January 2, 2023

Good afternoon and Happy New Year!

Well, it’s that time of year again – beginning with the first press release related to the Governor’s upcoming State of the State address scheduled for January 9 at 1pm.

Below is a brief summary from our government relations consultants at Reid, McNally and Savage.  The Press Release is attached.

Summary:

Governor Hochul shared a comprehensive consumer protection and affordability agenda this morning, the first pillar of her 2024 State of the State. With the goal of improving the quality of life for New Yorkers and making New York fair and affordable, she plans to focus on lowering unemployment and taxes as well as ending bad business practices. She plans to prohibit unfair or abusive business practices and propose legislation and regulations to give the NYS Department of Financial Services and Attorney General greater ability to enforce consumer protections and pursue bad actors.

Further, the Governor announced proposals to increase the maximum benefit for paid medical and disability leave, eliminate co-pays for insulin, and combat medical debt. These pieces of legislation will all work together to improve the financial stability of New Yorkers along with health equity and health outcomes.

In taking questions from the press, Governor Hochul was asked about housing and her Wrongful Death Bill Veto. She stated that she will address housing next week in the State of the State Address and that ultimately her decision was about preventing insurance premium increases for every entity in New York including families, businesses, hospitals, and others. She also expressed a desire to collaborate and engage with legislators during session to resolve issues in advance. To view the full press release and more details on the proposals, see the attached PDF.

Governor Hochul will deliver the official 2024 State of the State Address on Tuesday, January 9th at 1:00PM.