What's in Hochul's 2026 State of the State agenda

We went through the 161-page book to save you time.

Good afternoon — It’s Tuesday and State of the State Day.

In today’s CapCon:

• Gov. Kathy Hochul released her 2026 State of the State agenda Tuesday.

• Here's a long list of what was in it, including items we didn’t know about.

Names in today’s CapCon: Gov. Kathy Hochul

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(Dan Clark/Times Union)

📖 What’s new in Hochul’s 2026 State of the State

Gov. Kathy Hochul unveiled her policy agenda for the year on Tuesday with a speech to the state’s newsmakers and a 161-page book.

As was expected, there are countless proposals in the book that weren’t teased out beforehand. But there are others that some had hoped Hochul would include that didn’t make the cut.

If you would prefer to read through these proposals yourself, I’ll link to Hochul’s State of the State book at the end of today’s newsletter.

There is a lot in here so I’ll separate the proposals that stand out as they’re categorized in the book to make them easier to find.

🚫 What’s NOT in Hochul’s State of the State

But let’s first start with what’s not in Hochul’s State of the State that some stakeholders and observers might have been expecting.

New revenue proposals: Hochul is proposing new spending in several areas. At the same time, the state has been anticipating a budget gap this year of $4.2 billion.

That projected deficit, and uncertainties around federal aid to New York, has sparked conversations about the potential need for new revenue to cover current and future costs.

Hochul did not propose new sources of revenue in her State of the State but we could learn more when she releases her executive budget proposal a week from today.

‘Raise the Age’ changes: Prosecutors have asked Hochul and Democrats in the state Legislature to consider tweaks to the state’s “Raise the Age” law.

The law required New York to stop treating 16- and 17-year-olds as adults in criminal court and included several other changes.

Prosecutors have said the change has incentivized those teens to commit crimes because they’re likely to get lighter sentences, if any at all. Hochul did not propose changes to the law in her State of the State.

Revisiting redistricting: Democrats in New York, including Hochul, expressed an appetite to upend the state’s redistricting process last year after Republicans in Texas drew new maps for their districts in Congress.

That process is enshrined in the state constitution and a pair of lawmakers have already introduced a measure that would ask voters to amend it but Hochul did not bring it up in her State of the State.

Let me know if you were surprised that something else wasn’t included.