RECAP: Gov. Hochul 2025 State of the State address

On January 14, 2025 at 1 p.m. Governor Kathy Hochul will give her 2025 State of the State address. You can watch a recording and read our live blog here:

LIVE BLOG & PLAIN LANGUAGE SUMMARY:

The Governor's State of the State address is when she describes what she will propose for, and hopes to see, in the state's next budget.

ON AFFORDABILITY:

• The governor is supporting a "sweeping middle class tax cut" that she claims will impact 8.3 million taxpayers making less than $323,000.
• Hochul plans to propose the country's first inflation rebate checks.
• Hochul said as "New York's first mom governor" she extended the child tax credit for families with children under the age of four in 2023. This year she aims to triple the tax credit to up to $1,000 for kids under four and $500 for school age kids.
• Hochul committed to partner with the legislature to put the state on a pathway to universal child care.
• Hochul is proposing free breakfast and lunch for all schoolchildren.

MENTAL HEALTH & UNHOUSED POPULATIONS:

• "We cannot allow our subway to be a rolling homeless shelter," Hochul said Tuesday.
• Hochul will support the expansion of involuntary commitment to individuals with mental health conditions who "refuse" help with basics like food, housing and shelter. This is in line with Senator George Borrello's previously proposed expansion. "Now, critics will say this criminalizes poverty or homelessness. I say that is flat out wrong," Hochul said.
• On Kendra's Law, Hochul said she wants to "strengthen" the law to get individuals into long term treatment. She did not provide specifics on this.

SUBWAY & PUBLIC SAFETY:

• Hochul wants to see more uniformed police officers on NYC trains overnight, from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m., with financial support from the state. Hochul said platform edge barriers will be installed in 100 additional stations. They plan to add "triage centers" at the end of major routes where unhoused people can get assistance 24/7.

FAMILY SAFETY:

• Hochul is launching the "Unplug and Play" initiative to support playgrounds, youth organizations, sports and music initiatives that encourage kids to get off their phones and the internet.

RENT & HOUSING:

• Hochul says the only way to decrease housing costs is to increase supply. Hochul says she want to invest an additional $100 million into protected housing communities.
• Hochul plans to "ban private equity companies from bidding on properties for the first 75 days that they're on the market."
• Hochul plans to ban the price fixing software that she says "inflates rents and costs tenants $3.5 billion a year."

INFRASTRUCTURE

• "I love transportation, I love infrastructure. We have a lot to do," Hochul said, raving about several infrastructure projects across the state.
• Hochul said she is backing the MTA's Capital Plan.

EDUCATION:

• "We're going to make community college completely free for students aged 25 to 55, completely free," Hochul said, adding that this includes including books and transportation. On x.com, the governor added that this is for "entering high-demand fields."

POLLUTION & CLIMATE CHANGE:

• Gov. Hochul held a brief silent prayer for the New York National Guardsmen who are deployed to California to assist in the wildfires.
• "It's not just the wildfires," Hochul said, adding that since she's become Governor the country has seen record heat, droughts, floods, blizzards, tornadoes, hurricanes, among other natural disasters. "We are the first generation to truly experience the effects of climate change, and we are the last generation that can do anything about it."
• Hochul mentioned that she recently signed the Climate Change Superfund Act.
• Hochul said she is calling for a $1billion investment in the transition to a "zero emission economy."
• "My fight for your family includes making sure your kids and grandkids can have the jobs of the future, right here in the state of New York, powered by clean energy," Hochul said.

"So let's recap our priorities: driving down crime, lowering taxes, investing in child care and education, jobs, new homes, clean energy, small businesses, and building a strong economy that will endure for generations. Yes, it's bold," Hochul said of her agenda. She then quoted Wayne Gretzky, saying “You miss 100% of the shots you don't take."

"And I'll always take the shot," Hochul said.