Gov. Kathy Hochul outlined a state budget agenda aimed at lowering costs and expanding services during stops in Buffalo, Rochester and Syracuse.
The proposal includes plans to expand child care, reduce auto insurance costs and speed up housing and infrastructure development.
The budget calls for $4.5 billion in child care and early education funding, including a $1.7 billion increase to expand pre-K and subsidies for families. It also includes a $60 million pilot program to build child care capacity in several counties.
Hochul also proposed changes to the State Environmental Quality Review Act to allow certain housing and infrastructure projects to move forward faster if they meet environmental standards. The plan includes setting timelines for reviews and updating permitting processes.
The proposal targets auto insurance costs, which average more than $4,000 annually in New York. Officials said fraud and staged crashes can add about $300 per year to premiums.
The budget also includes changes to the state’s climate law to limit rising utility costs while maintaining clean energy goals. A separate ratepayer protection plan would adjust how utilities set rates and require some large energy users to cover more of their costs.
The agenda builds on prior budget actions that included tax relief, child tax credit expansion and statewide free school meals.
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