Hochul unveils second State of the State proposal

And a new bill is aimed at easing the criminal discovery process.

Good afternoon — it’s Monday and National Bean Day.

In today’s CapCon:

• Hochul’s second proposal for her State of the State is intended to help New Yorkers with children. See how other proposals compare.

• Don’t forget: the legislative session is scheduled to begin Wednesday.

• This Week in New York History: The first transatlantic phone call, the first flying boat and the first milk delivery.

• New Bills of Note: a new bill seeks to solve a problem prosecutors say is getting cases thrown out.

---

❗ CapCon Note: Welcome to the week! It’s going to be a good one — and busy, so I’m keeping today’s newsletter a bit shorter to avoid burning you out.

And I have great news. This month is going to be a big one for CapCon and we don’t want you to miss out. It’s the start of session, Hochul will propose her budget and who knows what else will happen.

So we’re offering a free 30-day trial for new subscribers. You can get that here.

(New York Governor’s Office)

💵 Hochul wants to raise New York’s child tax credit — but not as much as others

It’s the start of what’s expected to be a sort-of busy week in Albany, where lawmakers will convene at the state Capitol for the start of this year’s legislative session.

It’s not an election year, which could mean one of two things. Lawmakers could pursue controversial measures in their agenda for the year in hopes that voters will either warm up to those ideas or forget about them by next November.

The other option is for the Legislature to save some of those big-ticket items for next year if they think those priorities will be popular with voters.

But we do know one thing: New York’s cost of living is expected to be at the top of their list of issues to address after last year’s elections exposed ire from the electorate.

“We’re told inflation is going down but it’s still at that base level that’s higher than it’s ever been in years,” Gov. Kathy Hochul told a crowd in Manhattan Monday.

That’s where she announced the second proposal she plans to include in her State of the State next week: a higher child tax credit for New York families.

“It’ll be the largest expansion of the child tax credit in our state’s history,” Hochul said.

But it would also be lower than what was recommended to her by the state Child Poverty Reduction Advisory Council in December.