UPDATE: 3:30 p.m.
In his State of the State message in Albany, Gov. Andrew Cuomo called for significant steps in New York State to safeguard residents from continued gun violence that has come with high-volume ammunition assault weapons.
"We must stop the madness," Cuomo said. "It has been enough. We need a gun policy that is reasonable, balanced and respects hunters. It's about ending the unecessary risk of high-capacity assault rifles."
Cuomo called for the "toughest assault weapon ban in the nation" in New York, along with new laws that would close private gun sale loopholes, keep weapons out of hands of the mentally ill and regulate ammunition purchases.
Cuomo said gun regulation leadership is not new to New York, citing the 1911 Sullivan Act, which required registration of handguns.
Making a emotionally-charged plea to lawmakers, Cuomo asked them to set aside politics
"What we are proposing today are common sense measures," Cuomo said. "No one needs to hunt with an assault weapon. No one needs 10 bullets to kill a deer."
Click here to read the full text of Cuomo's address.
UPDATE: 3 p.m.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo today called for the state Legislature to again pass an on-time state budget and not to create any new taxes.
"We can accomplish anything we want when we work together," Cuomo said.
Cuomo said the state has made major progress in the way it does business, becoming more business-friendly and ending the "politics as usual" mentality that created years of deadlock among lawmakers in Albany.
As an example of the change in the state, Cuomo cited the planned replacement of the Tappan Zee Bridge connecting Westchester and Rockland.
"We put it together in one year after they talked about it for 10," Cuomo said.
Among the steps Cuomo has called for in his address:
- Reduce the burden of unemployment insurance and workmen's compenstation insurance on employers in the state.
- Extend the state's solar jobs program.
- Put a new focus fixing the terrible economic climate in upstate New York.
To help the upstate economy, Cuomo called for expanding casinos. He said casinos in upstate New York would boost that region's economy. Step one: Three casinos upstate to bring downstate residents upstate.
This would require a referendum in November.
On education, Cuomo said we need more education.
"We need more learning time my friends if we are really serious about improving education," Cuomo said.
Options:
- Longer school days.
- A longer school year.
- Or, a combination of both.
"Our proposal is that we make it an option for every school district in the state and how they would want to opt in," said Cuomo, noting the state would pay for the additional costs related to longer school days/years.
He also called for more early childhood education. Cuomo called for full-day Pre-K programs, especially in poorest communities.
For teachers, Cuomo said New York must reward high-performing teachers, calling for a master teachers programs in which those teachers would see extra pay. He also praised the state's school districts for following through with formalized teacher evaluation plans.
On minimum wage, Cuomo said the state's current minimum wage of $14,000 is not a living wage.
"My friends, it does not add up," Cuomo said, urging a raise of the minimum wage.
Stop and frisk
In New York City, Cuomo called for an end to the city's "stop and frisk" methods, calling the technique unfair. "It's unfair, it's not right and it must end now," Cuomo said.
He called for changes in the law so that minor marijuana possession does not become a misdemeanor - keeping it at the violation level.
Affordable housing
Cuomo said New York State will step in with a $1 billion effort over the next five years to boost affordable housing.
Campaign reform
Cuomo called for significant changes in the state's political campaign financing laws.
He called for faster reporting of political and lobbying campaign contributions. And, he called for lowering limits on contributions.
Environment
Cuomo called for reducing C02 output in New York.
"Climate change is real," Cuomo said.
Also, he called for the "Recreate NY-Smart Home" to help homeowners in storm-prone areas to avoid rebuilding homes only to have them destroyed a few years later.
In New York City, Cuomo called for steps to safeguard underground facilities, utilities and the subway system. On Long Island, he called for eliminating the LIPA system of providing power.
UPDATE: 2:20 p.m.
After lengthy introductions, Gov. Andrew Cuomo has taken the podium to begin his State of the State address.
Among those noted before the speech were the familiy members of two Webster, NY, volunteer firefighters who were slain in an abush.
In noting major incidents in New York in 2012 from Hurricane Sandy to the deadly incident in Webster, Cuomo said, "We saw New York at its worst and we saw new york at its best. You saw unparalleled heroism ...."
UPDATE: 1:58 p.m.
State lawmakers have filed into the state's convention center in Albany and Gov. Andrew Cuomo is about to deliver his State of the State address.
Watch the speech live online at http://www.governor.ny.gov/NY/2013-State-of-the-State
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Gov. Andrew Cuomo is set to deliver is State of the State message today at 1:30 p.m., when he will outline his goals for New York in 2013.
The message can be seen live online from Albany via the state government's web site, http://www.governor.ny.gov/NY/2013-State-of-the-State
In previous messages, Cuomo has targeted school reform an efforts to make government smaller and more efficient. Today, Cuomo is expected to discuss gun control in the wake for the tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown, CT. Cuomo is also expected to discuss the state's minimum wage and the economy.
After his speech, share your reaction to his proposal here on Patch. Tell us what you think should be the state's priorities for 2013.
About the State of the State message:
- The State of the State address allows the Governor to lay out his yearly agenda for the legislators and the people of New York.
- The Governor is required to give the State of the State by Article IV Section 3 of the New York State Constitution.
- The State of the State message is not only a message from the Governor to the Legislature but is also the beginning of the Legislative year.
- Only three governors, Charles Poletti, John Tayler and Horace White, have never given a State of the State message.
- The State of the State address was traditionally held in the Assembly Chamber until Gov. Andrew Cuomo moved it to the Convention Center.
- Article XIII section 4 of the State Constitution sets the day for the beginning of the legislative term as the first Wednesday after the first Monday in the month of January.
- Colonial governors gave speeches, but our first governors after winning Independence thought that was too pretentious and so instead delivered a written message to the Legislature.
- Even today, the actual State of the State is a document given by the Governor to the legislative leaders and not the speech that accompanies it.
For once can you actually address just one of the questions posed to you as opposed to spewing out ridiculous comments such as the above? What does your reference to McMansions have to do with ANYTHING? Please, please, please answer this.... Hell, with JN's map which started this whole debate, you now have the means to actually ridicule your own comment without actually having to do any real research.
And my point was that your right to own a machine gun is already infringed, so any nonsense about 2nd amendment rights being restricted is nonsense, because by your own statement, they already are.
Eighteen people plunged to their deaths from the 212-foot-high span in 2012, compared with the previous high of 13 jumpers in 2010, Port Authority records reveal. There also were 43 attempted suicides from the bridge last year — an all-time high, too, law-enforcement sources said.
The fact that the Bill of Rights originally applied only to white property owning males is immaterial since other Amendments have since addressed that inequality through the process set forth in the Constitution. However, you are mistaken in your understanding of what exactly the Bill of Rights was and is. They are a list of freedoms that the government is not allowed to infringe upon. Putting these rights down on paper was not a means of establishing these rights, rather these rights were assumed at the time and were written down in order to appease public sentiment at the time. The argument at the time was not whether these freedoms were to be granted, rather the argument was whether there was a need to spell them out in the first place or if there were other ways in which to protect them. In other words, the freedoms listed in the Bill of Rights were generally already in place at the time and assumed to be granted as part of being "free". The Bill of Rights simply put this down on paper as a means of ratifying the Constitution and garnering public support.
Women on the Supreme Court! OMG! Next thing you know, they'll want the vote.
The topic is gun control as listed in the title ("toughest assault weapon ban in the nation" ) " We expect that you come to the forum knowing what the topic is". Sorry but this means that it is common sense that people do not need to have 100 round magazines or assault style weapons or to cross borders and buy guns without background checks or use loopholes in gun registration. I do not oppose the right to bear arms, but there must be common sense applied and right now there is not. Guns and gun control are just one aspect of this but it like mental health needs to be address and that is common sense.
Well, 225 years of Constitution - we had a time, eh? 1000 years of new Dark Ages coming. Cry for the children.
Gun violence is the fault of video games, movies and crazy people. Just look at the facts. There's very little gun violence in Canada and that's because they don't have movies, video games and crazy people. In fact the world, with the exception of the USA doesn't have these things with the one other exception being Mexico who apparently has even more crazy people then we do as they use their American made assault rifles to expand their drug cartels. No; guns should never be touched because their special. There used to be a saying in the Army,"this is my rifle, this is my gun. One is for shooting, the other for fun". Somewhere along the way, the two have gotten confused. Make love not war,
Check your facts, Abby. I will gladly help you with that. The first thing a dictatorship will do is disarm the people. Next is take over mass communication.
No, I said the argument that citizens should own guns to protect themselves from the government and then compare it to Nazi Germany is incredibly stupid. If what happened there would happen here, no ak47 of AR-15 is going to prevent a dictator from taking over. That's the moronic argument
http://youtu.be/wt1Zy_ASNyA pure gold!
One new movie is called "Bullet to the head". Other wonderful movies showing actors holding guns; "Gangster squad", "Broken City", "The Last Stand", "Hansel & Gretel" and "Parker". This are just a few I found here> http://www.moviefone.com/new-movie-releases I can not believe no one has put emphasis on the shooter, Adam. He was a mental case, we know that, how can we stop this from happening again. Take away guns, these people will find another way. These people tend to be well educated and although social misfits, geniuses in their own way. You have to be careful threatening to take away peoples guns because all it takes is for one person to think it is a conspiracy and they will snap, again, again, and again. Laws do have to be passed, however, making it the gun owners responsibility to keeps all guns, pistols, rifles, etc. locked up. Had Adam's mother had the guns he used in the killing locked up without him being able to gain access, this tragedy might not have happened, but remember, some say he felt the "kids" took his mother away and were getting to much attention. Again, his mental condition came into play.
What stupid hypocritical people.