Kathleen Hochul, the lieutenant governor of New York State, delivered Governor Cuomo’s State of the State and Executive Budget Address at Fordham. Courtesy of Wikimedia/Daniel Penfield
By Mike Byrne
Governor Andrew M. Cuomo’s message of reform and progress reached Fordham University’s Rose Hill campus on Wednesday. Kathleen Hochul, lieutenant governor of the state of New York, delivered Cuomo’s State of the State and Executive Budget Address to a large crowd of Fordham students and faculty in Tognino Hall.
Rev. Joseph M. McShane, S.J., president of the university, opened the event by thanking Cuomo for maintaining the funding of opportunity programs such as Higher Education Opportunity Program (HEOP), the Collegiate Science and Technology Entry Program (CSTEP), and the Liberty Partnership.
“We look forward to working with the governor and with his administration in ensuring that New York State continues to attract brilliant and talented students regardless of their economic circumstances from across the state and across the nation,” McShane said.
Since the governor took office in 2011, the Bronx unemployment rate decreased from over 12 percent to 6 percent. In 2015, the governor, borough president and other elected officials formed the “Bronx Unemployment Strike Force” which Hochul described as “a strategic way to identify areas of the population in need, the skills that are going unfilled and how to do the training that’s required to step into those jobs.”
Hochul, who previously served a New York State Representative, addressed the condition of the up-and-coming Fordham area. “This is a tremendous community…I really sense that there is optimism occurring,” she said.
She specifically addressed Cuomo’s focus on encouraging small businesses, including a plan to cut taxes for over 2 million businesses, which she said would benefit the Arthur Avenue community.
“It’s small businesses that are the bread and butter…this is the opportunity for the immigrant community, people bringing their talents and skills from other countries,” Hochul said.
Cuomo’s more recent proposal to allocate $10 billion for affordable housing in New York City will directly affect the Bronx community, according to Hochul. The lieutenant governor expressed her hope that it will help offset the increased cost of living in New York and reduce the number of children and families living without a proper home.
She also relayed the progress of local transportation reconstruction projects affecting the Tappan Zee Bridge, La Guardia Airport, JKF Airport, Penn Station, the subway system and the four new Bronx stops to Metro-North currently under construction. She addressed the governor’s $15 minimum wage proposal, focus on green energy, enhancement of family work leave and investment into cancer detection services especially for low-income individuals.
Hochul then focused her address toward student interests by discussing the governor’s education plans, which include a record increase in spending for education that tops last year’s $14 billion dollar tab.
“We need a world-class education system,” she said. “We are going to spend another billion on top of [last year]…we are continuing to invest in education.”
Cuomo is taking a special interest in student loan forgiveness programs, according to Hochul. To date, student loan debt has exceeded $1.3 trillion, an amount Hochul described as “deplorable,” especially when compared to current mortgage rates.
“I never understood why the student loan interest rate was 6.8 percent, when for a house you could get a 3 percent mortgage interest rate,” she said.
She urged the state to continue funding educational plans, Tuition Assistance Plans and financial aid packages to increase opportunities to attend school across the board.
Hochul concluded by encouraging students to join the electorate and participate in local elections.
“If you care about your country and you’re an active citizen and you realize that we do live in an amazing place, why not cast that vote? Why not say, ‘I care about who my leaders are?’ And if you say their all corrupt, then vote for someone who’s not. Vote for someone you can believe in. Or get involved yourselves.”
