on the state's progress combating COVID-19.      

“I know New Yorkers are exhausted, but we can't let up against this winter surge,” Governor Hochul said. “Let's continue to use the tools that will protect ourselves, our children and our vulnerable loved ones from getting severely sick or hospitalized from COVID. Please get fully vaccinated, get the booster, wear a non-cloth well-fitting mask and exercise caution while indoors."

Today's data is summarized briefly below: 

• Test Results Reported – 348,911
• Total Positive – 77,859
• Percent Positive - 22.31%
• 7-Day Average Percent Positive - 22.45%
• Patient Hospitalization - 10,867 (+456)
• Patients Newly Admitted - 1,968
• Patients in ICU - 1,359 (+57)
• Patients in ICU with Intubation - 657 (+32)
• Total Discharges - 236,684 (+1,439)
• New deaths reported by healthcare facilities through HERDS - 96
• Total deaths reported by healthcare facilities through HERDS - 48,898

The Health Electronic Response Data System is a NYS DOH data source that collects confirmed daily death data as reported by hospitals, nursing homes and adult care facilities only. 

• Total deaths reported to and compiled by the CDC - 61,749

This daily COVID-19 provisional death certificate data reported by NYS DOH and NYC to the CDC includes those who died in any location, including hospitals, nursing homes, adult care facilities, at home, in hospice and other settings. 

• Total vaccine doses administered - 33,974,613
• Total vaccine doses administered over past 24 hours – 104,713
• Total vaccine doses administered over past 7 days - 605,909
• Percent of New Yorkers ages 18 and older with at least one vaccine dose - 89.4% 
• Percent of New Yorkers ages 18 and older with completed vaccine series - 80.7% 
• Percent of New Yorkers ages 18 and older with at least one vaccine dose (CDC) - 95.0%
• Percent of New Yorkers ages 18 and older with completed vaccine series (CDC) - 83.1%
• Percent of all New Yorkers with at least one vaccine dose - 78.3%
• Percent of all New Yorkers with completed vaccine series - 70.0% 
• Percent of all New Yorkers with at least one vaccine dose (CDC) - 84.6% 
• Percent of all New Yorkers with completed vaccine series (CDC) - 72.0%

Statement by New York City Comptroller Brad Lander on Property Tax Commission Final Report

 

 Following the release of recommendations from the New York City Advisory Commission on Property Tax Reform last week, Comptroller Brad Lander issued the following statement:

“Our property tax system today is both regressive and opaque. Reform is urgent.

“I welcome the recommendations of the Commission on Property Tax Reform, and I agree with their approach to reforming New York City’s property tax system so that similar properties are taxed similarly, while ensuring that owners are not overly burdened by bills that exceed their ability to pay. Our current system is inequitable, and we must fix it – even where that means that my neighbors and I will need to pay more.

“Comprehensive property tax reform must also address the imbalances in how multifamily properties are taxed, so that we don’t continue to disadvantage the development of rental buildings relative to condos. With the 421-a property tax exemption program expiring this year, we have a real opportunity to achieve comprehensive, fair, and efficient reform. The 421-a program has long been an obscenely excessive giveaway to developers masquerading as an affordable housing program. My office will endeavor to provide analysis and policy guidance to achieve comprehensive property tax reform that meets the principles of fairness and predictability, that protects the most vulnerable, and that makes wise use of New Yorkers’ tax dollars.”

Attorney General James Alerts 17 Companies to “Credential Stuffing” Cyberattacks Impacting More Than 1.1 Million Consumers

 

 New York Attorney General Letitia James today announced the results of a sweeping investigation into “credential stuffing” that discovered more than 1.1 million online accounts compromised in cyberattacks at 17 well-known companies. Attorney General James released a “Business Guide for Credential Stuffing Attacks” that details the attacks — which involve repeated, automated attempts to access online accounts using usernames and passwords stolen from other online services — and how business can protect themselves. Credential stuffing has quickly become one of the top attack vectors online. Virtually every website and app use passwords as a means of authenticating its users. Unfortunately, users tend to reuse the same passwords across multiple online services. This allows cybercriminals to use passwords stolen from one company for other online accounts. Following discovery of the attacks, the Office of the Attorney General (OAG) alerted the relevant companies so that passwords could be reset and consumers could be notified. Today’s guide shares lessons learned over the course of the OAG’s investigation, including concrete guidance on steps businesses can take to better protect against credential stuffing attacks. 

“Right now, there are more than 15 billion stolen credentials being circulated across the internet, as users’ personal information stand in jeopardy,” said Attorney General James. “Businesses have the responsibility to take appropriate action to protect their customers’ online accounts and this guide lays out critical safeguards companies can use in the fight against credential stuffing. We must do everything we can to protect consumers’ personal information and their privacy.”

What is Credential Stuffing?

Credential stuffing is a type of cyberattack that involves attempts to log in to online accounts using username and passwords stolen from other, unrelated online services. It relies on the widespread practice of reusing passwords as, chances are, a password used on one website was also used on another. 

In a typical credential stuffing attack, an attacker may submit hundreds of thousands, or even millions, of login attempts using automated, credential-stuffing software and lists of stolen credentials downloaded from the dark web or hacking forums. Although only a small percentage of these attempts will succeed, through the sheer volume of login attempts, a single attack can nevertheless yield thousands of compromised accounts.   

An attacker that gains access to an account can use it in any number of ways. The attacker can, for example, view personal information associated with the account, including a name, an address, and past purchases, and use this information in a phishing attack. If the account has a stored credit card or gift card, the attacker may be able to make fraudulent purchases. Or the attacker could simply sell the login credentials to another individual on the dark web.

Credential stuffing is one of the most common forms of cyberattack. The operator of one large content delivery network reported that it witnessed more than193 billion such attacks in 2020 alone.

The OAG’s Investigation

In light of the growing threat of credential stuffing, the OAG launched an investigation to identify businesses and consumers impacted by this attack vector. Over a period of several months, the OAG monitored several online communities dedicated to credential stuffing. The OAG found thousands of posts that contained customer login credentials that attackers had tested in a credential stuffing attack and confirmed could be used to access customer accounts at websites or on apps. From these posts, the OAG compiled credentials to compromised accounts at 17 well-known online retailers, restaurant chains, and food delivery services. In all, the OAG collected credentials for more than 1.1 million customer accounts, all of which appeared to have been compromised in credential stuffing attacks. 

The OAG alerted each of the 17 companies to the compromised accounts and urged the companies to investigate and take immediate steps to protect impacted customers. Every company did so. The companies’ investigations revealed that most of the attacks had not previously been detected.

The OAG also worked with the companies to determine how attackers had circumvented existing safeguards and provided recommendations for strengthening their data security programs to better secure customer accounts in the future. Over the course of the OAG’s investigation, nearly all of the companies implemented, or made plans to implement, additional safeguards.

The OAG’s Recommendations

Credential stuffing attacks have become so prevalent that they are, for most businesses, unavoidable. Every business that maintains online customer accounts should therefore have a data security program that includes effective safeguards for protecting customers from credential stuffing attacks. Safeguards should be implemented in each of four areas:

1. Defending against credential stuffing attacks,
2. Detecting a credential stuffing breach,
3. Preventing fraud and misuse of customer information, and
4. Responding to a credential stuffing incident.

Attorney General James’ guide presents specific safeguards that have been found to be effective in each of these areas. Some highlights from the guide include the following:

• Three safeguards were found to be highly effective at defending against credential stuffing attacks when properly implemented: 1) bot detection services, 2) multi-factor authentication, and 3) password-less authentication.

• Because no safeguard is 100 percent effective, it is critical that businesses have an effective way of detecting attacks that have bypassed other defenses and compromised customer accounts. Most credential stuffing attacks can be identified by monitoring customer traffic for signs of attacks (for example, spikes in traffic volume of failed login attempts).

• One of the most effective safeguards for preventing attackers from using customers’ stored payment information is re-authentication at the time of purchase by, for example, requiring customers to re-enter a credit card number or security code. It is critically important that re-authentication be required for every method of payment that a business accepts. The OAG encountered many cases in which attackers were able to exploit gaps in fraud protection by making a purchase using a payment method that did not require re-authentication.

• Businesses should have a written incident response plan that includes processes for responding to credential stuffing attacks. The processes should include investigation (e.g., determining whether and which customer accounts were accessed), remediation (e.g., blocking attackers’ continued access to impacted accounts), and notice (e.g., alerting customers whose account were reasonably likely to have been impacted).

State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli Statement on Gov. Hochul's State of the State Address

 

"Kathy Hochul took over as governor at a time of great challenge in New York state and immediately demonstrated her leadership, competence and more collaborative style. Her State of the State message today continued her thoughtful, common-sense approach to governing.

"My office has detailed the stronger-than-expected economic recovery taking place here in New York. Local sales tax receipts continue to improve, the unemployment rate continues to fall and the state, with the addition of important federal funding, has a relatively strong fiscal footing. These are positive developments for New York as we begin 2022, but my office has also identified economic sectors that are still struggling and will need the state to continue its role addressing the health and economic effects of the pandemic.

The pandemic is stretching into a third year and the need for real, hands-on leadership is crucial at this point in our history to beat back the virus and to safely get us back to a more normal way of life. Based on what I’ve seen in these last four months and from what I heard today from her State of the State, I’m confident Governor Hochul can help us achieve this. I look forward to working with her and moving New York forward." 

VIDEO: NYGOP Chairman Nick Langworthy Delivers Republican Response to 2022 State of the State Address

Hello, I’m Nick Langworthy, Chairman of the New York Republican Party.  But, I’m speaking to you today first and foremost as a father and as a New Yorker.  The truth is, you certainly don’t need Kathy Hochul--or even me for that matter--to tell you what the state of our state is.  You know in your bones that New York is broken.  A dangerous combination of incompetence and extreme leftist ideology is destroying what used to be the greatest state in the country.  Your wallet, your safety, and your freedoms have all been hit with a two by four and every time you try to get back up, the state issues another blow.  Whether it’s in Washington or here in New York, the number one ingredient missing from our leadership is just good old-fashioned common sense.  You’re not alone when you read the paper or watch the news and ask yourself, “what the heck are they thinking?”  It might make you mad. It might make you frustrated. But for too many New Yorkers, it’s made you feel hopeless.  If I had a dollar for every person who has said to me that “New York is a lost cause,” I’d be a rich man.  That hopelessness has led to a catastrophic population loss.  Right before Christmas, the census data confirmed what we already suspected, that once again, New Yorkers are leaving, but what’s different now is they are leaving at a historic rate--faster and in greater numbers than ever before.  We lost more than 350,000 residents last year alone and more than 1.5 million since Democrat governors have been running this state.  That is a damning indictment on our leadership.  What could speak louder than people packing up their homes, leaving their jobs, families, and friends to get away and start over somewhere else?  The people that have left have broken up with New York and the ones remaining are thinking about leaving this toxic relationship all the time.  And let’s be clear: the people who are leaving aren’t moving to other Democrat-dominated states like California or Washington.  They are moving to quote “red” states like Florida and Texas…or in other words: free states, prosperous states and growing states.  States that show respect for hardworking, law-abiding taxpayers and don’t kowtow to the radical leftist mob.  They are trading decline and corruption for opportunity and freedom.  Our people are our greatest assets.  Families are being broken up with grandparents being forced to Facetime with their kids and grandkids.  We are educating our children only to watch them leave and provide their talents to businesses in other states.  But who can blame them?  Their alternative is to stay in the highest taxed state in the nation where property taxes and income taxes are a crushing impediment to leading a middle-class life.  Did you know that today 1 of every 3 New Yorkers is on Medicaid?  A third of our population is stuck trapped in government dependency under Democrat governors because that’s the trap they have created to keep themselves in power.  It’s the driving cause of our high property taxes, where in most counties the entire tax levy goes solely to Medicaid, and then some.  When you couple New York’s high cost of living with the skyrocketing inflation thanks to Biden and national Democrats, leaving is not a choice, it's the only thing left to do.  People who did everything right still can’t afford to pay their bills here.  And if that on its face isn’t maddening enough, when you look at who IS being treated as a priority by our governor: it’s criminals, it’s lobbyists and it’s people in this country illegally.  Democrats’ deadly bail reform law has resulted in nearly 3,500 cases where criminals who were released without bail went on to commit violent felonies.  Think about that--that’s 3,500 victims of serious crimes. 3,500 lives forever changed.  It’s getting worse by the day. The new “woke” Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg just announced the only crimes he’s basically prosecuting for any jail time at all are murder and deadly assault.  And you can commit a slew of other crimes, including resisting arrest from a police officer, and not be prosecuted at all.  That’s it--just charges dropped and on your merry way.  And what’s even more stunning is that Kathy Hochul thinks that’s perfectly acceptable.  There is no regard for how these crimes affect victims and society at large.  The complete breakdown of our criminal justice system courtesy of New York Democrats should anger everyone, regardless of your party affiliation.  Andrew Cuomo may have left in disgrace, but the policies that destroyed our state under his watch are in full force. The cozy corrupt cabal in the halls of the capital is still intact.  For the last seven years, Kathy Hochul sat in the shadow of Andrew Cuomo.  Her office... just steps from his.  She was his loyal lieutenant who said nothing and did nothing to challenge him--even in the face of blatant corruption and gross incompetence.  She might not scream and threaten like Cuomo, but she is no less of an operator.  You’d have to be, to remain in his orbit for as long as she did.  You know what they say…lie down with dogs and wake up with fleas.  Kathy Hochul turned a blind eye to protect her own power and now there is nothing this accidental governor won’t do to keep it.  That’s not integrity, that’s complicity.  And she continues to remain complicit as she and other Democrats from Biden’s DOJ on down who are giving Cuomo a free pass from prosecution.  She refused to even do her own internal investigation into Cuomo’s deadly nursing home order.  Without the political pressure to impeach or prosecute, Democrats are hoping you forget all about the stain of the Cuomo-Hochul administration, and Cuomo, once again, is allowed to evade accountability for his crimes.  In the less than 5 months since she ascended to governor, Kathy Hochul has taken more than a few of the tricks she’s learned from her tenure in the Cuomo Administration.  In her first major decision where she selected her lieutenant governor--the person who if history repeated itself would have a realistic chance of becoming governor themselves--she chose a corrupt scandal-scarred, “defund the police” radical. He fits in well along with the Cuomo cronies she has chosen to keep employed.  She is already running an administration less transparent than the Prince of Darkness himself by hiding her meetings with the lobbyists and special interests she has raised more than $10 million from in the last three months.  Failing to disclose these meetings isn’t just unethical, it’s in direct violation of the law.  Corruption isn’t the only hallmark of the Cuomo-Hochul administration.  We know far too well that incompetence has been just as big a factor in New York’s demise and nowhere is that more on display than in the state’s woefully pathetic covid response.  We are in a crisis of Hochul’s own making as we are facing massive testing and staffing shortages.  She was warned about the Omicron wave and did nothing, while continuing to implement her dangerous and wrongheaded vaccine mandate on healthcare and hospital workers that is not supported by science.  The people we celebrated last year with a parade in the canyon of heroes were summarily fired at a time when we continue to need them the most.  Patriotic New Yorkers have had to go to court to sue the state for freedoms that they are entitled to under our Constitution.  It’s wrong. And it’s a gross abuse of power.  To this day, our state’s most vulnerable citizens--seniors and children--continue to be impacted the worst.  Elderly New Yorkers who are at highest risk of serious illness and death are being forced to wait hours in the cold to try and get a test.  Children continue to endure altered learning environments that will mean another year of stunted growth and development. Small businesses are struggling to keep up with the ever-evolving list of arbitrary rules and mandates.  We are nearly two years into this pandemic and neither Joe Biden nor Kathy Hochul has given us any new tools to fight this and they can’t even properly manage basics like testing.  Kathy Hochul likes to call herself a “Joe Biden Democrat”....and on that, we happen to wholeheartedly agree.  They are both in over their heads and incompetent.  To cover up this painfully obvious fact, they stoke fear and division while failing to offer any real solutions to fix our problems.  There is no vision.  To fix New York, we need a fresh start. We need to take a bottle of bleach to the halls of Albany and clean house.  We don’t need to settle for Cuomo’s Number Two.  We need bold leadership and someone with the courage to stand up to the extremists who want to make New York a socialist sanctuary for criminals.  For years the left has been trying to scare New Yorkers into keeping the same, failed Democrat status quo.  Meanwhile, our neighbors in Massachusetts, Vermont and just south in Maryland have wised up and elected Republican executives.  New Jersey came extremely close to doing the same last fall.  In that same election, New Yorkers from every corner of the state threw out local Democrat leaders. From the suburbs of Long Island to the city of Buffalo, New Yorkers rejected socialism and rejected the direction of our country and state under Democrat control.  But, that must only be the beginning.  Democrats control everything from Washington to Albany and the results you can see for yourself.  From our wallets to our safety, as we go about our daily lives, we are seeing the consequences of this election.  People must remember that you get the government you vote for.  Any grievance you have with your state government, must be addressed at the ballot box this November.  This is the year for real change. For a new dawn for our state.  This is the year we say: enough is enough.  This is the year New Yorkers stop saying things are hopeless and start fighting back.  Finally, for those of you who don’t trust us Republicans to deliver - you don’t have to take my word for it - just look around at the common sense leadership offered by Republican executives around New York State.  From Staten Island and Nassau County to Dutchess, Onondaga and Chemung counties and beyond, Republican leaders are delivering smart, honest and effective government.  It can be done if enough people are willing to stand up and take a hammer to the status quo.  If you won’t do it for you, do it for the next generation.  Do it to become a part of the greatest comeback story in our nation.  Do it to remind the politicians in charge that they work for YOU.  Do it… to save our state.  Thank you and may God bless you all.

NYC PUBLIC ADVOCATE WILLIAM'S STATEMENT ON THE 2022 STATE OF THE STATE ADDRESS'S

 

"In her State of the State address, the governor mentioned many of the issues facing New Yorkers, and this would represent a strong list of priorities – if the announcements on these issues demonstrated that they would be strongly prioritized. I welcome the discussion of many crucial topics including climate, housing, public safety, health care, and more. At the same time, in many areas, these intentions do not seem to be matched by the investments needed to truly renew the state, and the city I represent. Much of this speech could have been given pre-pandemic, rather than meeting the moment by envisioning a new normal. 

"The governor spoke of the affordable housing and homelessness crisis – but her proposal of 100,000 units of nominally affordable housing is not sufficient to meet the need in New York City alone, much less the entire state. That commitment, compounded with a lack of commitment to pass Good Cause legislation and keep New Yorkers in their homes, shows a failure to meet the scope and urgency of the issues New York faces, which was a philosophy reflected across the address. In the area of public safety as well, I appreciated the governor’s pledges on the supply side of gun violence as well as in community group funding, but absent was a broader, bolder vision that reimagines public safety and examines its intersections with housing, health care, education, and other issues.

"I further appreciate the governor’s stated goals on ethics reform, as it remains abundantly clear that we need to eliminate the systems, structures, and incentives that empowered and enabled the previous governor’s abuses. But I also fear that this administration will make many of the mistakes of the last, whether by failing to fully reject the ways of the past or failing to learn from them in responding to the ongoing, surging COVID-19 pandemic.

"As I and others have in the past, the governor recalled the New Deal in her remarks. But absent from this address was a solid foundation of the kind of transformative economy a Renewed Deal for New York could provide. There are common sense, broadly supported measures which would generate sustainable revenue from the wealthiest New Yorkers as a civic responsibility to support struggling New Yorkers – but the governor has not supported these critical steps which would enable the kind of investment we truly need to renew New York.

"Discussion of these issues is important, acknowledged, and appreciated – but that discussion must be accompanied by the political courage to envision and enact transformational change for New York City and across the state."

Governor Hochul Delivers 2022 State of the State 2022 STATE OF THE STATE GOVERNMENT

 

"New Era for New York" Agenda Includes 228 Bold Initiatives to Kick-Start New York's Comeback

$10 Billion Healthcare Plan Will Rebuild and Grow Workforce, Deliver Direct Payments to Workers

Major Ethics Reforms Will Limit Statewide Elected Officials to Two Terms, Ban Outside Income and Replace JCOPE with New Independent Ethics Agency

Billion Dollar Rescue Plan Will Help Small Businesses Come Back, Middle Class Tax Relief Will Lift Up Millions of New Yorkers

Infrastructure Investments Will Expand Transit in New York City and Lead the Nation in Climate Action

State of the State Book Available Here

 Governor Kathy Hochul today delivered her 2022 State of the State Address, outlining her plan for a New Era for New York. Governor Hochul outlined nine key components of her agenda: rebuilding our healthcare economy, protecting public safety and addressing gun violence, investing in New York's people, investing in New York's communities, making New York's housing system more affordable, equitable, and stable, making New York a national leader in climate action and green jobs, rebuilding New York's teacher workforce and reimagining higher education, advancing New York's place as a national equity model, and making critical reforms to restore New Yorkers' faith in their government.

"As the first woman to present a State of the State address in New York, I want to make it clear I am not just here to make history - I am here to make a difference," Governor Hochul said. "The time has come for a new American Dream. Today, we start building a better, fairer, more inclusive version that I call the New York Dream. We will create a New Era for New York by embarking on a bold, far-reaching policy agenda that advances our recovery and restores New Yorkers' trust in government. And through all of this, I will continue to collaborate with others and deliver results for New Yorkers."

Governor Hochul's A New Era for New York Agenda is comprised of nine components each geared toward carrying New York State to a brighter future.

Rebuild Our Healthcare Economy to Provide Care for More New Yorkers

$10 Billion Plan to Rebuild and Grow the Healthcare Workforce by 20 Percent

Over the next five years, Governor Hochul's plan will rebuild and grow the healthcare workforce by 20 percent. $10 billion will be invested in the state's healthcare sector, including more than $4 billion to support wages and bonuses for healthcare workers. Additionally, this plan will improve the career pipeline, expand access to healthcare training and education, recruit care workers to underserved areas, and strengthen home care.

Protect Public Safety and Take Strong Action Against Gun Violence

Three-Part Agenda to Prevent and Reduce Gun Violence and Violent Crime Throughout New York State

This public safety initiative will provide state and local law enforcement with tools necessary to keep New Yorkers safe from gun violence. The Governor's plan will invest in public safety and fund state and local policing gun safety efforts, create the Interstate Gun Tracing Consortium, and triple investment in community-based gun violence response. 

Invest in New York's People

Tax Relief Efforts for Thousands of Small Businesses and Millions of Middle-Class New Yorkers

Governor Hochul's plan will accelerate the phase-in of $1.2 billion in middle class tax cuts for 6 million New Yorkers by two years - to 2023 - and establish a $1 billion property tax rebate program to put money back into the pockets of more than 2 million New Yorkers who have had to endure rising costs as the pandemic has progressed. The Governor will also deliver a tax rebate for 2 million New York families and increase existing tax credits and create new ones to support food production. Governor Hochul'sefforts will also bring about $100 million in tax relief for 195,000 small businesses across New York State.

Strengthen New York's Workforce and Help Grow the Economy

Governor Hochul's seven-pronged initiative will overhaul workforce development to focus on regional needs, expand access to new careers and career services, and recruit the next generation of New York's labor force. As part of this plan, the Governor will create the Office of Workforce and Economic Development, help New Yorkers move between education and careers, expand access to apprenticeships, recruit the next generation of public servants, expand the state's technology talent pipeline, make New York a model for the employment of workers with disabilities, and protect and strengthen worker's rights. 

'Jails to Jobs,' A New Initiative to Improve Re-Entry into the Workforce and Reduce Recidivism

Incarcerated and formerly incarcerated individuals are often left to their own devices upon reentrance into society. With the 'Jails to Jobs' program, these individuals will be connected with education, resources, and opportunities for job placement, which will improve public safety and reduce recidivism.

Invest in New York's Communities

Moving Forward with Major New Expansion of Transit Service in Brooklyn and Queens: The Interborough Express

The Interborough Express is a historic project that would use the existing right of way of the Long Island Rail Road owned Bay Ridge Bridge to connect transit deserts in Brooklyn and Queens. This line would connect commuters to as many as 17 subway lines, expanding access to jobs and other destinations. Governor Hochul's plan is to move forward with the expansion by directing the Metropolitan Transit Authority to begin the environmental review process.

Billion Dollar Rescue Plan for Small Businesses and to Strengthen New York's Economic Recovery

After the hardship brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, Governor Hochul's billion dollar rescue plan will invest in the growth and retention of small businesses of the future, small business tax credits for businesses that took on COVID-related expenses, seed funding to establish new businesses, provide flexible grants to early-stage small businesses, expand small business lending, and help small businesses secure contracts. The Governor also plans to propose legislation to permanently allow the sale of to-go drinks in bars and restaurants.

$1 Billion 'ConnectALL' Initiative to Bring Affordable Broadband to More Than 1 Million New Yorkers

The COVID-19 pandemic exposed how inaccessible and unreliable broadband connection was for many New Yorkers, who suddenly were forced to live their lives through the internet. It is essential that all New Yorkers have equitable access to the internet, as marginalized communities are most affected by this lack of broadband access. The $1 billion ConnectALL initiative will deliver affordable broadband to millions of New Yorkers and transform the state's digital infrastructure through new investments.

Make New York's Housing System More Affordable, Equitable, and Stable

Major Statewide Initiative to End the Homelessness Crisis and Address Longstanding Inequities in Housing

Our housing system is riddled with systemic inequalities that need to be addressed. Governor Houchul's housing plan will tackle these and use public funding to expand opportunity for all. Initiatives to expand housing include utilizing Safe Options Support (SOS) teams of trained mental health practitioners that will assist in transitioning individuals living on the street into stable housing, ending the 421-a tax abatement and establishing a new, more effective program, improving housing access for renters with criminal records or negative credit history, creating an eviction prevention legal assistance program, and creating a permanent disaster recovery and resiliency unit for home rebuilding.  

Address Housing Affordability Crisis in New York State 

The Governor will implement a comprehensive 5-year housing plan, a $25 billion effort to create and preserve 100,000 affordable homes, including 10,000 homes with support services for vulnerable populations. To increase access and affordability in New York's housing market, Governor Hochul will also take major steps to construct new housing and increase density in appropriate urban areas. These steps include permitting accessory dwelling units in single-family neighborhoods, kick-starting transit-oriented development, giving New York City the authority to encourage densification, and easing restrictions on converting hotels and offices to housing.

Make New York a National Leader in Climate Action and Green Jobs

Achieving 2 Million Climate-Friendly Homes by 2030

Buildings account for more than a third of New York's climate pollution. Governor Hochul's plan to achieve a minimum of 1 million electrified homes and up to 1 million electrification-ready homes is anchored by a series of legislative and policy actions. These include requiring zero on-site greenhouse gas emissions for new construction no later than 2027, providing the training programs necessary to ensure that the state has a skilled workforce to deliver these services, establishing a dedicated green electrification fund and electrifying low-income homes through the housing capital plan, among others.

Nation-Leading $500 Million Investment in Offshore Wind

Governor Hochul announced plans to invest in offshore wind infrastructure, procure enough wind energy to power at least 1.5 million homes, initiate planning for an offshore wind transmission network, and launch the offshore wind Master Plan 2.0 Deep Water. This will ensure that the state has the strongest offshore wind energy market along the Eastern Seaboard. The Governor's plan for offshore wind will support more than 6,800 jobs, a combined economic impact of $12.1 billion statewide, and more than 4.3 gigawatts of energy, enough to power nearly 3 million homes in New York.

Rebuild New York's School System and Reimagine Higher Education

Invest in New York's Students, Teachers and Schools

To rebuild New York's teacher workforce, Governor Hochul plans to emphasize recruiting and retaining teachers throughout the state. The Governor will also take action to accelerate the teacher certification process and increase funding for K-12 education. This plan also includes providing incentives to attract teachers and school workers, providing learning and mental health grants, creating a state teacher residency program, and upskilling teacher support workers to earn their certifications.

Increase Access to Childcare for 100,000 Families and Invest $75 Million in Wages for Childcare Workers

Affordable childcare is essential to give children the best possible chance at success while providing parents the ability to participate in the workforce. While Governor Hochulbelieves that the federal government must pass Build Back Better to expand childcare coverage for New York families, if they do not she will propose an expansion of access to childcare. This would impact 100,000 families across New York by increasing eligibility from 200 percent of the federal poverty line to 225 percent. The Governor's plan also includes a $75 million in better pay for childcare workers.

Revitalizing SUNY and Secure Its Place as a Globally Recognized Higher Education Institution

Governor Hochul's plan to revitalize the State University of New York System is wide ranging and extensive. The plan includes making the institution a global leader on research and innovation, ensuring SUNY serves students well, and prioritizing equality within the SUNY system. This transformation will set students on a path to economic success and focus on equity so that all may thrive with a SUNY education.

Advance New York's Place as a National Equity Model

Equity Agenda to Promote Anti-Hate, Racial Equity, and Justice for All New Yorkers  

The Equity Agenda will advance a wide-ranging plan to promote and support gender equity, racial equity, anti-hate, social justice, the LGBTQIA+ community, immigrants and new arrivals, and veterans with the goal of protecting the health, safety, economic opportunities, and fundamental dignity of every New Yorker—in short, to make the New York Dream into a reality. 

Make Critical Reforms to Restore New Yorker's Faith in Their Government

Propose Constitutional Amendment to Limit All Statewide Elected Officials to Two Terms and Ban Outside Income

By introducing a constitutional amendment, Governor Hochul plans to limit the roles of Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Attorney General, and Comptroller to two consecutive terms. The Governor will also propose legislation to impose a ban on earned outside income for the same statewide elected officials, with an exception for academic positions that must receive ethics board approval. 

Replacing JCOPE with a New Independent Ethics Agency

To restore the people's trust in their government, Governor Hochul plans to introduce legislation to repeal and replace the Joint Commission on Public Ethics (JCOPE) with an ethics entity that is truly independent and transparent. This entity will be subject to Freedom of Information Law (FOIL) requests and the Open Meeting Laws, increasing and improving transparency. This plan will also ban outside communications so that members of the entity will be prohibited from participating in ex-parte communications regarding any potential or ongoing investigation.