Cuomo focuses State of State address on recovery after COVID-19

ALBANY — Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo in his State of the State address Monday sought to turn the heartbreak and lessons learned in fighting the COVID-19 pandemic into a call for action for New York to combat the deadliest health emergency and deepest deficit in state history, while building a better "post-COVID world."

"Rest assured, we can see the future and it is bright," Cuomo said. "I know the height of the mountain, I hear the fear of those without confidence to build or vision to dream. But I know who we are and I know what we have done."

The speech was light on specifics such as how to pay for his plans. But he said he will release more details in four more speeches this week and in his budget address later this month. In place of specifics, Cuomo sought to bolster a battered public as virus infections rise, hospitals fill, and businesses are shuttered.

He called for incentives to greatly increase telehealth so more doctors’ visits can be made over the internet to reduce crowds in waiting rooms and contact with sick patients. He proposed the New York State Public Health Corps. As many as 1,000 fellows will be recruited to assist with vaccination operations from colleges, recent graduates and retired medical professionals and others who will receive intensive public health training developed by Cornell University.

The corps will be managed by Long Island's Northwell Health, Bloomberg Philanthropies, and the state Health Department. After the vaccines are completed, the corps will continue to recruit and train health care professionals for future crises.

Cuomo also said New York companies will be provided incentives to manufacture personal protective equipment — PPEs — that are mostly made in China and were in dangerously short supply during in hospitals and nursing homes.

"It is time for an entirely new way of thinking about our public health system," Cuomo said. "Our public health system was simply not prepared for this."

Cuomo also called for new investment in a green economy to create and attract clean-energy fuel and clean manufacturing.

Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins said her Democratic majority will push a return of the $3 billion environmental bond act, which had been shelved because of the pandemic’s impact on state revenue. The bond act was to provide funds to protect and clean water supplies on Long Island and elsewhere, as well as other environmental cleanups.

"We would love to do that again," she said in a remote news conference.

Cuomo said New York must also confront other problems exposed nationally when the virus put society at "low tide," revealing the level of unequal treatment of racial minorities who contracted the disease at twice the level of whites and the need for police to improve relations with minority communities.

Cuomo said he will push for revenue raisers including legalized sports betting with mobile apps. He also again backed legalization of marijuana for adults.

"Governor Cuomo has signaled that this is a top priority in this year's legislative session," said Melissa Moore, state director of the Drug Policy Alliance advocacy group.

Cuomo, however, didn't call for the increase in taxation on the wealthiest New Yorkers sought by the State Legislature.

Stewart-Cousins (D-Yonkers) said her conference will push to increase taxes on millionaires and billionaires not just to contend with the deficit, but to be able to rebuild a New York that is fairer to all races and for the working poor and middle class.

"I believe that we do need to set a tone as well as try to correct some of what has gone on in the past," she said. "You can’t just rebuild on everything we have now and expect this will not be inequitable."

The Invest in Our New York advocacy group said current proposals to tax the wealthy would bring in $11 billion a year, not the $1.5 billion Cuomo estimated.

Republican legislative leaders want to see more details about reviving the economy, while supporting Cuomo's plan to provide affordable broadband internet statewwide.

"He presented far too little on help for small businesses, direct assistance to families, future logistics on the state’s slow vaccination rollout or how he plans to address New York’s mounting debt and precarious budget deficit," said Assembly Republican leader Will Barclay.

By Michael Gormley

michael.gormley@newsday.com@GormleyAlbany

Michael Gormley has worked for Newsday since 2013, covering state government, politics and issues. He has covered Albany since 2001.