Governor Hochul’s 2024 State of the State Address
Governor Hochul delivered her third State of the State today before a joint session of the Legislature in the Assembly Chamber in the State Capitol in Albany. In her remarks, which lasted for approximately 75 minutes, Governor Hochul highlighted a number of her priority issue areas, including the following:- Tackling the mental health crisis;
- Strengthening the healthcare workforce;
- Improving maternal and infant health;
- Bolstering artificial intelligence and innovation;
- Creating of accessible public service opportunities;
- Creating affordable housing; and
- Improving reading proficiency in New York’s schools.
- Authorize the utilization of medication aides in nursing homes;
- Advance legislation to enter New York into the Interstate Licensure Compact and Nurse Licensure Compact;
- Strengthen the healthcare workforce by sustaining and retaining workers by funding new training and education programs that focus on both career advancement and recruiting new members to the workforce;
- Institute grant programs to support students training in the healthcare field, including RNs, LPNs, and CNAs;
- Establish an Office of Workforce and Data Research to better track longitudinal data on the long- and short-term outcomes of workforce development interventions;
- Streamline and modernize New York’s CON process by raising the financial thresholds that qualify a project for more detailed review and streamlining the application and approval processes, including now-routine processes;
- Establish quality reporting and accreditation practices for assisted living residences;
- Make permanent the Special Needs Assisted Living Residence (SNALR) Voucher program to expand it to more eligible individuals; and
- Expand coverage for health-related social needs for Medicaid beneficiaries via a federal waiver.
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