ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) — Gov. Andrew Cuomo rolled out his legislative proposals for 2020 in his State of the State address at the Empire State Plaza in Albany on Jan. 8, 2020.
Including his opening remarks, Cuomo spoke for over an hour on several topics, including:
- To prevent people who commit serious crimes in other states from owning a gun in New York
- Banning fentanyl analogs, a potentially deadly opioid, to help further combat the drug crisis in America
- Mandating automatic manual recounts of all close elections in the state
- Clarifying that a victim’s ability to consent is jeopardized whether they were voluntary or involuntarily intoxicated
- Banning single-use food containers and the sale of styrofoam packing peanuts
- Lowering prescription drug prices for all New Yorkers through a comprehensive three-part plan
- Advancing net neutrality protections in the U.S.
- Protecting consumers from abusive debt collectors
- Cracking down on retailers who sell illegal cigarettes
- Eliminating the “pink tax”
- Legislation to prevent sexual predators from using social media, dating apps and video games to exploit children
- Making the “New York Buy American” Act permanent
- Develop an innovative strategy to build high-speed rail in New York
- Increase transparency in healthcare costs
- Banning flavored nicotine vaping products and vaping ads aimed at youth
- Legalizing gestational surrogacy
- Combating the scourge of robocalls
- Banning untraceable “ghost guns” by requiring firearm parts to be treated as guns and have a serial number
- Growing New York’s craft beverage manufacturing industry by reforming antiquated prohibition-era laws
- Passing the first-in-the-nation inclusive equal rights amendment
- Expanding access to safe and affordable financial services
- Preserving 4,000 acres of land in the Mid-Hudson Valley
- Investing $9 million in unmanned aerial system experimentation and test facility at Griffiss International Airport
- Industry-leading high technology companies to create more than 700 jobs in and near Rochester’s downtown innovation zone
- Protecting the health of Lake George’s waters
- Rebuilding the Mid-Station Lodge at Whiteface Mountain
- Transferring Pier 76 tow pound to Hudson River Park for reuse
- Transforming Buffalo’s North Aud Block
- $300 million plan to reimagine the Erie Canal
- Creating the Empire Station Complex, a 21st-century transit complex on Manhattan’s West Side
- Creating the state’s first comprehensive education and workforce training center in Syracuse
- Expanding New York’s $175 million workforce development initiative to meet emerging job demand
- Banning sex offenders from MTA transit systems
- Strengthening relationships between police and the communities they serve
In addition to these 34 legislative issues unveiled in the lead up to the address, Cuomo also discussed New York’s progressive values, immigration status, and job growth, as well as marijuana legalization. On January 9, Cuomo revealed a 35th proposal:
