New York Gov. Kathy Hochul on Jan. 13 delivered her 2026 State of the State Address, subtitled “Your Family. Your Future. My Fight.” Speaking in Albany, Hochul included more than 200 separate initiatives she wants to put into effect during the year, some of which are designed to counteract expected moves against New York by the Trump administration.
Against the background of actions taken by masked federal agents against U.S. citizens in various cities, Hochul is proposing legislation that would authorize individuals to bring state-level civil actions against federal officers who violate their constitutional rights. Hochul points out that state and local officers already are subject to certain standards of conduct and have qualified immunity that protects law enforcement officers who act within the bounds of clearly established law. The new legislation would ensure accountability for federal officers under those standards at a time when Vice President Vance proclaimed that they have absolute immunity from criminal and civil complaints.
Hochul proposes the Agricultural Resiliency Against Tariffs Program as a countermeasure to Trump’s agricultural tariffs that have hurt New York farmers. It will provide $30 million in direct payments to New York specialty crop growers, livestock producers, and dairy farmers.
In view of HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. working to decimate traditional vaccination routines, Hochul proposed having New York state set its own immunization standards based on accepted medical science and public health needs. The proposal will authorize the New York State Commissioner of Health, in consultation with recognized medical organizations, to establish immunization requirements that guide school eligibility, clinical practice, and insurance coverage.
Hochul proposed a five-year, $3.75 billion commitment to modernize New York’s water systems and ensure clean water. The state would spend $750 million a year.
Hochul made a push for nuclear energy with an initiative she calls the Nuclear Reliability Backbone. It establishes a new Department of Public Service to facilitate a cost-effective pathway to building nuclear plants to generate a total of four gigawatts of electricity. A gigawatt is one billion watts of electricity. This is in addition to the New York Power Authority’s previously announced one gigawatt project.
Hochul proposed eliminating state income taxes on tips and freezing tuition for SUNY and CUNY students for the seventh year in a row. She proposed spending $50 million to launch the design phase of building a new Jamaica Station for the MTA and working to achieve universal, affordable child care by adding $1.7 billion in funds to provide care for children around the state.
In matters of crime and safety, Hochul proposed stopping illegal homemade guns by strengthening New York’s gun laws and cracking down on illegal 3D-printed firearms and firearms that can readily be converted to do-it-yourself machine guns. She proposed protecting individuals from harassment and obstruction by advancing legislation to establish buffer zones around houses of worship and health care facilities and also proposed adding police to New York City subway platforms and adding platform edge barriers to protect people while waiting for trains.
Hochul pledged to work to protect children from on-line predators, scammers and harmful artificial intelligence chatbots.
She called for a greater effort against insurance fraud and said that just might help bring down the cost of automobile insurance for New Yorkers. She proposed requiring speed limiting devices to be installed on the vehicles of drivers who have a history of speeding convictions.
Hochul also addressed the difficulty of building needed housing in New York, saying, “New York has always been a place of boundless ambitions: from the Erie Canal to the Empire State Building. But for too long, unnecessary red tape has stood in the way of new housing and critical infrastructure.”
In addition to pledging to continue her policy of state support for affordable housing, Holchul proposed a “Let Them Build” initiative that would encourage local leaders to reduce red tape and at the state level make what she termed a series of common sense reforms to New York’s State Environmental Quality Review Act (SEQRA) and executive actions to expedite critical categories of projects that have been consistently found to not have adverse environmental impacts.
Hochul said, “My 2026 State of the State lays out a clear, actionable plan to meet the challenges families face today, while preparing New York for the road ahead.”
