Governor of New York to Outline Plan Before Important House Elections

In her State of the State speech on Tuesday, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul will lay out her plans. The Democrat is likely to focus on housing, crime, and education policies before a very important election season in a state where the races could decide who controls Congress.

The governor will give his annual speech at 1 p.m. at the state Capitol in Albany. In it, he will talk about his goals for the upcoming legislative session.

Hochul has spent the last week introducing key parts of her plan. For example, she wants to change the way reading is taught and give pregnant women paid medical leave. In the past, she has also hinted at steps she plans to take to fight retail theft, make the state more cheap, and build more homes.

Governor of New YorkPhoto byTheHour

The speech will happen at a time when both Republicans and Democrats are paying more attention to New York as a possible battleground state for the U.S. House in November. This gives the governor's plans for the year a national significance.

Hochul seems to be very focused on making a deal with progressive Democrats in the statehouse to build more homes in the state. This is a tough political issue that has been hard to solve in the past, but it is still an important part of her plans to make housing more affordable.

Last year, the governor pushed hard for a housing plan that failed after being panned in the city's suburbs. These places are now must-wins for Democrats in the fall if they want to take back control of the House. It's not clear what Hochul wants to do this year in the legislature about housing.

State Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins told reporters that Democrats in the Senate were pushing for a housing plan that would protect tenants. As in the past, these have included steps to stop landlords from evicting people without a "good cause," like not paying rent.

This year, politicians will also have to decide how to deal with the large number of immigrants who have come to the state, especially to New York City, since 2022. New data from the Office of the State Comptroller shows that the state has already spent $1.9 billion on emergency costs linked to the large number of people seeking asylum. Hochul has promised to give the city more money this year to help house, transport, and treat migrants injured.

There will also be a contentious redistricting process in Congress during the legislative session, which could have a big effect on which party rules the House.

At the end of February, a bipartisan redistricting committee will present a proposed map to lawmakers. The Democrats who control the Legislature can then choose to accept or change the map. A lot of people think that Democrats will try to give their party an edge in key seats before the elections in the fall.

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