After delivering his State of the State address to a joint session in Albany last month, Governor Andrew Cuomo visited the College of Staten Island to present his “NY Rising” initiative to students and faculty.
NY Rising details Governor Cuomo and the State legislator’s plan to promote growth in New York State. Citing Albany’s successes thus far, including delivering an on-time and balanced budget and lowering taxes, Cuomo introduced programs to spur economic growth, including incentives to build businesses in New York State by creating tax-free zones. He discussed education reforms, advocating for potentially longer school days, school years, or both, as well as universal pre-school.
Cuomo proposed raising the state minimum wage to $8.75 an hour; President Obama recently proposed raising the federal minimum wage to $9.00 an hour.
He also presented recently enacted gun reform; NYSAFE requires reports on those with mental health issues that may possess a gun, a ban on assault weapons and detachable magazines, universal background checks, and the Webster provision, which makes the murder of a first responder on duty a felony.
Cuomo also proposed the passage of the Women’s Equality Act, advocating for equal pay, provisions to eliminate employment discrimination by family status, and a woman’s right to choose.
Macaulay senior Katherine Brigandi (Staten Island ’13) introduced the governor before he addressed the College.
To listen to the speech, click here.
