WATCH: Heastie opens legislative session focused on cost of living
ALBANY, N.Y. (NEXSTAR) — New York Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie opened the 248th Legislative Session with a call to tackle rising costs, support small businesses, and address housing and education needs. After nearly a decade in office, Heastie outlined a legislative agenda targeting financial burdens for working families.
You can watch Heastie's entire speech above. Looking ahead, "We still know there's more to do," Heastie said. At around 4 minutes and 30 seconds into the video, he argued that New York "should eliminate state income taxes for low-income families."
The Speaker of the Assembly outlined a litany of other agenda items, including:
- Cutting pandemic-related unemployment liabilities
- Increasing tax deductions for small businesses and farms
- Improving access to afterschool programs
- Expanding free lunch programs to all students
- Securing funding for the MTA
- Address mental health, substance abuse, and homelessness
- Support Raise the Age programs
- Support reproductive rights and women's healthcare
- Pass environmental protection laws targeting climate change
- Make the criminal justice system more equitable
- Cutting the cost of living and making New York more affordable
"I appreciate that Democrats say 'affordability' is a priority in 2025, because it hasn’t been the case in six years of One-Party Rule. We need to dramatically change course in areas of cost-of-living, runaway state spending, and public safety," countered Assembly Minority Leader Will Barclay in a written statement. "State revenues are coming in ahead of projections, so there is no reason to raise taxes on New Yorkers. If the Speaker wants to cut taxes, I’m all for it and believe they should be across the board."