NY RISING January 9, 2013 October 29, 2012 NY RISING 2013 State of the State Governor Andrew M. Cuomo i Table of Contents 1. Economic Development 1 Higher Education Centers as Job Generators 8 The Challenge: Tech Transfer—from Academia to Commercialization 9 Create “Innovation Hot Spots” 14 Hot Spots will be Tax-Free Zones 15 Changing the Culture of Academic Commercialization in New York: Create the Innovation NY Network 16 Foster Investment through a NYS Innovation Venture Capital Fund 17 Reducing Business Costs: Workers’ Compensation and Unemployment Insurance Reform 18 Reforming the State’s Unemployment Insurance System 18 Providing Workers’ Compensation Relief to Businesses 20 Economy of Tomorrow: Make New York the Leader in the Clean Tech Economy 26 Create a $1 Billion Green Bank to Leverage Public Dollars with a Private Sector Match to Spur the Clean Tech Economy 26 ii Extend the NY-Sun Solar Jobs Program 31 Create the Charge NY Plan 33 Create a Cabinet-Level Energy Czar 36 Preparing the Workforce of Today and Tomorrow 38 Create the Next Generation Job Linkage Program 41 Partnering with the Regional Economic Development Councils and Local Employers 42 Paying for Performance: Funding Based Upon Student Success 44 Listening to Employers 47 Reimagining the State’s Workforce Development System to Meet the Needs of 21 st Century Employers and Job-Seekers 48 Additional Focus on Upstate Economic Development 49 Market New York 49 Create the “Taste-NY” Program—Duty-Free Stores to Promote NY-Grown and Produced Products 50 Market Regional Attractions 54 Special Events Marketing Campaign 55 The Adirondack Challenge 55 Increase Upstate Tourism through Destination Resorts/Casino Gaming 56 iii 2. Education 61 More Learning Time: Extending the School Day and/or Year 64 Full-Day Pre-kindergarten Program for the Highest Needs Students 68 Better Teachers and Principals 70 A Success Story: The Teacher and Principal Evaluation System 72 Better Teachers and Principals: Rewarding High Performing Educators 73 Integrating Social Services and Schools by Expanding Community Schools 74 Create a Performance Management System 78 Expanding Innovative Ways to Make Students College and Career Ready 78 Create Innovation Zones 80 Continue to Find Efficiencies through Shared Services, Regionalization, and Consolidation 81 Another Round of NYSUNY 2020, and a New NYCUNY 2020 82 3. Progressive Agenda 85 We Must Raise the Minimum Wage 92 The Challenge: Stop and Frisk 95 The Challenge: Marijuana Possession 98 Strengthening Eyewitness Identification 104 Recording Criminal Interrogations 106 iv Create the $1 Billion House NY Program 108 The REDC Opportunity Agenda 112 Achieving Equality for Women: The 10-Point Women’s Equality Act 114 Shatter the Glass Ceiling: Achieve Pay Equity 115 Stop Sexual Harassment in All Workplaces 119 Allow for the Recovery of Attorneys’ Fees in Employment and Credit and Lending Cases 120 Strengthen Human Trafficking Laws 121 End Family Status Discrimination 122 Stop Source of Income Discrimination 123 Stop Housing Discrimination for Victims of Domestic Violence 124 Stop Pregnancy Discrimination Once and For All 125 Protect Victims of Domestic Violence by Strengthening Order of Protection Laws 126 Protect a Woman’s Freedom of Choice: Enact the Reproductive Health Act 127 Fighting Hunger in New York 129 Increasing MWBE Opportunities 137 Creating “CORe” Neighborhoods 142 A Focus on Public Health 147 New York to Set the “Gold Standard” for Patient Care 148 v 4. Public Safety 156 New York State: Safe and Fair 156 We Must Pass a Tough Assault Weapons Ban: The Rest of the Nation will Follow New York 163 One State, One Standard 166 Preventing Private Sales to Prohibited Persons 167 Reporting by Mental Health Professionals 167 More Efficient Issuance of Licenses 168 Enhanced Penalties 168 Gangs and Guns 169 Combating Gun Violence in the State’s Most Violent Neighborhoods 170 Staying Ahead of the Game on Dangerous Designer Synthetic Drugs 172 New York State Cyber Security Initiative 175 5. Government Reform 182 Create Disclose NY to Increase Disclosures of Contributions 188 Campaign Finance Reform is Imperative for Rebuilding Trust in Government 189 Public Financing of State Elections 191 Lower Contribution Limits 194 New Enforcement Unit 195 Early Voting Ensures Easy and Effective Voting 195 Make Our Ballots More Readable 198 vi Create the Financial Restructuring Assistance Program 199 Create OPEN NY: Using Technology to Promote Transparency, Improve Government Performance, and Enhance Citizen Engagement 201 6. Responding to the Crisis 206 We Must Respond to the Crisis 213 Lower the Regional Greenhouse Gas Emissions Cap 214 Increase Alternative Local Renewable Power Sources 217 Ensure a Skilled Energy Workforce 221 Improve the Resilience of Our Buildings 223 Provide Assistance to Property Owners to Mitigate or Sell Properties in Vulnerable Areas 224 Recreate NY-Smart Home Program 225 Recreate NY-Home Buyout Program 225 Ensure that Healthcare Facilities are Resilient 226 Take Immediate Steps to Strengthen Coastal Protections 227 Toward a More Resilient New York Harbor 229 Take Immediate Steps to Protect Transportation Systems Against Future Storm Events 232 Harden our Fuel Delivery System 234 Harden our Utilities 237 Strengthen Wastewater Infrastructure 239 vii We Need to Redesign Our Power System 241 Put Enforcement Teeth into the PSC to Improve Oversight and Regulation of State’s Utilities 241 Abolish the Long Island Power Authority 244 Establish a World-Class Emergency Response Network 246 Specialized Training for the National Guard for Emergency Response 248 Establish a Statewide Volunteer Network 249 Establish a “Civilian Emergency Response Corps” . 251 Establish a Private Sector Emergency Response Task Force 253 Launch a Citizen Education Campaign: Prepared citizens as “in-house first responders” 254 Ensure that Vulnerable Populations Can Receive Help in an Emergency 255 Communicating with New Yorkers in an Emergency 256 [...]... York at the center of the state s regionally based economic revitalization strategy The 2012-13 budget included capital funding in the amount of $60 million for a second round of up to 12 challenge grants funded by the State and SUNY The model follows a strategy Governor Cuomo announced in a landmark deal that signaled an important change in the direction of the state In September 2011, the State entered... costs have long been a barrier to growth of the state economy The Energy Highway initiative, introduced in the 2012 State of the State address, is a centerpiece of the Governor s Power NY agenda, which was put in place to ensure that New York’s energy grid is the most advanced in the nation and to promote increased business investment in the state In October 2012, the Energy Highway Blueprint was launched,... in the U.S These include Research Triangle Park in North Carolina, which is driven by the three research universities there; Austin, Texas, whose success is tied to the University of Texas at Austin; and Cambridge, Massachusetts, as a result of work done at Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology The economic strength of these regions is the direct result of the creation of. .. substantial job losses and the exodus of businesses State government struggled under staggering budget deficits and failed economic development policies Changing the future of our state required reviving our economy Governor Cuomo s top priority from the day he took office has been strengthening New York’s economy and creating jobs To achieve that goal, the Governor thoroughly redesigned the State s economic... television industry, one of the most robust in the nation, and supporting hundreds of thousands of jobs and billions of dollars in economic impact In July, Governor Cuomo signed legislation to help attract post- production work to the state, particularly upstate communities A number of major film and television 6 productions have cited the State s program as a leading factor in their decision to film... Governor Cuomo also launched NYSUNY 2020—a sustained, competition-based model to support job growth through our universities The NYSUNY 2020 Challenge Grant Program, a joint program between the Governor and the State University of New York (SUNY), supports individualized long-term economic development plans on SUNY campuses and in the surrounding communities The program enhances SUNY’s academic mission,... Commercialization The knowledge-based economy and global competition make it more important than ever that New York State becomes the leader in innovation and new business creation New York possesses one of the besteducated workforces, due to the state s many colleges, universities and other research institutions that lead the nation Many of the country’s most significant high-tech economic clusters owe their... as well as with office space, networking and other technical assistance 15 Changing the Culture of Academic Commercialization in New York: Create the Innovation NY Network Culture and regulations can be major barriers to commercialization of academic ideas in New York Therefore, to break down these barriers Governor Cuomo proposes creating the Innovation NY Network— based, in part, on the CONNECT model... interest.17 In fact, only one state has borrowed more from the federal government to cover claims The Governor is proposing significant reforms that will make the system sustainable, self-correcting and modern for the first time in the history of the State As currently designed, the State s UI system cannot withstand fluctuations in the economy without borrowing from the federal government, exposing... keep entrepreneurs and companies in New York as they grow, any company that emerges from the incubator will be considered part of tax-free Innovation Hot Spots under which neither these companies nor their full-time employees will pay designated taxes for the first five years of the companies' existence These incubators will help to foster innovation by offering inventors and entrepreneurs a low-cost . NY RISING January 9, 2013 October 29, 2012 NY RISING 2013 State of the State Governor Andrew M. Cuomo i Table of Contents 1. Economic Development. between the Governor and the State University of New York (SUNY), supports individualized long-term economic development plans on SUNY campuses and in the surrounding communities. The program enhances. Employers 47 Reimagining the State s Workforce Development System to Meet the Needs of 21 st Century Employers and Job-Seekers 48 Additional Focus on Upstate Economic Development 49 Market