New York City saw a big win when Governor Kathy Hochul delivered her annual State of the State (SOS) address this Tuesday, Jan. 13, laying out plans for lowering costs for New Yorkers and implementing highly anticipated programs like universal child care.
“The State of our State is strong,” said Hochul in her address, “but I need to level with you: This moment carries real threats from Donald Trump and his enablers in Congress. Driving up costs on everything from groceries to farm equipment through these reckless tariffs. Killing major infrastructure projects that put union members to work. Tearing nursing immigrant mothers from their babies and calling it public safety.”
The state plans to further support universal access to pre-kindergarten (Pre-K) for 4-year-olds by 2028, building on more than $8 billion in child care investments made since 2022. One of the biggest wins for New York City comes with the state’s commitment to support the 2-Care program, an unprecedented citywide initiative to offer free child care for 2-year-olds, and universal access to 3K programs. Universal child care and education programs were among the central pillars of newly elected Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s platform on the campaign trail.
“Five days ago, I stood with Mayor Mamdani to announce that the state will fully fund the first two years of his Universal 2-Care program while also helping New York City realize the full promise of universal 3-K,” said Hochul. “We made that commitment and we’ll keep it.”
“As a dad of a 2-year-old, the governor’s proposed investments in kids and families were a welcome relief that hit home,” said Brooklyn Assemblymember Brian Cunningham. “I am especially proud that the Governor included my High-Impact Tutoring bill, which is the most proven way to help students catch up, gain confidence, and thrive in school. The address continued to push for universal child care as a need, not a luxury; giving parents stability and kids an equal start.”
The SOS also outlined funding to the city’s housing production; J-51 tax breaks for affordable housing; rent freezes for seniors and people with disabilities in rent-stabilized apartments and Mitchell-Lama affordable housing; strengthening gun safety laws; investing in New York’s land bank programs; standardizing emergency aid grants for SUNY and CUNY students; deploying AI for the public good, advancing legislation to ban sharing false information and AI in regard to elections; and establishing a state Census commission and robust community outreach plan in hard-to-count neighborhoods as in Assemblymember Landon Dais’ bill. Hochul is also spotlighting the Black Girls Mentoring Initiative and the Latina Mentoring Initiative (LMI) to confront traditional barriers to mentoring and leadership resources for young Black and Latina women.
The state is moving ahead with major infrastructure projects in the city, such as the Riverbank State Park Community Hub, Jamaica Station reimagining in Queens, Interborough Express (IBX) connecting Brooklyn and Queens, Second Avenue Subway in Harlem, New Midtown Bus Terminal, Hudson Tunnel Project, and I-81 Viaduct Project; $68 billion to modernize the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA); $1 billion toward the City of Yes for Housing Opportunity rezoning; and $1.6 billion toward improvements for the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) housing.
In terms of subway safety, the state is committing $77 million for NYPD patrols. They are also expanding the Subway Co-Response Outreach Teams initiative (SCOUT) initiative, which pairs MTA staff with clinicians to assist with involuntary removals of people experiencing homelessness and untreated severe mental illness in the subways, and installing more platform edge barriers to 85 additional stations this year.
At a time when aggressive federal immigration enforcement by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents has increased tensions between immigrant New Yorkers and law enforcement, Hochul plans to further legislation that makes it easier for residents to sue if their constitutional rights are violated by federal officers, an idea first introduced by Brooklyn Senator Zellnor Myrie last year as an amendment to the New York Civil Rights Act.
“No one, from the president on down, is above the law. Let me repeat, no one,” said Hochul, “and that’s why I will move to have New Yorkers hold ICE agents and others accountable in court when they act outside their scope of duties.”
“I’m very encouraged the Governor supports giving New Yorkers the right to seek justice when their rights are violated by federal officers,” said Myrie in a statement. “The urgency of protecting our people from rogue government agents grows with each passing day. The time to act is now, and I look forward to working with the Governor and my colleagues to secure our rights.”
Hochul also said in her address that she has no intention of doing away with the highly profitable congestion pricing program, regardless of threats from the Trump administration.