Press Release
CSS Applauds Governor’s First “State of the State” Address
Governor outlines bold and historic steps on economic justice and reentry reform, higher education, health care and housing
In her first “State of the State” address and briefing book, Governor Kathy Hochul outlined several bold and historic steps her administration will take to help improve the lives of New Yorkers and their families. The Governor’s ambitious plan, “A New Era for New York” included several initiatives and proposals that have been the focus of Community Service Society (CSS) advocacy efforts for several years. Among some of the most prominent are the following:
Economic Justice and Reentry Reform
The Governor announced her support for passage of the Clean Slate Act, vital legislation that – by automatically sealing stale conviction records for civil purposes – will allow the more than 2.3 million New Yorkers with past justice systems involvement the ability to move forward, obtain jobs and stable places to live, and be full participants in our state’s economy.
CSS is also deeply thankful that the Governor recognizes the power of higher education to change lives behind prison walls and upon reentry by supporting the return of TAP eligibility for incarcerated persons. In addition, we are pleased that the Governor has highlighted the deep need to improve prison vocational training programs so that they align with real-world jobs and will be eliminating parole supervision fees that now drain individuals’ already-empty bank accounts.
Student Loan Debt and Higher Education
The Governor took a monumental step forward in calling for additional investment in consumer assistance programs to help the more than 2.4 million New Yorkers struggling with student loan debt. This crisis disproportionately impacts women, low-income communities of color and older adults. CSS’s EDCAP (Education Debt Consumer Assistance Program), with funding from the State Legislature, provides free, unbiased case-management services for individuals with student loan debt. We look forward to working with the Governor to securing funding and expand services to more New Yorkers.
We also applaud the Governor for directing both SUNY and CUNY systems to immediately end transcript withholding for college and graduate students with outstanding accounts. Passage of legislation that will stop this harmful practice across higher education institutions is critically important. And we commend the Governor for her proposal to streamline the process for state workers to apply for the federal Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program.
Health Care
The Governor outlined four important areas of health care affordability that she will tackle in 2022. First, she intends to support low-wage workers by expanding eligibility for the Essential Plan to higher income levels – 250 percent of poverty. Second, she will offer older people and people with disabilities Medicaid coverage using the same income and resource eligibility rules that are used for other adults. Third, she proposes to eliminate the $9 monthly premium for Child Health Plus (CHP), so our neediest children can receive the health care they deserve. Finally, by extending Medicaid coverage during a woman’s first year post-pregnancy, her administration is prioritizing the health of low-income mothers who often struggle to afford health care. We are very grateful for this bold leadership.
Housing
The Governor announced her support of Fair Chance for Housing, a first step to help curb housing discrimination against people with conviction histories. And the Governor deserves praise for championing legislation to prohibit residential landlords from automatically denying housing based on applicants’ credit history.
Finally, the Governor signaled her support for a new social housing pilot program that would bolster the development of permanently affordable, community-controlled housing accessible to low- and moderate-income people. This pilot project has the potential to help grow the stock of community land trusts, limited-equity cooperatives, and other shared-tenure housing models across New York State.
Conclusion
The past two years have tested New Yorkers’ resolve in ways we never could have imagined. We lost loved ones to a pandemic that still rages, taking with it jobs and putting the economic futures of hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers in jeopardy.
But New Yorkers are tough, and New York is tough. Ultimately, we set the model for the nation to follow. As we kick off 2022, Governor Hochul has presented a bold vision for the state that is “filtered through the lens of helping New Yorkers and their families” get ahead economically and stimulate comprehensive recovery across New York. We applaud the Governor and look forward to working with her administration to make her vision a reality.