New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announced his legislative priorities for this year in his State of the State address. Among them were education inequality and fighting the opioid crisis.
Cuomo says wealthier school districts spend up to $36,000 per student, while poorer school districts spend as little as $13,000.
He says state funds should be used to erase this inequality.
“If we’re the progressive capital and we want to beat our chest and say we’re the progressive capital, then act that way. And don’t play politics with education money. Use state funds to raise those at the bottom.”
Cuomo also called for stronger legislation prohibiting variations of fentanyl and increased funding for treatment centers to combat the opioid crisis.
The governor also pushed for greater environmental protections, calling climate change the crisis of our generation.
“Because no economic strategy, no social justice reform, no education policy will be worth a damn if we don’t have a planet to live on.”
He called for a $3 billion fund for projects that protect the environment like artificial reefs and shellfish habitats.
Cuomo also says New York needs to cooperate with neighboring states like New Jersey and Connecticut to coordinate a safe way to legalize recreational marijuana.
