ALBANY, N.Y. — Gov. Kathy Hochul outlined her initiatives for 2025 in her State of the State address on Tuesday afternoon, including on crime, education, and tackling inflation.

Her proposals include enhancing law enforcement’s technological capabilities, middle-class tax cuts, free lunches in schools, and free tuition for some students pursuing an associate degree.

“Our future depends on the ability of every family to afford the essentials of life and our ability to protect the safety and security of our residents,” Hochul said.

The governor’s agenda requires debate and approval by the state legislature, with a final executive budget due April 1. You can watch the full address in this YouTube video:

Public safety:

Hochul spoke about expanding state-wide crime analysis centers that look for crime hotspots, patterns, and cyber threats. That includes a proposal for a new collaborative crime analysis center, touted as the first of its kind in the country.

She also wants to make sure that judges across the state are properly trained to understand all the bail reform changes that have occurred over the last several years. 

“When it comes to repeat offenders, I want them off the streets and I want judges statewide to use all the powers that our recent bail law changes to stop the rinse and repeat cycle of offenders being released over and over without consequences only to commit more crimes again,” Hochul said.

The governor aims to crack down on drugged driving, which she says causes more fatalities statewide than drunk driving. She plans to update outdated laws, increase police training, and explore improved roadside screening and toxicology tools.

Other items on the governor’s agenda include doubling funding for rape crisis programs and eliminating the statute of limitations for sex trafficking cases.

Reaction from Republicans:

The other side of the aisle shared reactions to Hochul’s plans for crime and other topics. Senate minority leader Rob Ortt says he expects strong pushback from the Republican party.

“Nothing the governor alluded to deals with cashless bail. And the illusion that we’re going to fix discovery. This is very similar to the fixing of bail,” Ortt said. “Republicans have called these laws out for what they are. For years, we’ve said these laws would endanger the public. We’ve said, along with the DAs and police officers that these would result in an uptick in crime, an uptick in violence, and a degradation of the quality of life. So these cosmetic tweaks, even if the legislature is willing to go along, are not going to work.”

Ortt also raised questions on what the total cost would look like for universal lunches for kids and free tuition at colleges.

Tuition

Hochul announced a new initiative offering free tuition for adults aged 25 to 55, setting it apart from other tuition programs that typically target recent high school graduates. This program provides a free associate degree at a SUNY or CUNY school in high-demand fields such as nursing, engineering, teaching, and technology.

The state will cover all costs, including books, housing, and transportation, making the entire educational experience free for students. The governor emphasized the program as an opportunity for those who may not have previously attended college or wish to return.

“Think about this: You want to change jobs, not sure what to do? You can go back to school on us, for essential industries,” the governor said.

Monroe Community College expressed support for the initiative, saying in a statement:

“Monroe Community College commends Governor Kathy Hochul for her continued commitment to and support of higher education in New York State. Governor Hochul’s prioritization of higher education, which leads to family-sustaining wages and addresses our region’s workforce needs, aligns with our mission of transforming lives and communities and fostering the success of diverse students. Like other SUNY and CUNY community colleges, we look forward to learning more about how the proposed free tuition can be leveraged to prepare even more MCC students to succeed.”

The state already offers free tuition to students who have a combined federal household income of $125,000 or less, through the Excelsior Scholarship. Applications are still open for the spring of 2025.

Free school lunches:

As News10NBC has covered, Hochul has proposed free breakfast and lunches for all students in public schools. If approved by state lawmakers, the plan would cover more than 2.7 million students in the state. Students can already receive free or discounted meals at school through a federal program that is dependent on a family’s income level.

The superintendent of the Gates-Chili Central School District said he’s seen great success with their free breakfast and lunch program implemented two years ago. An RCSD parent, who has a son in third grade who gets free breakfast and lunch every school day, said the program helps to ensure that children can focus on learning and not hunger.

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