For the fifth time since taking office, Gov. Kathy Hochul will deliver her State of the State address Tuesday at The Egg in Albany.
Like practically every politician coast to coast, the message will likely focus heavily on a word that has taken on such prominence that some argue it’s at risk of losing any true meaning: affordability.
For Hochul, it will be a high-profile opportunity to prove that she can and has taken meaningful steps toward making a state known for being expensive more affordable 11 months before she faces voters in November, when they will likely head to the polls with the cost-of-living on their minds.
The governor has spent the opening days of 2026 teasing some of her proposals, while others have made their way into the open through the media.
The centerpiece so far is a plan to move the state toward universal child care by making pre-K truly universal, introducing programs for 2-year-olds and expanding them for 3-year-olds in New York City while introducing pilot programs in key communities in the rest of the state.
“Double the cost of a SUNY or CUNY college education,” she said of the cost of child care last week. “I mean, think about that. Like, ‘OK, I can either take care of my child or pay for college someday?’ What are we talking about here?”
Other proposals include a pitch to crack down on ‘ghost guns,’ a plan to introduce new online protections for children and restrict AI chatbots, a proposal to lower car insurance costs by cracking down on staged car accidents, a measure which would eliminate taxes on tips and another which would expand the state’s nuclear power capacity from 3.4 gigawatts currently to 8.4 gigawatts, as first reported by Syracuse.com.
NY1 learned Monday that Hochul will include legislation mandating federal immigration officials carry a judicial warrant when carrying out civil enforcement in “sensitive locations.”
In Tuesday’s speech, remaining things to look out for include any proposal to change the state’s Raise the Age law, as well as any indication of if Hochul will pursue additional revenue raising options. The governor has stressed that she does not want to raise income taxes on the state’s high earners, but hasn’t ruled out other options like raising the corporate tax rate.
Legislative leaders reacted to Hochul’s proposals that have been released so far Monday.
When it comes to child care, Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins told reporters that for the Senate to be on board the state finishing the job when it comes to universal pre-K is key.
“For our conference and my colleagues in the Assembly, we want pre-K for everyone,” she said.
Senate Minority Leader Rob Ortt acknowledged the merits of Hochul’s child care plan but raised questions about the scope of the program, and how it could be beneficial without significant attention being paid to the size of the current workforce and other infrastructure issues.
“We could put a trillion dollars for child care in the budget this year and most of my constituents who can’t find child care still wouldn’t be able to find child care because you don’t have the workers,” he said.
The State of the State is a high-profile opportunity for Hochul to not only lay out her agenda but also to contextualize her accomplishments so far in the early stages of her reelection bid.
Her Republican opponent, Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman, criticized her child care proposal for being too New York City-focused.
“If universal child care is truly a priority for this administration, then it should be implemented fairly and statewide,” he said in a statement last week. “Anything less is an insult to hardworking taxpayers outside New York City.”
Hochul’s primary opponent, Lt. Gov. Antonio Delgado, who will not attend the speech, offered the very same criticism while at the state Capitol Monday.
“Last time I checked, New York was bigger than the city,” he said. “So, a lot of work left to do.”