Gov. Kathy Hochul unveiled a sweeping agenda Tuesday aimed at making New York more affordable while fortifying the state against President Donald Trump\u2019s funding cuts and immigration policies.<\/p>\n
Hochul outlined the plan at her 2026 State of the State address<\/a> in Albany, where the governor asked the Syracuse University marching band<\/a> to kick off her speech in front of more than 1,000 people.<\/p>\n Hochul, a Democrat up for reelection this year, said she wanted to protect New Yorkers from some of Trump\u2019s most aggressive immigration policies.<\/p>\n The governor said she would back state legislation that would require ICE agents to carry a judicial warrant if they want to carry out civil enforcement in schools, hospitals, houses of worship, community centers or other \u201csensitive locations\u201d in New York.<\/p>\n Those locations were protected nationwide under former President Joe Biden\u2019s administration. But the Turmp administration changed the policy.<\/p>\n \u201cNew Yorkers should be able to attend school, access child care, seek medical care, and worship in peace,\u201d Hochul said.<\/p>\n Hochul said she would also back a proposal that would expand options for New Yorkers to sue ICE and border patrol agents<\/a> in state court over violations of constitutional rights. <\/p>\n The proposal is in response to the shooting of a Minneapolis woman, Renee Good<\/a>, who was killed by an ICE agent earlier this month.<\/p>\n Hochul, making her fifth State of the State address, also outlined new details in her plan to make New York more affordable. Here\u2019s a brief look at some of her proposals:<\/p>\n To boost the construction of new homes and make them more affordable, Hochul proposed easing environmental laws<\/a> to make it faster and cheaper for developers to build new housing. She wants lawmakers to pass a bill that would exempt most housing developments from the State Environmental Quality Review Act, a law that can add years to the construction timeline. California passed a similar law last year. As part of her affordability agenda, Hochul proposed expanding free child care<\/a> for children under 5 statewide. She would start in New York City by partnering with Mayor Zohran Mamdani to provide free child care for 2-year-olds. Hochul said she wants to make universal child care available throughout New York state by 2030.To produce more energy and lower energy costs and help those struggling to pay their bills, Hochul made several proposals. She pledged to pursue perhaps the most ambitious development of nuclear power<\/a> in America, and ban utility shutoffs to tenants<\/a> in buildings where landlords have not paid bills. She also proposed making computer data centers used for AI and other purposes to pay more for electricity<\/a> than regular customers. Hochul would end state taxes on tips<\/a> for bartenders, serves and delivery workers, matching a federal exemption. The governor said she would support a bill to eliminate state income taxes on up to $25,000 in tipped income in 2026.To help farmers struggling with rising costs and Trump\u2019s tariffs<\/a>, Hochul proposed a $30 million relief fund for New York dairy farms and specialty crop farmers. Most of those farmers are not eligible for a $12 billion federal fund set up by Trump to offset the cost of his tariffs.The governor wants to expand social media restrictions for children<\/a> by passing a law that would ban strangers from viewing, tagging or messaging minors on gaming and social media platforms. Hochul also proposed new limits on minors interacting with AI chatbots. Parental approval would be required to override the restrictions.Hochul said she would propose legislation that would allow for an autonomous vehicle pilot program to expand outside of New York City and into cities in Upstate New York. The state would allow the limited deployment of robotaxis<\/a> in smaller cities. \u00a0Hochul said she wants to eliminate outdated state restrictions on dancing in public. Existing New York State Liquor Authority<\/a> rules allow dancing in bars and taverns, but not always in restaurants. The governor said the rules have led to confusion for those who want to operate a bar\/restaurant. She will ask the Liquor Authority to allow dancing by default with a new restaurant-tavern license.To cut down on the theft of SNAP benefits<\/a>, Hochul said she would upgrade New York\u2019s EBT cards to prevent card skimming. The new cards would use chip-based technology that makes it almost impossible for benefits to be stolen in mass skimming operations.<\/p>\n Hochul\u2019s office said she would provide more details on Tuesday\u2019s proposals when she unveils her state budget blueprint later this month.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Gov. 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