STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — With each new year comes a new set of agendas, priorities and proposals to move New York forward.
On Tuesday, Gov. Kathy Hochul issued the 2024 State of the State address, an annual blueprint for New York’s goals, which this year includes expanding consumer protections, combatting crime and bolstering public safety, addressing mental health issues, improving reading proficiency, tackling the maternal and infant mortality crisis, researching artificial intelligence (AI) and more.
“The State of New York is stronger, healthier, safer and more affordable than it was two years ago when I became governor, but there is more work to do,” Hochul said. “Every proposal announced today serves to improve our state and ensure our communities are not just surviving, but that they are thriving. Our New York is our future, and the future is brighter than ever.”
The 2024 State of the State book, which is publicly available online, includes 204 proposals across a wide array of topics, though Hochul elected during her speech to focus on three main issues; public safety, mental health and affordability.
In terms of combatting crime and improving public safety, proposals include a dedicated retail theft unit, legislation to crack down on illegal weed shops, initiatives to combat gun violence and new tools and funding for prosecutors to hold domestic abusers accountable.
“If government can’t keep New Yorkers safe, nothing else matters,” Hochul said. “In the past year, we’ve reduced gun violence and brought shootings down by more than a third statewide. Our success in bringing down gun violence proves that targeted strategies work — and changing trends is possible.”
Proposals to improve services for New Yorkers struggling with mental illness include opening new psychiatric beds, improving mental health admission and discharge procedures for hospitals, increasing transitional and specialized housing and funding crisis intervention training for…
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