Assemblymember Jonathan Jacobson (D-104) commended several plans included in Governor Hochul’s State of the State address that mirrored his own priorities and legislation on education, lead-free drinking water, and stronger protections for utility customers.

“I’m pleased that Governor Hochul is championing many of the issues I’ve been working on,” Jacobson said. “This will bring more resources and a greater sense of urgency to those efforts.”

In her January 13 speech, the Governor outlined a laundry list of initiatives, with more detailed plans in the State of the State Book released by her office.

Among them was expansion of the New York Opportunity Promise Scholarship program, which allows anyone aged 25-55 to attend community college for free to pursue a degree in a high-demand field.

Jacobson has sponsored a bill that allows students who’ve already earned a degree to take advantage of this funding (A.8843). The Governor is now proposing this change for students who already have a college degree and are pursuing a degree in nursing. Jacobson also wants to include certificate programs in the scholarship program.

Jacobson has been a fierce advocate for replacing all lead-contaminated water lines in the state, and has repeatedly requested dedicated funding for it in the budget. As the new chair of the Assembly’s Oversight, Analysis and Investigation Committee, Jacobson is leading an investigation into the state’s progress on replacing its estimated 500,000 lead lines by the 2037 Federal deadline. To ease this backlog, Jacobson is working on an amendment to the current lead service line replacement law that makes it easier for municipalities to receive non-competitive reimbursements to replace their lead service lines. Instead of competing with other municipalities to receive funding at the beginning of the process, all municipalities would be eligible to be reimbursed for their costs up to $10,000 per line plus related interest charges. On average, it will take the state more than $400 million each year to replace these lines, so Jacobson is requesting $500 million in the State budget to fund these efforts. Hochul also mentioned new funding opportunities for identifying and replacing lead service lines.

When it comes to consumer protection, Jacobson has waged a years-long battle to ensure that utilities like Central Hudson are charging customers fairly, transparently, and on time. As the cost-of-living surges and technology drives the economy, this issue is even more critical. One of his latest bills stops utilities from passing along the cost of any new infrastructure needed to power data centers and chip manufacturers to everyday customers (A.9064). These industries can be a boon to the local economy, but they also demand massive amounts of energy that can require updates to the electric grid. Governor Hochul picked up this issue and proposed more ratepayer protections related to powering data centers.

“The State of the State included many admirable plans to protect and provide opportunities to New Yorkers,” Jacobson said. “I welcome the Governor’s partnership in this fight.”