PEF President Wayne Spence attended the State of the State address by New York Gov. Kathy Hochul on Jan. 10, 2023, and issued this statement following the speech:
“Governor Hochul advanced a budget blueprint that builds upon PEF’s ongoing ‘Fund Our Future‘ campaign. From dedicating resources to support more state-operated mental health services, indexing the state’s minimum wage to inflation, supporting specific policies to rebuild the state’s workforce, and addressing on-going concerns over public safety, the governor is clearly listening to the needs of all New Yorkers. We look forward to reviewing specific proposals in the upcoming Executive Budget release and will work with all of our partners in the Senate and Assembly to reach a final budget agreement to ensure the efficient and effective delivery of the quality state-operated services that PEF members provide and New Yorkers deserve.”