There was a somber tone to Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s 10th State of the State message in a year where the state is facing a $6 billion deficit and reeling from a recent spate of hate crimes, including a stabbing incident at a rabbi’s house outside New York City.
“It is going to be a challenging year,” Cuomo said Wednesday afternoon.
Cuomo said recent events have been frightening, noting an earthquake in Puerto Rico, deep and bitter political divides, and the attack on Orthodox Jews celebrating Hanukkah that injured five, one severely.
Rabbi Chaim Rottenberg, whose own son was injured in the attack, was a special guest at the speech, and delivered the blessing.
“I will never forget the horror of that night,” Rottenberg said. “But I will also never forget how we continued to celebrate after that attack. How we continued to rejoice in the miracle of Hanukkah.”
Cuomo drew cheers from the audience of lawmakers, lobbyists, and state judges when he outlined his proposal to create a new crime of domestic terrorism. He said it would give law enforcement more tools to fight crimes motivated by hate "and send the strongest message across this state and nation, New York will not stand by when our people are being victimized and killed by hate,” Cuomo said.
In a year with a multibillion-dollar budget gap, the governor focused on items that will help pay for themselves, including a $3 billion environmental bond act, dubbed the “Restore Mother Nature Bond Act.” It would repair areas damaged by recent floods, including those along the St. Lawrence River and Lake Ontario, and protect public lands against climate damage in the future.