GOVERNOR CUOMO SETS 2017 AGENDA

(January 12, 2017) Over the past couple of weeks New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has been traveling around the state giving his 2017 State of the State Address and unveiling dozens of proposals. So far the Governor has announced 37 proposals.

Some of the more significant proposals are below.

For more information or to see all of the 2017 proposals visit https://www.ny.gov/programs/2017-state-state.

PROPOSAL 1: Make college tuition-free for New York’s middle class families at all SUNY and CUNY two- and four-year colleges. The Excelsior Scholarship will be the first of its kind in the nation and will help alleviate the crushing burden of student debt while enabling thousands of bright young students to realize their dream of higher education.

PROPOSAL 4: Protect New Yorkers, as well as government entities, from the ever-growing threat of cyber-attacks. The package includes the strengthening and modernization of cybercrime and identity theft laws, as well as the creation of a new Cyber Incident Response Team to provide cybersecurity support to state entities, local governments, critical infrastructure and schools.

PROPOSAL 5: Protect senior citizens throughout New York from financial exploitation and foreclosure. The plan includes establishing an Elder Abuse Certification Program for banks located in New York State, amending the banking law to empower banks to place holds on potentially fraudulent transactions, and strengthening legislation that will protect senior homeowners with reverse mortgages.

PROPOSAL 6: Further protect consumers from egregious and deceptive behavior in the financial services industry by pushing to empower the state Superintendent of Financial Services to ban certain bad actors from the banking and insurance industries for misconduct like that seen in the Wells Fargo scandal.

PROPOSAL 7: Further strengthen New York’s efforts to crack down on wage theft by holding the top 10 members of out-of-state limited liability companies personally financially liable for unpaid wages. Further, the Governor will advance legislation to empower the Labor Commissioner to directly enforce all wage liabilities on behalf of workers with unpaid wage claims. Combined, these measures will get more money back into the hands of the hardworking New Yorkers who earned it.

PROPOSAL 8: Promote electric vehicle use in New York through the construction of 500 new workplace charging stations and 69 new charging stations along the Thruway. Creating an expansive network of electric vehicle charging stations is key to increase adoption of zero-emitting electric vehicles.

PROPOSAL 9: Launch the Democracy Project to modernize New York’s voting system. The action would allow early voting, and adopt both automatic voter registration and same day voter registration to streamline voter registration services, remove unnecessary barriers that prevent participation in elections and increase accuracy within the voting process.

PROPOSAL 12: Launch the “New York Promise” Agenda to Advance Social Justice and Affirm New York’s Progressive Values. The agenda includes a sweeping, unprecedented package of reforms to advance principles of social justice, affirm New York’s progressive values, and a set a national standard for protections against all forms of discrimination.

PROPOSAL 13: Create a $35 million pilot program to create 22,000 new after-school slots in high-need areas across the state.

PROPOSAL 14: Lower the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative Cap by 30 Percent Between 2020 and 2030.

PROPOSAL 17: Launch the Clean Water Infrastructure Act of 2017 to invest a record $2 billion in critical water infrastructure across New York State.

PROPOSAL 20: Complete the Hudson River Valley Greenway and Erie Canalway trails by 2020 to create the Empire State Trail, the largest state multi-use trail in the nation. To achieve this, the state will develop 350 miles of new trail in three phases to create a 750-mile pathway for hiking and biking along scenic vistas and through charming, historic communities.

PROPOSAL 26: Combat every angle of the heroin and opioid crisis in New York State and build on the success of the legislative package the Governor signed in June. The proposals aim to eliminate insurance barriers and further expand access to effective treatment, curb overprescribing, and get fentanyl and other synthetic opioids off the streets.

PROPOSAL 27: Implement the nation’s strongest mandate for the purchase of American-made products by state entities. Under the Governor’s “Buy American” plan, all state entities will be required to give preference to American-made goods and products in any new procurements more than $100,000. This will be the strongest commitment to growing the manufacturing sector, and supporting the men and women who work in it, nationwide.

PROPOSAL 30: Award Syracuse Hancock International Airport with $35.8 million in funding to drive forward a $45.1 million transformation of the airport. This investment will turn an archaic facility into a state-of-the-art transportation hub that meets the needs of the 21st century traveler.

PROPOSAL 31: Grow New York’s burgeoning industrial hemp industry and host the first-ever Industrial Hemp Summit in the Southern Tier to bring manufacturers, farmers, researchers and other stakeholders together to identify challenges and opportunities to grow the industry and boost the agricultural economy throughout the state.

PROPOSAL 32: Award $38 million through Round Two of the Upstate Airport Economic Development and Revitalization Competition to jumpstart Plattsburgh International Airport’s $43 million overhaul of the North Country aviation gateway.

PROPOSAL 33: Protect New Yorkers from the soaring prices of prescription drugs by: preventing prescription drug prices from gouging in the Medicaid program; imposing a surcharge on drug manufacturers that charge exorbitant prices; and regulating intermediaries in the industry to protect taxpayers.