[applause] mr. cuomo: thank you very much. thank you very much. thank you very much. happy new year to all of you. frome you have recovered the celebration and are ready to get back to work. it is going to be a challenging year. 2020 came in and it did not take long before we realized challenges were coming our way. we had earthquakes in puerto rico which was the last thing the island needed after everything they've gone through. we want the people of puerto rico to know we are 100% behind them. we always have been and we always will be. [applause] we were on the first plane to puerto rico after hurricane maria. we will be going back with new yorkers once again to help them and i am proud of that. these are frightening times with what we see going on with iran and the possible ramifications .f that escalating conflict possible consequences we have to take because we are new york. we have people who would like to make us part of a terrorist example. we pray for the women and men in uniform. may god keep them safe wherever they are. [applause] we shall overcome, my friends. we always do. we are the great state of new york. thank you for those inspirational words. let's think the pastor for his inspiration. rabbi, i want you to know i speak for all the people of the state of new york when i tell you we stand in solidarity and love with you and your community. it is appalling and defensive what has happened. respond with its full might and capacity because what happened to you and your community is intolerable. we will not stand for it. we will defend you. [applause] let's acknowledge some special guests. we had madison. let's give her a round of applause. [applause] our lieutenant governor, who has been a tremendous partner to you and me. she has been all over the state. that's give her a round of applause. [applause] member tom.bly [applause] general.ttorney our great majority leader. [applause] our great speaker. our senate minority leader john flanagan. congratulations to the new minority letter -- leader will berkeley. have our judges of the court of appeals. thank you for being here. team who have been especially helpful, our secretary to the governor who also happens to be the first female secretary. i don't know what took those other guys so long. to a man who i believe is the best budget director, robert. to jim, who has the best policy mind of anyone i have worked cuny empireent of state college. twoso want to acknowledge great public servants who are retiring. thefirst is a trailblazer, first african-american elected to statewide office in the state. he served our country as ambassador to the united nations, a public service in the .tate of new york for 50 years as a senator, comptroller, and chairman of the board of trustees, carl, we are going to miss you. [applause] he also whooped me in the race for governor. senator betty little, a schoolteacher who answered the call to public service 30 years ago with decency and compassion. that is what she is all about. the longest-serving female republican servant ever, 18 years. [applause] betty he will be missed by everyone. myself included. i would like to recognize one final guest. ourays ago we saw one of worst fears realized. one is still in critical condition. we also saw the strength to fight back when a man stepped forward and put his own life at risk to save others and took on and sorted the machete wielding hwarted the machete wielding attacker. let's recognize joseph. [applause] they've been recognized, but i would like to recognize my family, my three daughters, my brother-in-law, and my mama. [applause] my mother has five children. i am my mother's favorite. she told me so. she told me not to tell the others. i will never tell the others. except chris. he won't get jealous. his ego will not allow him to get jealous. more on that later. business at hand. happy new year to all. as we gather today to assess our situation as we entered this new our state is stronger than it has been a decade. the ocean is as tempest tossed as we have seen. waves of anxiety, frustration are being fanned by winds of anger and division creating a political and social superstorm. andy day we fight crisis unrest, school shootings, turmoil onassacres, university campuses, homophobia, the increase in hate crimes. these are the ugly signs of our times. suggests it will get worse before it get better. the year ahead will not calm the waters, but rather increased turbulence. impeachment proceedings, divisive campaigns, increasing global conflict will only aggravate the conditions. the administration in washington has seen tension but instead of addressing the causes and anxiety and resolving them, it has seized upon them for political purpose. fanning them, weaponizing them, exploiting them. and ae a divided nation polarized federal government. everyone is pointing fingers. no one is pointing forward and no one is pointing up. these are the times when new york state is called upon to leave. -- newa course for a york at her best is the progressive capital of the nation. and we must fulfill that destiny again this year. we must begin the journey by identifying the destination. what is our progressive goal? what does the word progressive even mean today in this world of political hyperbole and hashtags? new york has generated progressive philosophy for generations. new york demonstrated a true progressive movement. what does it mean? social,ncement of racial, and economic justice in an effective manner to bring about meaningful improvement in the lives of aggrieved people and to further the collective interest. that is our definition of what it means to be a progressive. fightinglly that meant slavery, welcoming refugees, women, civil rights, breaking monopolies, building the labor movement. we understand the current dynamics of this nation's downward spiral. people across the country have real problems. madesee no progress being for them. if there is no progress, there is no hope. if there is no hope, the vacuum despaird by voices of and blame and division. that is where we are today. on the other hand, progressive government sees the problem facing society and causes the anxiety and rather than blaming and scapegoating, it can accomplish tangible progress. when you make progress, it builds hope. it builds confidence. and then it shows people a positive way forward. progressive government creates an uplifting social spiral, positive energy begets positive energy. just as the current negative energy begets more negative energy. --ther you are listening lifting us up or bringing us down. progressive government is competent and effective. it's about results, not rhetoric . it is not merely the articulation of aspirations, but the actualization of those aspirations. was a pragmatic progressive. when i was younger i did not understand what those words meant. now i do. progressive government by definition must be functional. that's what progressive government is all about. progressive government does not raise hopes and dreams only to leave them on the rocks of reality. progressive government does not make promises it cannot fulfill. -- it does not advocate for couples is that it is not sure can work. and it does not launch a mission it will fail to complete. if so, it would actually be regressive government. disheartening the believers and failing those in need. as president obama recently said, we can and we should push the envelope and be bold in our vision. but we also have to be rooted in reality. that is where progressives live. and it has been true through time. governor teddy roosevelt said that a great democracy has to be progressive or either it will cease to be great or a democracy. our new york state progressive government works because it works. it delivers real results for real people in real time and it made a difference in their lives. that is why it works. [applause] as the governor smith used to say, let's look at the records, because we have achieved the best progressive government in the united states of america. we have accomplished what they only dreamed of accomplishing. the national progressive dream of a free college tuition is he -- is a new york reality. all of the governments debate than issues, we have the best gun safety law with bipartisan support, after the sandy hook massacre, but before orlando and parkland, las vegas, dayton, pittsburgh, and countless other massacres. [applause] you can not count the number of lives we have saved in new york with the safe act. but you could have been able to count the number of lives we would have lost if we did not pass the safe act. and thank god we did. [applause] we led the nation forward passing marriage equality, we enacted the best women's rights law in the united states of america, we codified a woman's wade,to choose in roe v. so whatever the government does, we are going to protect a woman's right to choose. are instituting the most aggressive climate change program in the nation not by setting rhetorical goals and not by great aspirations, but with concrete action. we enacted the best minimum wage law and lifted a record 380,000 new yorkers out of poverty. [applause] we passed the strongest paid family leave program in the country and we defended labor s to organizeright decisions. [applause] we built and developed more roads and airports in the united states and more than the state built in generations. and we did it arm in arm with our union brothers and sisters. [applause] and we did it with the nation's most aggressive minority and women-owned business participation goals in the united states of america. [applause] my friends, we are still driving fdr's 1932 packard forward. faster and farther than ever before. and we did all of this, active government, progressive government, functional government, and we silenced the skeptics. no big government boogeyman. we didn't raise taxes. and in fact, we have cut taxes -- tax rates for every new yorker. we reduced middle-class taxes to the lowest level since 1947. the lowest corporate stacked rates since 1968 and we managed the government doing 2% growth than past administrations by running a smarter and more efficient government, and we brought new york's a the strongest economy in its history. -- new york state the strongest economy in its history. [applause] remember, the only person who state taxes in new york this past decade was donald trump when he literally put salt in the wounds he created and raised taxes by ending the historic deductibility of state and local taxes. [applause] , they wrote about ers and idealists, and he said, if you have built castles in the sky, your word need not be lost. -- work need not be lost. that is where they should be. now put the foundation for them. that is new york. we are idealists and we are realists, we are dreamers and we are doers. we have a compress more together than we could have ever imagined, and now we are held circumstances to do even more. our current challenges daunting. but nothing new york can't handle at her best. and leonard cohen's song, writes, sail on, sale on mighty ship of state, to the shores of need, past the reefs of greed. through the squalls of heat. -- of hate. the ship of new york will sail on and we will do it together this year. our expedition this year begins by addressing the issues that cause anxiety and frustration. showing people we can make progress. building confidence would we make progress. -- when we make progress. and thus, showing them the positive way forward. this year, we will set a new national response to the transcendent threat of our times, which is climate change. because no economic strategy, no social justice reform, no education policy will be worth a damn if we do not have a planet to live on. [applause] it is the most pressing generational challenge. for which our children will hold us accountable. in fact, they already are. three months ago, thousands of new york schoolchildren walked out of classrooms to make the ir point clear. among them was a 14-year-old, alexandra, new york's own founder of earth uprising. she's here with us today. let's recognize her and all of the student leaders. [applause] we know firsthand the climate challenge. we lived it down state with superstorm sandy, with lake ontario's ever rising levels, the flash flooding. over 60% of our counties have been significantly flooded twice in the past ten years. i have been in five so-called 100 year floods. the numbers just don't add up anymore. first, we must be ready to handle these increasing life-threatening emergency situations. it is a new and growing challenge for our state operations. we never had to do this emergency management function before to this extent. i will propose a plan to update an increase our emergency response capacity so our brave men and women have the right equipment to do their jobs and do them well. emergency response team is the best in the nation. the first responders deserve all of the credit. i have been there, with him time and time again. seeing their heroism and dangerous conditions in the dark of night. i was with them in november when the streets became rivers. and infants were handed through windows in the first responders in boats to be brought to safety. they put their own lives at risk to save others. and they do it skillfully and selflessly. we have our emergency director, michael, who is with us. general patrick morford, major -- the major general and the state water rescue team. give -- i will ask them to stand and let's recognize them for their good work. [applause] [applause] at the same time, we must stop handling episodic emergencies. and realize that the entire planet is in a state of an emergency. -- is in a state of emergency. as we speak here today, australia is burning. think globally, act locally. we must accelerate our transition to renewable energy. because the clock is ticking. we will provide additional incentives to get more renewal projects built and built faster. focusing on tendencies of state there complementing our world wind program. they will then build new transmission lines to get the power from upstate consumers who need it in downstate new york. it is good economics. and it is good for the environment. it's good forhe upstate, and is -- and it is good for downstate. let's do it together. [applause] last year, we banned plastic bags. and we were exactly right. and this year, we must send styrofoamof tons of that are creating toxic contaminants and littering our waterways. let's get it done this decade. we must also begin with restoring the national balance that we disrupted in the first place. the earth is out of balance. colleague used to talk about it when i worked with him in washington. he was right. we caused the imbalance. how brilliant is mother nature? listen to this. the original clam and oyster population of new york harbor was capable of filtering the water of the entire harbor in about three days. just imagine that. amazing. until we destroyed it. mother nature had a plan. she had resiliency building. -- resiliency built in. we are the ones who destroyed it. streams and creeks when handle storm surges until we brought them. wetlands filtered pollutants until we eliminated them. i am proposing this year an ambitious $3 billion bond act to restore mother nature bond act, -- the restore mother nature bond act, to be on the ballot this november to fund national restorations and resiliency programs all across the state. [applause] we must develop the solution to the harmful algae blooms before they destroy our water source. we must restore fisheries and streams and wetlands. we must conserve more forest areas. we must replant more trees and we must filter more drinking water. we must stop the nitrogen runoffs. and that is what the restore mother nature bond act will do. those investments and more. it is our responsibility to leave our planet cleaner and greener and more sustainable for future generations. we must, we can, we will, and we will start this year. [applause] people see you have to choose between a strong economy and a healthy planet. baloney. nothing could be further from the truth. tomorrow is the green economy. let's begin with an ambitious expansion of electric vehicles -- an attractive growing industry. it is a win-win for our environment and for the economy. to lead the nation, we need a national leader. and i will ask stanley whittingham, professor recently named nobel laureate, to give us the most aggressive roadmap to the foreseeable future. let's recognize him. he is here today. [applause] our successful economic agenda is the engine that pulls the train. consecutive36 quarters of job growth. eriod ofthe longest p growth in 80 years. congratulate yourselves. [applause] unemployment in our state has dropped by more than half from 8.4% to 4%. wages are up, millennials are returning to our state, and the feel that makes our economic engine work are our small businesses. which employee over half of the private sector workforce. small businesses need extra help to grow, so let's cut their tax rates from 6.5% to 4%, nearly 40% this year, 11 to expand, allow them -- i love them to expand, -- allow them to expand, allow them to grow. [applause] we must continue our efforts grow and strengthen middle-class taxes again for individuals making up 250,000 -- the middle-class is our backbone. we have to keep working with them to keep them strong. this tax cut will do just that. [applause] upstate new york has not historically shared the economic success. but the good news is that the upstate economy is in the midst of a rebound. jobs are up, unemployment is down, unemployment has been cut in upstate new york by more than half. from 8% to 3.7%. but remember, it is our state effort that changed the upstate economic trajectory. it did not happen on its own. we stopped and reversed decades of decline in upstate new york. we have invested more in upstate new york than any administration in the history of the state of new york, and we should all be proud, because we are one state, one balance sheet, one family, and our investment is paying dividends. [applause] but our job is not yet done. we must continue our economic development growth with our successful funding. and our economy flourishes when we continue to develop and build and advance. we lead the nation in construction, we lead the nation in new project development, we lead the nation in new infrastructure. we are creating a new new york. and we are already seeing it materialize all throughout the state. coming out of the ground, where you can see it and touch it. as the early generations before powerfullya built say, we will leave our children a state even stronger. long after we are gone, our physical accomplishments will be undeniable legacies giving ourhm -- giving our children and their children's children the economic infrastructure to be locally competitive. [applause] we must keep going. we must continue investing in mass transit with the largest capital plan in history, over $50 billion. completing the long-overdue site access project for metro-north stations in the bronx. an ambitious new empire station complex in manhattan, replacing the torment and torture of the old penn station. amtrak hates when i say that. but at the same time, as we do that, let's keep our straphangers safe by banning repeat sex offenders from the npa. [applause] subway cars should not be feeding grounds for predators. we want people to take mass transits. and we are right in that desire, and we are improving mass transit to make it work. but you have to be able to commute to work without being harassed, without being molested, and without being groped. that is just common sense. [applause] let's finish the hudson river park this year. it is too long overdue. let's fi