January 12, 2021 — GOVERNOR CUOMO ANNOUNCES PROPOSAL TO ENACT A FIRST-IN-THE-NATION GUARANTEE OF AFFORDABLE INTERNET FOR LOW-INCOME FAMILIES AS PART OF THE 2021 STATE OF THE STATE  
Part of the Governor Cuomo's 2021 Connectivity Agenda to Close the Digital Divide 
Require $15 Per Month High-Speed Internet Service for Low Income Families

Establish a Hardship Fund for Families Most in Need
Consumer Protections from Surprise Internet Bills and Other Critical Reforms   

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today announced his proposal to enact a first-in-the-nation requirement for affordable internet for all low-income families as part of the 2021 State of the State agenda. Under the Governor's proposal, all internet providers would be required to offer affordable service at $15 per month to low-income households. The affordability requirements are part of the Governor's nation-leading 2021 connectivity agenda, which also includes a series of actions to protect consumers through better disclosures, promote broadband build-out and market competition, and undertake new digital inclusion efforts. 

"Now more than ever, high-speed internet has become essential in every household. You can't go to school, work from home, or visit your doctor by telehealth without it," Governor Cuomo said. "New York has led the way in building out broadband infrastructure, and now we must ensure that internet service is affordable to give every family and community the connectivity tools they need to succeed."

The Governor's Reimagine New York Commission reported to the Governor that equal access to high-quality, affordable internet connectivity is a prerequisite to building back a better and more equitable New York. Informed by their recommendations, Governor Cuomo will take the following actions. 
 
Establish First-in-the-Nation Guarantee of Affordable Internet Mandate
Governor Cuomo will propose first-in-the-nation legislation requiring internet service providers to offer an affordable $15 per month high speed internet plan to low-income households. Currently, a basic high-speed internet plan costs, on average, more than $50 a month. The State will also require providers to advertise this option to ensure programs reach underserved populations across the State.

Close the "Homework Gap" by Establishing a Hardship Fund
To bridge the gap during the COVID-19 emergency and help the most in need children across New York State, the Governor's blue-ribbon Reimagine New York Commission, Schmidt Futures and the Ford Foundation will launch a new hardship fund to pay for internet subscriptions for students who cannot afford $15 a month during the COVID-19 crisis. To ensure students also get the laptops and hot spots they need, the State will expedite Smart Schools Bond Act funding to school districts to meet outstanding device needs.

Consumer Protections for Broadband Customers and Other Critical Reforms
To combat practices that limit consumer choice and increase the cost of internet services, the Public Service Commission will require adherence to a universal "broadband disclosure" that explains all charges, such as device, termination, activation, and equipment fees in plain and easy to understand language so consumers will no longer get hit with unexpected charges. 

In addition, the State will undertake other actions to spur further investment in access including promoting a "dig once" policy to facilitate the buildout of fiber across the state, launching a website to help New Yorkers find the affordable plan in their area and report on coverage gaps and consumer experiences, as well as other efforts to close the literacy and digital skills gap that persists in underserved communities.

Reimagine New York Commission Chair and Schmidt Futures Co-Founder Eric Schmidt said, "The challenges we have faced this year as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic have made it abundantly clear that in order to move forward affordable internet access must be accessible for all New Yorkers. This is why the Reimagine New York Commission made achieving universal internet connectivity our first and most important goal. But simply having the internet available in your area is not enough. The proposals that Governor Cuomo announced today are critical steps to address the affordability, competition and digital literacy issues standing in the way of universal and equitable access for all New Yorkers."

Richard Parson, Chair of the Rockefeller Foundation and Co-Chair of the Reimagine New York Commission's Connectivity Working Group, said, "Governor Cuomo's broadband program enacted in 2015 represented a best-in-nation approach to addressing fixed broadband coverage for rural New Yorkers. Yet, over 2 million New York households remain without a fixed broadband subscription at home. We must now build upon the foundation of New York's broadband program to address remaining barriers in coverage, affordability, and digital inclusion. A multi-pronged approach is key to addressing these remaining challenges for underserved communities across New York State."
Darren Walker, President of the Ford Foundation and Co-Chair of the Reimagine New York Commission's Connectivity Working Group said, "Internet access is a human right, yet historically marginalized communities are still denied affordable broadband. New York must continue to strive for digital equity and universal internet connectivity, so that all New Yorkers have the internet access and skills they need to fully participate in all aspects of society. Through the Ford Foundation's work addressing digital equity and the digital divide, we have seen that it is essential for both government and internet service providers to do their part to address this critical need. New York can shine a light on what could be possible if we had a robust, diverse, competitive market to deliver affordable, fast broadband to every single home and business. This is a first and crucial step in building back a better and more just New York."

The Governor's comprehensive 2021 Connectivity Agenda builds on his work leading the nation in delivering equitable internet access for all New Yorkers. In 2015, the State undertook the largest and most ambitious broadband initiative in the nation, dedicating $500 million to broaden internet access statewide. This investment, coupled with regulatory reforms, expanded the reach of broadband so today 98 percent of New York households have access to high-speed broadband with download speeds of at least 100 Mbps. Furthermore, the Governor took critical steps to tackle the digital divide in schools by signing the 2014 Smart Schools Bond Act. This Act made $2 billion available to school districts across the state for technology devices and classroom enhancements to improve school connectivity, making it possible for schools to weather today's challenges of remote learning. 

January 11, 2021 — In 11th State of the State Address, Governor Advances Bold Agenda to Defeat COVID-19, Begin Jumpstarting New York's Economic Resurgence, and Create a Safer, More Just State  

Cuomo: "Do you remember last spring? Do you remember what New Yorkers did in their darkest hour? I will never forget it. When COVID ambushed New York and we went from one case to hundreds of cases in a matter of days. When sirens filled the night, stillness and mass graves were dug on Hart Island. When fear gripped New Yorkers like a vise. When global experts told us there was no way we could slow the spread. But New Yorkers said yes we could and yes we would. New Yorkers united and rose to the occasion. That is New York at her best - that is the New York miracle.  

Time and again we have heard the voices of doubt and defeat. The state can't do a budget on time. We can't enact common sense gun safety, we can't pass marriage equality, we can't raise the minimum wage, we can't fix subway tunnels, we can't build a new Tappan Zee Bridge, we can't turn around the Buffalo economy, we can't end the AIDS epidemic, we can't provide free college tuition for the middle class, we can't construct a new Penn train hall. But they were wrong. We did.  

We can't - only if we believe we can't.  

That is what we mean when we say New York tough."

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today delivered his 2021 State of the State address. The Governor's 2021 agenda - Reimagine | Rebuild | Renew - features nation-leading proposals to not only defeat COVID-19, but also tackle critical issues facing New York and the country, including jumpstarting New York's economic recovery; creating a fairer, more just state; reopening the state; becoming a leader in the growing green energy economy; and rebuilding and strengthening New York's infrastructure. To defeat COVID-19, address New York's short-term economic issues, and ensure social and racial justice, the Governor has put forth a number of proposals focused on reimagining our health care and housing systems; finding new sources of revenue through the legalization of adult-use cannabis and online sports betting; continuing the fight for well-deserved federal recovery funding; and creating fairer and more just criminal justice and election systems.

Proposals focused on reopening the state, becoming a leader in the growing green energy economy, and rebuilding and strengthening New York's infrastructure will be announced in the coming days.  

"Do you remember last spring?", Governor Cuomo said. "Do you remember what New Yorkers did in their darkest hour? I will never forget it. When COVID ambushed New York and we went from one case to hundreds of cases in a matter of days. When sirens filled the night, stillness and mass graves were dug on Hart Island. When fear gripped New Yorkers like a vise. When global experts told us there was no way we could slow the spread. But New Yorkers said yes we could and yes we would. New Yorkers united and rose to the occasion. That is New York at her best - that is the New York miracle.  

Time and again we have heard the voices of doubt and defeat. The state can't do a budget on time. We can't enact common sense gun safety, we can't pass marriage equality, we can't raise the minimum wage, we can't fix subway tunnels, we can't build a new Tappan Zee Bridge, we can't turn around the Buffalo economy, we can't end the AIDS epidemic, we can't provide free college tuition for the middle class, we can't construct a new Penn train hall. But they were wrong. We did.

We can't - only if we believe we can't.

That is what we mean when we say New York tough."

Governor Cuomo continued, "There are moments in life that can change a person fundamentally - sometimes for the better, sometimes for the worse. Likewise, there are episodes in history that transform society and COVID is one of those moments. We see the risk and peril, but we also see the promise and potential of this moment. This next year we will see economies realign and reset around the world and New York will lead the way. In a moment when nagging insecurity can either limit your potential or give way to the energy of urgency, necessity, and innovation, we know the direction we are headed - it is our state motto, Excelsior- ever upwards."

2021 REIMAGINE | REBUILD | RENEW HIGHLIGHTS  

Passing the Medical Supplies Act: The United States was ill-prepared for a global pandemic when it came to our shores in 2020. At the outset of the COVID-19 crisis, New York State, along with the rest of the country, faced a severe shortage of basic Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), leaving our frontline health care professionals vulnerable to contracting the disease that we so desperately needed them to fight. To ensure that hospitals had the supplies needed to protect their patients and workers, New York was forced to compete with other countries — and even states — to secure critical products from overseas.

To promote domestic manufacturing of critical medical equipment and to reduce dependency on overseas products, Governor Cuomo is proposing that New York pass the Medical Supplies Act to prioritize buying American-made PPE and medical supplies. As the Buy American Act, made permanent last year, did for American-made structural iron and steel, this new policy will help create and retain local jobs while ensuring the health and dependability of a crucial sector for years to come.

Comprehensive Telehealth Legislation: The COVID-19 pandemic laid bare the inequities in our healthcare system and showed that telehealth is a critical tool to expand access and lower costs for low-income communities, especially for behavioral health support. During the crisis, the Governor took executive action to expand access to remote care. These proposals codify and build on those successful reforms.

In partnership with the Reimagine New York Commission, the Governor will enact comprehensive telehealth reform to help New Yorkers take advantage of telehealth tools and address existing roadblocks. These reforms will address key issues like adjusting reimbursement incentives to encourage telehealth, eliminating outdated regulatory prohibitions on the delivery of telehealth, removing outdated location requirements, addressing technical unease among both patients and providers through training programs, and establishing other programs to incentivize innovative uses of telehealth.

Ensuring Social and Racial Justice for the Vaccination Effort: In order to ensure the vaccine is distributed equitably, especially in communities of color, Governor Cuomo created the New York Vaccine Equity Task Force. Chaired by Secretary of State Rossana Rosado, Attorney General Letitia James, National Urban League President & CEO Marc Morial, and Healthfirst President & CEO Pat Wang, the Governor's Equity Task Force will assist in overcoming existing barriers to vaccination and increase access to vaccines in Black, Hispanic, Asian, Native American, rural, poor, and public housing communities, as well as other health care deserts.

To support the vaccine rollout, the Task Force was directed by the Governor to build trust and acknowledge the pervasive structural inequities that have contributed to existing health and social disparities, address language access issues, ensure protections of privacy and confidentiality, and develop outreach efforts and community engagements that are regionally placed, culturally responsive, and representative of all communities. As vaccine availability increases from the federal government, the State will establish in partnership with private entities and localities, public clinics to reach vulnerable and underserved communities.

New York State Public Health Corps: While working to make New York the first COVID-19-safe state in the nation through widespread vaccination, we must also prepare for future public health crises. To support New York's massive effort to vaccinate nearly 20 million New Yorkers and support other public health emergency responses, Governor Cuomo is proposing the launch of the nation's first public health corps. As part of the effort, up to 1,000 fellows will be recruited to assist with vaccination operations. These fellows will include students in undergraduate and graduate public health programs, nursing schools and medical schools, recent graduates, retired medical professionals, and laypeople who will receive an intensive public health training curriculum developed by Cornell University. Bloomberg Philanthropies, Northwell, and our Department of Health will manage and coordinate the Corps.  

After the vaccination program is completed, New York will build on this Public Health Corps model by continuing to recruit and train public health professionals to staff State and county health agencies and this Corps will be available and prepared to serve the state in any future crisis.

Free Citizen Public Health Training: To empower and educate New Yorkers to be prepared for the next public health crises, the State will develop a free citizen public health training program with Cornell, offered online, to educate and certify thousands of New Yorkers to be prepared to volunteer to help their communities the next time there is a health emergency.

Fight for Overdue Federal Support to States Fighting COVID-19: New York was blindsided by the virus in early spring. Despite vast agencies tasked with monitoring health threats, and months of warning, the federal government failed to respond to — or even notice — the growing global pandemic. When they finally took notice, the federal government was solely focused on China such that they allowed 3 million travelers from Europe — where the virus was rapidly spreading —to enter New York City-area airports and others. This was an act of gross negligence by the federal government. New York State led the nation in its response. Left to fend for itself by the federal government, New Yorkers bent the curve and, with a science-based approach, re-opened much of the economy while maintaining some of the lowest infection rates in the nation.

However, even as portions of the economy have bounced back, many sectors have seen significant job losses and remain severely impacted, all contributing to New York's significant fiscal challenges. The State is contending with a $15 billion budget gap created entirely by the pandemic. For too long, New York has been asked to unfairly subsidize the federal government. As the federal government's number one donor, New York already leads the nation in sending more money to Washington than it gets back in return. On top of that, Washington has relentlessly abused this state, providing the lowest Medicaid reimbursement rate in the nation, starving infrastructure funding, and curtailing the State and Local Tax (SALT) deduction, which raised New Yorkers' taxes and starved New York of $30 billion over three years. After all of this, New York cannot also afford to pay the bill for the federal government's incompetence.

Governor Cuomo will fight to ensure that the federal government takes responsibility and delivers the fair funding New York and other states are owed.

Pass a Comprehensive Adult-Use Cannabis Program: In 2019, Governor Cuomo signed legislation to decriminalize the penalties for unlawful possession of marijuana. The legislation also put forth a process to expunge records for certain marijuana convictions. Later that year, the Governor spearheaded a multi-state summit to discuss paths towards legalization of adult-use cannabis that would ensure public health and safety, and coordinate programs regionally to minimize the cross-border movement of cannabis products.

Building on that important work, the Governor is proposing the creation of a new Office of Cannabis Management to oversee a new adult-use cannabis program, as well as the State's existing medical and cannabinoid hemp programs. Additionally, an equitable structure for the adult-use market will be created by offering licensing opportunities and assistance to entrepreneurs in communities of color who have been disproportionately impacted by the war on drugs. Cannabis legalization will create more than 60,000 new jobs, spurring $3.5 billion in economic activity and generating more than $300 million in tax revenue when fully implemented.  

Enabling Online Sports Betting: The sports gambling market is evolving rapidly. In 2018, the U.S. Supreme Court in Murphy v. NCAA overturned a federal law prohibiting most states from authorizing sports wagering. Sports wagering is now legal online in 14 states, including the bordering states of New Jersey and Pennsylvania, while it is only legal in New York at four Upstate commercial gaming facilities and Native American gaming facilities. An industry study found that nearly 20 percent of New Jersey's sports wagering revenue comes from New York residents, costing the State millions of dollars in lost tax revenue.

Under Governor Cuomo's proposal, the New York State Gaming Commission will issue a request for proposals to select one or more providers to offer mobile sports wagering in New York. This platform must have a partnership with at least one of the existing licensed commercial casinos. The Commission will also require any entity operating mobile wagering apps include safeguards against abuses and addiction.

Create a Rapid Testing Network as a Tool to Help Businesses Reopen: Over the past several months, Governor Cuomo's New York Forward reopening plan has paved the way for many businesses to resume operations safely through a phased approach and in accordance with public health protocols. While this has unleashed the ingenuity and creativity of New York businesses — such as new outdoor dining spaces and delivery options — it has also created significant financial struggles for these industries.

New York has been at the forefront of developing testing capacity throughout the COVID-19 crisis and will use that experience to help support the reopening of businesses. The State will continue to scale up the availability of testing to help businesses safely reduce capacity restrictions, as well as work with testing companies to stand up a network of convenient testing sites in city centers, starting with New York City. New York will also work with local governments to cut through any red tape to set up this critical infrastructure quickly. With this new network of rapid testing locations, a customer can stop into a new rapid testing facility, get tested, and 15 minutes later be cleared for dinner or a movie. This will provide an added layer of protection and confidence as New Yorkers resume economic activity.

Facilitating Policing Reforms: This year, Governor Cuomo took swift and aggressive action to respond to community concerns and rebuild public trust in the law enforcement profession following the tragic deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Daniel Prude, and far too many others. The Governor signed the "Say Their Name" reform agenda which repealed 50-a, banned chokeholds, prohibited race-based 911 calls, and codified his 2015 Executive Order that appointed the Attorney General as an independent prosecutor for police involved deaths of unarmed civilians. He also signed legislation creating the Law Enforcement Misconduct Investigative Office within the Attorney General's Office to investigate complaints of misconduct filed against law enforcement agencies.

However, unrest and distrust continued to roil communities in New York and across the nation. Maintaining public safety is imperative; it is one of the essential roles of government, and communities require mutual trust and respect between police and the communities they serve. In recognition of this, Governor Cuomo issued Executive Order 203 creating the New York State Police Reform and Reinvention Collaborative. This collaborative process requires all local governments and police forces to develop a plan to modernize their policing strategies and strengthen relationships with the communities they serve. Localities are required to engage their community and ratify a plan by April 1, 2021. Failure to complete this process will result in loss of State funding.

Facilitating the Creation of Statewide Childcare Options: The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted how a lack of access to affordable childcare can disrupt low-income families and force caregivers, primarily women, to choose between putting food on the table and caring for their children. While affordability serves as a barrier to families securing child care, there is also a lack of general accessibility of child care programs, as well as insufficient high quality provider capacity across the state which can inhibit families from accessing child care.

To make child care more affordable and equitable for our most vulnerable children and their parents, Governor Cuomo will invest $40 million to reduce the burden of parent subsidy copays to help approximately 32,000 working families. This will ensure that no New York family pays more than 20 percent of their income above the federal poverty level for a child care subsidy co-pay, with the rest of the cost of care being covered by the subsidy.  

To ensure that all families have access to high-quality child care, New York State will invest $6 million for start-up grants to create programs in child care deserts; increase the value of the New York State Employer-Provided Child Care Credit by expanding the amount a business can claim for qualified child care expenditures to up to $500,000 per year; create a new toolkit to provide guidance and assistance to businesses looking to subsidize and facilitate access to child care for their employees; and establish permanent child care sector workgroups within the Regional Economic Development Councils REDCs to guide and inform council decisions. The Governor will also establish a new Excelsior Child Care Investment Tax Credit available to recipients of the Excelsior Tax Credit as a bonus incentive to create and provide child care services for employees and their families.

To ease administrative burdens and make it easier and less costly to provide child care services, Governor Cuomo will adopt the Child Care Availability Task Force recommendations to standardize and modernize the child care subsidy system to eliminate waste, duplication, and confusing rules for families. Specifically, the Governor will direct the Office of Children and Family Services and the Council on Children and Families to examine federal and state statutes and regulations to identify opportunities for reform and streamlining; eliminate redundant background checks that increase administrative burdens and costs for providers; and advance legislation to eliminate the requirement that individuals seeking employment at OCFS or in New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene regulated programs submit a new Central Register of Child Abuse and Maltreatment clearance form when they move to a new program.

Streamlining and Enhancing Work to Address Gender-Based Violence: Ending domestic violence and sexual assault has been at the top of New York's agenda since Governor Cuomo first took office. Throughout his time as Governor, Governor Cuomo has signed extensive legislation relating to ensuring safety for girls, women, and all survivors of domestic trauma and abuse, including legislation in the FY 2021 budget authorizing law enforcement to remove guns from the scene of a domestic violence incident, and requiring judges to consider the effects of domestic violence while determining distribution of marital property. The Governor also signed the Enough is Enough law in July, 2015 to address sexual assault, dating violence, domestic violence, and stalking on college campuses.

The Governor is now proposing to take this work a step further through a comprehensive package of initiatives to combat domestic violence and gender-based violence. The package includes a proposal allowing courts to require abusers to pay for damages to housing units, moving expenses, and other housing costs related to domestic violence, as well as a proposals to create a domestic violence misdemeanor label to close the domestic violence gun-purchasing loophole to ensure abusers cannot obtain weapons who are convicted of misdemeanor assaults on a domestic partner.

Additionally, the Office for the Prevention of Domestic Violence will be transformed into a reimagined agency, the Office to End Domestic and Gender-Based Violence, and will be tasked with addressing the intersection of the many forms of intimate partner violence, including domestic violence and sexual violence, in a survivor-centered and comprehensive manner.  

Providing Rent and Mortgage Relief for Tenants and Small Business Owners: The COVID-19 pandemic has caused unprecedented economic dislocation across the United States, and New York is no exception. The financial hardships arising from business closures and resulting unemployment touch on every aspect of life but are perhaps most acutely felt by New Yorkers in danger of losing their homes or businesses because they can no longer afford to pay their mortgage or rent.  

The Governor has already signed legislation placing a moratorium on residential evictions until May 1, 2021 for tenants who have endured COVID-related hardship. Taking this effort a step further, Governor Cuomo will codify his Executive Order banning fees for late and missed rent payments during the pandemic and allowing tenants to use their security deposit as immediate payment and repay the deposit over time, keeping those protections in place through May 1. The Governor will also codify his Executive Order to establish a statewide moratorium on commercial evictions until May 1 for commercial tenants who have endured COVID-related hardship.

Eliminating Health Care Premiums for Low-Income New Yorkers: The COVID-19 pandemic showcased the persistent, staggering healthcare disparities in this country and in New York State. Blacks, Latinos, Asians and poor communities paid the highest price for COVID-19. Higher rates of underlying conditions were a major driver of these disparities. Increasing access to affordable healthcare will help address these disparities and help ensure that New York emerges from the pandemic stronger and more equitable.

Through New York's successful health insurance exchange, the New York State of Health, low-income families qualify for the state's Essential Plan for free or with a maximum premium of $20 a month per person. However, families and individuals still struggle with the expense. To make coverage more affordable for low-income New Yorkers, Governor Cuomo will eliminate these monthly premiums for over 400,000 New Yorkers, saving families nearly $100 million per year in premiums and enrolling 100,000 New Yorkers who are currently uninsured.

Continuing New York's Liberty Defense Project: Launched in 2017 under Governor Cuomo's leadership, the first-in-the-nation Liberty Defense Project has provided more than 45,000 vital legal services to immigrants and communities in need — particularly those who have been targeted by federal immigration enforcement tactics, including those in Deferred Action for Early Childhood Arrivals (DACA) or Temporary Protected Status (TPS). The project is administered by the Office for New Americans and runs in partnership with law firms, legal associations, advocacy organizations, colleges, universities, and bar associations across the state. The Liberty Defense Project provides free legal consultations and screenings for immigrants throughout New York, direct representation in deportation proceedings and other cases, assistance in applying for naturalization and employment authorization, and other education and support, including connection to social services and health care.

This year, Governor Cuomo will continue to support the Liberty Defense Project to keep fighting for immigrants seeking a better life for themselves and their families. New York's strength, character, and pride are found in the diversity and rich culture that makes us the Empire State. We will continue to support and defend all who call New York home.

Strengthening and Expanding Access to Elections: Building from New York's previous landmark election reforms, Governor Cuomo has put forth a transformational proposal that continues to expand access to voting and improves procedures to speed up vote counting, and add additional time for early voting. Specifically:

• Expand Access to Early Voting: Governor Cuomo will advance legislation that extends early voting hours from 6:00 pm to 9:00 pm on weekends as well as on a minimum of three week days during the ten-day early voting period.

• No-Excuse Absentee Voting for All New Yorkers: In 2019, Governor Cuomo celebrated the Legislature's passage of a resolution beginning the process of amending the state constitution to make no-excuse absentee voting a reality in our state. In 2021, the Governor will call on the Legislature to act quickly to pass the resolution again so that the proposed amendment can go on the ballot to be ratified by the voters.

• Allow More Time for Voters to Request Absentee Ballots: The state's election law currently prohibits voters from requesting their absentee ballots more than 30 days prior to Election Day. Particularly in elections with large numbers of absentee voters, this timeline may make it difficult for county boards of elections to process ballot requests in a timely and efficient manner. This, in turn, provides voters with less time to receive their ballots, vote, and mail them back. Governor Cuomo will advance legislation allowing voters to request absentee ballots 45 days prior to the election, ensuring they can be mailed as soon as the ballot is finalized and approved by the Board.

• Speed Up the Counting of Absentee Ballots: New York State's election law does not facilitate the speedy counting of large numbers of absentee ballots - the law only requires that boards of elections meet to process and count ballots within two weeks of a general election and within eight days of a primary election. To ensure that New York State counts absentee votes quickly and efficiently after each election, Governor Cuomo will introduce legislation requiring county boards of elections to process absentee ballots as they are received and to begin counting and reporting those ballots on Election Day.

Creatively Repurposing Underutilized Commercial Space for Additional Housing: As the COVID-19 pandemic has unfolded, New York, like states across the country, has seen an increase in telework and a reduction in travel. New York City must, and will, remain a global commercial hub, by ensuring that its central business district remains the paramount location for the world's most innovative and successful businesses and their employees. Reduced demand for office and hotel space has created an opportunity to repurpose formerly commercial space that has far greater potential for use as housing, including affordable and supportive housing, to create dynamic, 24/7 walk-to-work neighborhoods.

Governor Cuomo will propose legislation to create a five-year period during which property owners may convert office buildings and hotels in the Manhattan central business district to residential use. Stimulating housing conversion will create thousands of good-paying jobs, increase housing affordability, and support long-term economic growth by helping New York's employers attract and retain talent.

Ensuring Safe Shelters and Providing Sustained Care for Homeless on the Street: Governor Cuomo has been a leader in protecting and serving homeless New Yorkers throughout his entire career, and he took action during the COVID-19 crisis to ensure they received the support and care they need. In September, Governor Cuomo directed the Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance to issue guidance to all social services districts across the state clearly laying out the requirements for providing safe shelter conditions amidst the global COVID-19 public health emergency. OTDA will ensure strict compliance with the guidance and directive through a combination of announced and unannounced visits to the shelters. Localities that do not maintain safe and secure facilities will be held accountable.

January 11, 2020 — GOVERNOR CUOMO ANNOUNCES ADDITIONAL NEW YORKERS, INDIVIDUALS 75 AND OLDER CAN BEGIN SCHEDULING WITH PROVIDERS COVID-19 VACCINATION APPOINTMENTS

  The Initial Groups of Phase 1b Now Eligible for COVID-19 Vaccine Include Individuals 75 and Older, First Responders, Corrections Officers, Teachers and Other School Staff; In-Person College Instructors, Childcare Workers, Public Facing Grocery Store Workers, Transit Workers and Individuals Living and Working in Homeless Shelters

  Vaccine Administrations to Begin at Hundreds of New Sites This Week As Part Of New York's Newly Expanded Vaccine Distribution Network

  Due to Limited Federal Distribution of Vaccine Supply All New Yorkers are Encouraged to Remain Patient When Scheduling Appointments 

 Appointments Could Take Up to 14 Weeks Due to Limited Federal Allocation

  Click Here to Determine Eligibility and Schedule Appointments with Administrating Providers

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today announced the  New Yorkers within priority group 1b can now begin scheduling appointments with individual providers, including pharmacies, local health departments, and hospitals, to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. Those now eligible to receive the vaccine include individuals 75 and older, first responders, public safety officers, teachers and other school staff;  in-person college instructors, childcare workers, public-facing grocery store workers, transit workers and individuals living and working in homeless shelters. Eligibility determinations and a list of nearby providers where appointments can be scheduled can all be done through New York's new 'Am I Eligible " app. New Yorkers can begin calling the New York State Vaccination Hotline at 4PM on Monday, January 11: 1-833-NYS-4VAX (1-833-697-4829). 

Since federal supply severely limits the ability to distribute vaccine, New Yorkers are encouraged to remain patient and are advised not to show up at vaccination sites without an appointment. New York's vast distribution network and large population of more than 4 million eligible individuals in this priority group dwarf the vaccine supply coming from the federal government, which is arriving at a rate of approximately 300,000 doses per week. As such, eligible New Yorkers should be prepared to receive an appointment date as far as 14 weeks in the future.

"After ten long months, the expansion of eligibility for additional New Yorkers to begin making their COVID-19 vaccination plan is a light at the end of the tunnel," said Governor Cuomo. "The vaccine is the weapon that will end the war, and as we continue to prioritize healthcare workers as hospital capacity necessitates, New York is proud to have reached this milestone and we strongly encourage all who are newly eligible to schedule their free vaccination appointment as soon as possible." 

Under New York's expanded eligibility, the following individuals will now be eligible to schedule a COVID-19 vaccine appointment:

• Individuals Age 75 and older

• First Responders and Support Staff of First Responder Agencies

Fire Service

State Fire Service, including firefighters and investigators (professional and volunteer)

Local Fire Service, including firefighters and investigators (professional and volunteer)

Police and Investigators

State Police, including Troopers

State Park Police, DEC Police, Forest Rangers

SUNY Police

Sheriffs' Offices

County Police Departments and Police Districts

City, Town, and Village Police Departments

Transit of other Public Authority Police Departments

State Field Investigators, including Department of Motor Vehicles, State Commission of Correction, Justice Center, Department of Financial Service, Inspector General, Department of Tax and Finance, Office of Children and Family Services, and State Liquor Authority

• Public Safety Communications

Emergency Communication and Public Safety Answering Point Personnel, including dispatchers and technicians

• Other Sworn and Civilian Personnel

Court Officers

Other Police or Peace Officers

Support of Civilian Staff of any of the above services, agencies or facilities

• Corrections

State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision Personnel, including correction and parole officers

Local Correctional Facilities, including correction officers

Local Probation Departments, including probation officers

State Juvenile Detention and Rehabilitation Facilities

Local Juvenile Detention and Rehabilitation Facilities

• P-12 Schools

P-12 school or school district faculty or staff (includes all teachers, substitute teachers, student teachers, school administrators, paraprofessional staff, and support staff including bus drivers)

Contractors working in a P-12 school or school district (including contracted bus drivers)

In-Person College Instructors

Employees or Support Staff of Licensed, Registered, Approved or Legally Exempt Childcare Setting

Licensed, Registered, Approved or Legally Exempt Childcare Providers

In-Person College Instructors 

• Public-Facing Grocery Store Workers

• Public Transit

Airline and airport employees

Passenger railroad employees

Subway and mass transit employees (i.e., MTA, LIRR, Metro North, NYC Transit, Upstate transit)

Ferry employees

Port Authority employees

Public bus employee

• Individuals living in a homeless shelter where sleeping, bathing or eating accommodations must be shared with individuals and families who are not part of your the same household

Individuals working (paid or unpaid) in a homeless shelter where sleeping, bathing or eating accommodations must be shared by individuals and families who are not part of the same household, in a position where there is potential for interaction with shelter residents  

Until this point, 2.1 million New Yorkers in priority group 1A have been eligible to receive the vaccine. This includes patient-facing health care and other critical hospital workers, seniors living in nursing homes and assisted-living facilities, and people with disabilities living in congregate settings. Distribution sites were established directly within hospitals, FQHCs, and urgent care clinics to provide direct access to all those eligible. To further accelerate the vaccination rate of priority health care workers, and begin the vaccination of group 1B essential workers and 75-plus year olds, New York has established a network of distribution sites that will supplement the work being done in hospitals to prevent any one hospital from becoming overburdened.  

This new network will utilize doctors' offices, Federally-Qualified Health Centers, county health departments, ambulatory centers and pharmacies to get doses in the arms of eligible New Yorkers. More than 1,200 pharmacies have already committed to participating in this network, with nearly 500 scheduled to come on-line this week. Providers across the state will begin accepting vaccination reservations on Monday, January 11 when a centralized state website goes online that lists nearby providers where appointments can be scheduled. Pharmacies will be provided vaccines for New Yorkers aged 75 and older, while hospitals will continue vaccinating 1a healthcare workers, and local health departments and union-organized efforts will serve essential workers in 1b.

Additionally, the Department of Health is setting up 20 mass distribution sites throughout the state over the next several weeks to support all categories of eligibility. Opening on Wednesday:

• Jacob K. Javits Convention Center (NYC)

• Westchester County Convention Center (Westchester County - in partnership with County Health Dept. and Westchester Medical Center)

• State Fairgrounds (Onondaga County - in partnership with County Health Dept.)

Additional sites will be launched in the days to come.

Under this expanded vaccination network, hospitals will continue to prioritize unvaccinated members of 1A: health care workers. Additionally, large union groups, including but not limited to police, firefighters and educators, have been asked to organize plans for vaccinating their members to the extent possible, incorporating coordination and partnership with local health departments. This will enable other providers in the network to focus on New Yorkers over the age of 75, which represents the largest group in 1B at approximately 1.4 million people.

January 6, 2020 — Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins Announces Committee Chairs For 2021-22 Session

(Albany, NY) Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins today announced Senate Committee Chair assignments for the upcoming Legislative Session. Over its first Session, the new Senate Democratic Majority held over 100 hearings and roundtable discussions, excluding the usual budget hearings. Hearings were held on issues ranging from sexual harassment and housing discrimination to addressing the opioid and substance abuse crisis and housing protections. These Senate hearings and roundtables were held throughout New York State, to encourage greater participation and a diversity of views, priorities, and concerns to be expressed.

“During our first Session as the new Senate Majority, we held a record number of hearings and used Senate committees to advance our agenda and conduct the people’s work,” Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins said. “Since the pandemic began, we’ve held hearings on COVID-19 and its impact on New York residential health care facilities and hospitals, workers and small businesses, courts and corrections system, elections, mass transit systems, veterans, and cultural community. As we move forward, the Democratic Majority will utilize our Committees to review important issues and advance legislation that addresses the needs and priorities of New York residents. I thank all of the Committee Chairs for their dedication and I look forward to working with them to build a stronger, fairer, and more prosperous New York State.”

The Committee Chairs announced by Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins include:

Committee on Aging: Senator Rachel May

Committee on Agriculture: Senator Michelle Hinchey

Committee on Alcoholism and Substance Abuse: Senator Pete Harckham

Committee on Banks: Senator James Sanders, Jr.

Committee on Budget and Revenue: Senator Brian Benjamin

Committee on Children And Families: Senator Jabari Brisport

Committee on Cities 1 (New York City): Senator Robert Jackson

Committee on Cities 2 (Other NYS Cities): Senator Jeremy Cooney

Committee on Civil Service And Pensions: Senator Andrew Gounardes

Committee on Codes: Senator Jamaal Bailey

Committee on Commerce, Economic Development And Small Business: Senator Anna Kaplan

Committee on Consumer Protection: Senator Kevin Thomas

Committee on Corporations, Authorities And Commissions: Senator Leroy Comrie

Committee on Crime Victims, Crime And Correction: Senator Luis Sepulveda

Committee on Cultural Affairs, Tourism, Parks And Recreation: Senator Jose Serrano

Committee on Developmental Disabilities: Senator John Mannion           

Committee on Education: Senator Shelley Mayer

Committee on Elections: Senator Zellnor Myrie

Committee on Energy And Telecommunications: Senator Kevin Parker

Committee on Environmental Conservation: Senator Todd Kaminsky

Committee on Ethics And Internal Governance: Senator Alessandra Biaggi

Committee on Finance: Senator Liz Krueger

Committee on Health: Senator Gustavo Rivera

Committee on Higher Education: Senator Toby Ann Stavisky

Committee on Housing, Construction And Community Development: Senator Brian Kavanagh

Committee on Insurance: Senator Neil Breslin

Committee on Internet And Technology: Senator Diane Savino

Committee on Investigations And Government Operations: Senator James Skoufis

Committee on Judiciary: Senator Brad Hoylman

Committee on Labor: Senator Jessica Ramos

Committee on Libraries: Senator Sean Ryan

Committee on Local Government: Senator James Gaughran

Committee on Mental Health: Senator Samra Brouk

Committee on New York City Education: Senator John Liu

Committee on Procurement: Senator Elijah Reichlin-Melnick

Committee on Racing, Gaming And Wagering: Senator Joseph Addabbo, Jr.

Committee on Rules: Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins

Committee on Social Services: Senator Roxanne Persaud

Committee on Transportation: Senator Tim Kennedy

Committee on Veterans, Homeland Security And Military Affairs: Senator John Brooks

Committee on Women's Issues: Senator Julia Salazar

The Administrative Regulations Review Commission: Senator Simcha Felder

NOTE: New Committees are bolded.

December 29, 2020 — GOVERNOR CUOMO ANNOUNCES UPDATED QUARANTINE GUIDELINES TO ALIGN WITH CDC RECOMMENDATIONS  

Individuals Can End Quarantine After 10 Days As Long As No Symptoms Are Reported

7,814 Patient Hospitalizations Statewide  

1,224 Patients in the ICU; 711 Intubated

Statewide Positivity Rate is 7.14%

124 COVID-19 Deaths in New York State Yesterday

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today announced updated quarantine guidelines for New York which are consistent with the latest Centers for Disease Control guidance. Under the new guidelines, individuals exposed to COVID-19 can end their quarantine after 10 days without a testing requirement as long as no symptoms have been reported during the quarantine period. After day 10 is reached, individuals must continue monitoring for symptoms through day 14 and if any develop, they should immediately self-isolate and contact the local health department or their healthcare provider to report this change and determine if they should seek testing. Individuals should to continue strict adherence to all recommended safe behaviors to stop the spread - wearing masks, socially distancing and avoiding gatherings.

"As we approach the New Year and the end of the holiday season, all New Yorkers must remember one simple truth - celebrating smart stops shutdowns," Governor Cuomo said. "While the holidays have always been synonymous with socialization, the data shows vast majority of new cases are stemming from private gatherings. I understand not being able to join together with loved ones makes an already trying year, more difficult, but it also means we control our own destiny. New York is leading the nation in quickly and efficiently administering the vaccine, so if we can continue that progress and the rest of us keep making smart decisions like avoiding gatherings, socially distancing and wearing masks, we will finally reach the light at the end of the tunnel."

Today's data is summarized briefly below:

• Test Results Reported - 160,164

• Total Positive - 11,438

• Percent Positive - 7.14%

• Patient Hospitalization - 7,814 (+255)

• Patients Newly Admitted - 788

• Hospital Counties - 54

• Number ICU - 1,224 (+2)

• Number ICU with Intubation - 711 (-6)

• Total Discharges - 100,442 (+434)

• Deaths - 124

• Total Deaths - 29,756

December 21, 2020 — GOVERNOR CUOMO ANNOUNCES NEW YORK HAS ADMINISTERED 38,000 DOSES OF COVID-19 VACCINE - HIGHEST TOTAL IN THE NATION

 346,000 Doses of Moderna Vaccine and 120,000 Additional Doses of Pfizer Vaccine Arriving this Week

 New York Launches Vaccine Equity Task Force Chaired by Secretary of State Rosado, Attorney General James, National Urban League President & CEO Marc Morial, and Healthfirst President & CEO Pat Wang

 New York Developing Community Vaccination Kits - Self-Contained Units Which Include All Items Necessary for Setting Up a Vaccination Site, Will Be Used Particularly in Health Care Deserts

 Federal Program to Vaccinate Nursing Home Residents and Staff Began Today

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today announced more than 38,000 vaccine doses have been administered in New York State as of Monday morning - the highest reported total in the nation thus far.

Bolstering this effort, the first 346,200 doses of the Moderna vaccine are expected to begin arriving in New York today, with an additional 120,000 doses of the Pfizer vaccine expected later this week.

The Governor also announced the launch of New York's Vaccine Equity Task Force chaired by Secretary of State Rossana Rosado, Attorney General Letitia James, National Urban League President & CEO Marc Morial, and Healthfirst President & CEO Pat Wang. The Task Force will work to ensure vulnerable and underserved communities are not left behind by breaking down the barriers to vaccination and ensuring there is equitable distribution of the vaccine across the state.

Governor Cuomo also announced that New York is developing Community Vaccination Kits to provide communities, particularly those located within health care deserts, with the supplies and resources needed for standing up vaccination sites.

The Governor also announced that a federal program to vaccinate nursing home residents and staff began today in New York State and is expected to vaccinate residents and staff at 618 facilities across the state, with first doses administered starting today and over the next two weeks.

"We're now talking about who's getting vaccinated, and let me be clear: there is no politics in the vaccination process," Governor Cuomo said. "We went through this with COVID testing, with big shots, celebrities, and affluent people getting to the front of the line. This preferential treatment in COVID testing undermines our entire sense of democracy, equality and a government that works for all people. And in this time of COVID where we've seen gross injustices, politics has nothing to do with it. There's no governor, no county executive, and no mayor who controls the process, and anyone who says that is not telling the truth or violating the law. This is entirely done by medical professionals and our hospitals have already vaccinated more people than any state in the nation."

Health experts have projected that in order to win the war against COVID-19, between 75 and 85 percent of the population needs to receive the vaccine and as such, New York has made it a top priority to ensure vulnerable and underserved communities are not left behind. To further this work, breakdown barriers to access and ensure equitable distribution of the vaccine, the Governor is launching New York's Vaccine Equity Task Force.

Task Force members include:

• Frederick Shack, CEO, Urban Pathways, Inc.

• Dr. Havidán Rodríguez, President, SUNY Albany

• Murad Awawdeh, Interim Co-Executive Director, New York Immigration Coalition

• Dr. Henry Chen, President, SOMOS Community Care

• Phyllis Jackson, Founder and Executive Director, Interdenominational Health Ministry Coalition; Community Wellness Project Manager; Common Ground Health

• Guillermo Chacón, President, Latino Commission on AIDS and Founder, Hispanic Health Network

• George Gresham, President, 1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East

• Ruth Hassell-Thompson, Special Advisor for Policy and Community Affairs, NYS Homes and Community Renewal

• Frankie Miranda, President and CEO, Hispanic Federation

• Rev. Dr. Calvin Butts, Pastor, Abyssinian Baptist Church

• Jo-Ann Yoo, Executive Director, Asian American Federation

• Dr. Hazel Dukes, President, NAACP New York State Conference

• Rev. Dr. W. Franklyn Richardson, Senior Pastor, Grace Baptist Church

• Judith Watson, CEO, Mount Vernon Neighborhood Health Center

• Dr. Rosa Gil, Founder, President and CEO, Comunilife, Inc.

• Dr. Wayne Riley, President, SUNY Downstate Medical Center; Chair, Board of Trustees, New York Academy of Medicine

• Danny Barber, Chair, NYCHA Citywide Council of Presidents; President, Jackson Houses Tenant Association

• Kyle Bragg, President, 32BJ SEIU

• Karim Camara, Executive Director and Deputy Commissioner, Governor's Office of Faith-Based Community Development Services

• Rev. Mark E. Blue, President, Buffalo Chapter NAACP

Community Vaccination Kits will be a key part of New York's efforts to increase access to vaccines in Black, Latino, rural, poor and public housing communities, as well as other health care deserts by providing all essential equipment and supplies to administer vaccines to those populations most in need of support.

Specifically, each kit includes step-by-step instructions for how to set up a site, and critical supplies and equipment such as:

• Office Supplies

• Workstation Equipment

• Communications Equipment

• Cleaning Supplies

• Lighting Equipment

• PPE

• Crowd/Traffic Control Equipment

• Vials

• Syringes

• Room Dividers

• Privacy Curtains

Today, New York State began a federal program to vaccinate nursing home residents and staff at 618 facilities enrolled in the program to date. CVS will vaccinate 271 facilities, Walgreens will vaccinate 253 facilities, and other pharmacies will vaccinate 94 facilities. The program in its entirety is expected to take approximately six weeks, including three "clinical days" at each facility:

• Day 1: All residents/portion of staff receive shot 1 (expected to be completed over next two weeks)

• Day 2: All residents/portion of staff receive shot 2, portion of staff receive shot 1.

• Day 3: Remaining staff receive shot 2

December 14, 2020 — 2020 Election Update - New Member Chart and Condensed 2020 Election Results

After all the ballots were counted the Senate Democrats hold a 43-seat Super Majority and the Senate Republicans have 20 seats. The Senate Democrats have 7 new members joining the conference including 5 members from Upstate New York.

The Assembly continues to hold a strong Majority with 107 seats including 19 new democratic members entering the Chamber in January.

For convenience, Tress Capitol Advisors developed a new member chart and condensed 2020 Election Results.

December 9, 2020 — GOVERNOR CUOMO UPDATES NEW YORKERS ON STATE'S VACCINATION DISTRIBUTION PLAN

 FDA Expected to Authorize Pfizer Vaccine This Week; New York Could Receive Initial Allocation of 170,000 Doses Beginning this Weekend

 Nursing Home Residents, Nursing Home Staff and 'High Risk' Hospital Workers Prioritized First

 90 Cold Storage Sites Identified Across the State to Receive and Store Vaccines

 New York National Guard Selected by Department of Defense to Participate in One of 16 Pilot Programs Aimed at Vaccinating Military Personnel

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today updated New Yorkers on the state's vaccination distribution plan as the FDA is expected to authorize Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine this week. The state's vaccination distribution effort will focus on battling skepticism, include outreach to Black, Brown and poor communities, as well as expedited distribution and administration. New York could receive its initial allocation of 170,000 vaccines as soon as this weekend, and expects further allocations in the following weeks.

"Distributing the vaccine is a massive undertaking. I think frankly, people have not focused enough on the extent of what this undertaking means. I can't think of a government operation that has been commenced that is more difficult and intricate than what governments will be asked to do here," Governor Cuomo said. "The way the vaccine is going to work is the federal government will be responsible for the procurement and the distribution. The military is doing the transportation with private companies, and they will send it where we ask them to send it. We then set the priorities for not only where it goes, but who gets it. The first allocation is for nursing home residents, nursing home staff and high-risk health care workers. We've identified 90 regional centers that can keep the vaccine at the required temperature and they'll act as distribution centers for that region. Pfizer's vaccine is expected to be approved by the FDA tomorrow. Immediately after that, our New York State panel will convene and review and approve it. They've already been speaking to the FDA about the process."

As outlined in New York's vaccination program, high-risk healthcare workers, nursing home residents and staff are prioritized first to receive the vaccine, followed by other long-term and congregate care staff and residents and EMS and other health care workers. Essential workers and the general population, starting with those who are at highest risk, will be vaccinated after these initial priority groups.

New York has opted into the federal government's nursing home vaccination program. Under the federal program, employees of CVS and Walgreens will vaccinate residents and staff in these facilities, much like the do for the flu vaccine. New York State will issue guidance for hospitals to select which patient-facing staff should be prioritized as "high-risk" in line with state rules.

If authorized by the FDA, the first delivery of Pfizer vaccines for the federal nursing home vaccination program could begin arriving next week, with the federal program slated to begin on December 21. New York is dedicating a portion of its initial allotment of 170,000 doses to this program. Portions of future state allocations will also be used to help complete the program and ensure all residents and staff are vaccinated.

'High risk' hospital workers eligible to receive a vaccination from the state's initial allotment include emergency room workers, ICU staff and pulmonary department staff. As part of the effort to vaccinate 'high risk' hospital staff, the state has identified 90 locations across the state with requisite cold storage capabilities and those sites will receive enough doses for approximately 90,000 patient-facing hospital staff, or 40 percent of the entire patient-facing hospital workforce. The state expects all 'high risk' hospital staff will receive a vaccine by the end of week two. Staff at every hospital in New York State, regardless of storage capabilities, will have access to the first allocation of a vaccine.

The vaccine will be allocated on a regional basis. Regional estimated distributions are as follows:

• New York City - 72,000

• Long Island - 26,500

• Mid-Hudson - 19,200

• Capital Region - 7,850

• North Country - 3,700

• Mohawk Valley - 4,200

• Central New York - 6,400

• Southern Tier - 4,500

• Finger Lakes - 11,150

• Western New York - 14,500

Following the vaccination of 'high risk' health care workers, the priority will shift to all long-term and congregate care residents and staff, EMS and other health care workers. Essential workers and the general population will follow those groups, and those with the highest risk will be prioritized.

Additionally, the New York National Guard has been selected by the Department of Defense as one of 16 pilot programs across the nation to be part of the limited distribution of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine to military personnel. Members of the New York Army and Air National Guard who serve as part of the state's COVID response efforts will be eligible for the vaccine.

December 9, 2020 — GOVERNOR CUOMO UPDATES NEW YORKERS ON STATE'S PROGRESS DURING COVID-19 PANDEMIC  

4,993 Patient Hospitalizations Statewide  

952 Patients in the ICU; 521 Intubated

Statewide Positivity Rate is 5.44%

95 COVID-19 Deaths in New York State Yesterday     

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today updated New Yorkers on the state's progress during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.  

"We now are conducting three COVID operations basically at the same time. We're managing hospitals under what we call the "surge and flex" program. Hospitals are going to have to be extraordinarily flexible and nimble to handle the additional case load. Not only will they have to work as a system and balance caseload among their hospitals, but they also need to be prepared to shift patients before they're admitted, to other hospitals that have a greater capacity," Governor Cuomo said. "We also need to continue to work to slow the spread of the virus. We have the Thanksgiving surge and we're starting to see the full effect of that now, making it critical that we all stay tough, practicing safe behaviors, and follow the guidelines. Additionally, we have the vaccine, which is the weapon that will win the war. If we get it produced, if we get it delivered, and distributed and people actually take it, we will be successful. We have come so far already, and if we all stay united as a state and persevere, we will reach the light at the end of the tunnel."

Today's data is summarized briefly below:

• Test Results Reported - 194,595

• Patient Hospitalization - 4,993 (+158)

• Patients Newly Admitted - 747

• Hospital Counties - 53

• Number ICU - 952 (+46)

• Number ICU with Intubation - 521 (+28)

• Total Discharges - 89,089 (+505)

• Deaths - 95

• Total Deaths - 27,404

Yesterday, 194,595 test results were reported to New York State, and 5.44 percent were positive. Yesterday, 95 New Yorkers died due to COVID-19 in New York State, bringing the total to 27,404.

December 7, 2020 — GOVERNOR CUOMO DIRECTS STATE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH TO BEGIN IMPLEMENTING 'SURGE & FLEX' HOSPITAL PROTOCOL  

Hospitals Mandated to Expand Capacity by 25%  

Regions to Be Designated as Red Zones if Hospital Capacity Is Projected to Become Critical

NY Asking Retired Doctors and Nurses to Return to Service; Registration to be Automatically Renewed, Fees Waived  

Indoor Dining to be Closed in NYC & Reduced to 25% in Rest of State if a Region's Hospitalizations Do Not Stabilize in Next 5 Days  

4,602 Patient Hospitalizations Statewide  

872 Patients in the ICU; 477 Intubated

Statewide Positivity Rate is 4.79%  

80 COVID-19 Deaths in NY State Yesterday  

Governor Cuomo: "We're implementing the Surge and Flex. We're going to add 25 percent additional hospital beds. We'll renew the registration for nurses and doctors to get us a backup staff pool, and continue to caution on the small spread and at the same time, we are gearing up to have the most efficient, most effective, most fair vaccination program in the country, reaching out to the black community, Latinos, undocumented, to make sure that it's fair."  

Cuomo: "We're going to ask retired doctors and nurses to sign up and we will automatically reregister them in the state without cost. We believe we can get about another 20,000 nurses and doctors from this mechanism."

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today directed the New York State Department of Health to begin implementing the state's "surge and flex" protocol and mandate all hospitals begin expanding their bed capacity by 25 percent to further prepare hospitals for a future COVID-19 surge. Hospitals had previously been preparing plans for this action as part of New York's Winter COVID Plan. Additionally, the Governor issued a call to all retired doctors and nurses urging them to return to service if they are able to do so. A registration will be renewed at no cost for an individual who completes the questionnaire through the volunteer portal, set up by the state Department of Health.

The Governor also announced that regions that reach critical hospital capacity will be designated as a Red Zone under New York's micro-cluster strategy. Specifically, following the implementation of the state's "surge and flex" program, if a region's 7-day average hospitalization growth rate shows that the region will reach 90 percent within the next three weeks, the region will become a Red Zone.

Finally, following updated guidance from the CDC, the Governor announced that if a region's hospitalization rate does not stabilize in the next five days, additional restrictions will be applied to indoor dining. If the hospitalization rate does not stabilize in New York City in the next five days, indoor dining will be suspended; if the rate does not stabilize in regions outside New York City, capacity restrictions will be reduced to 25 percent.

VIDEO of the Governor's remarks is available on YouTube here.

A rush transcript of the Governor's remarks is available below:

Good morning, everybody. I hope everybody had a good weekend or as good of a weekend as you can have in these circumstances. Today is only day 282. Think of it that way, "Well this has been going on a long time." It's only been going on 282. Glass half full, glass half empty.

I want to thank New Yorkers and all the people who gave me great birthday wishes. My birthday was yesterday. People were curious. I'm 39 years old, again, I'm just going to repeat that number 39. I like it so I'm going to sit on that for a while, but I had as great a birthday as you can have in this new normal. My daughters came up, it was all great. The dog gave me a bone.

We have a special guest with us today, Dr. Anthony Fauci. Dr. Fauci who I like to call America's doctor. He was probably the singular voice, in my opinion, as a medical professional who offered guidance and facts and clarity to people all through this, countrywide and worldwide. He always stuck to the science. He always stuck to the facts. He was clear when it was difficult news. He offered the facts. He did it in a way that was calming, but was truthful, and that's a hard balance, but he did that extraordinarily well. He's also been very kind to me. I've spoken to the doctor many, many times throughout this situation and he's given me great advice and great guidance. He was also very helpful to New Yorkers on a personal level. He was very helpful to my brother Chris when he got COVID early on. He gave him good advice, but the doctor has been a great, great friend to New York. I'm just worried about when the doctor sends us the bill for all the consultation that he gave us, but you know what doctor maybe you could take - just to ease bookkeeping - you take the Cuomo consultations, me and my brother, put them together on Chris's bill. Send Chris the bill, he's a very generous person my brother Chris. So I'm sure that will be fine with him, doctor.

Let me give you a sense of where we are and give you the facts today and then I'd like to ask you a couple of questions to get your advice on where we go forward as this situation changes. Our positivity rate today without what we call micro-clusters, micro-clusters are the high problem areas in our state, which we have localized, and we have special strategies in them. And they have a higher percentage rate than the rest of the state. They're small zones, but there are intense positivities. Statewide, without those zones, we're at 4.2. If you add those zones in, we're at 4.7. The positivity in those high intensity zones is 6.5.

We did 152,000 tests yesterday. Sunday tends to be our lower testing day, but we still did 152,000 tests. Eighty New Yorkers passed away. They're in our thoughts and prayers. 160 additional hospitalizations, 22 ICUl, and 13 intubations. Our rate of transmission, we estimate at about 1.2 now. When you look across the state, you see a very varied picture. This is the number of people who are hospitalized and we look at the percent of the population that is hospitalized.

For example, the highest percent of hospitalization is actually upstate. Finger Lakes, that's Monroe, Rochester area. Buffalo, Western New York, Central New York - you come down to New York City, Long Island, we actually have a lower rate hospitalized than upstate, which is an exact flip of where we were in the spring. Spring, we had a largely downstate situation and upstate the situation was much better.

New York State, we've done a couple of things that are different than other states. In New York, the state sets all the policies on close down. The state keeps numbers that are determinative of the policies. We don't do it on a county or a city level. This, to me, avoids what I call the hodgepodge effect. Hodgepodge is a technical, medical term that we have here in New York. We also apply it to government. Hodgepodge, just a dis-coordinated mess. It also reduces forum shopping.

When you see states where one county is open, one county is closed, you want to go to dinner, you go to the neighboring county. You want to go get a haircut, you go to the neighboring county, which only increases the number of people traveling which is exactly what you don't want to do. It reduces the confusion. We're also then taking it to the next level. We try to coordinate with surrounding states. If I'm going to close restaurants, I try to coordinate it with New Jersey and Connecticut, et cetera. If I close a restaurant, but you live in Brooklyn and you can drive to New Jersey, then all I did was increase the traffic in New Jersey. It's not a perfect coordination, but in lieu of a national set of firm guidelines, which is frankly what I would have liked to see, we have come up with a regional compact of guidelines.

We have been very transparent with New Yorkers. We have websites, I give them numbers every day. I wanted them to hear the facts. If anything, I've been accused of being overly communicative, especially at home. But, the more facts people know, I think, the better. And we have been religious about following the data and the science. We do more testing than any state in the United States by far. We have more data points by far, and we rely on the data, and it's not anecdotal, it's not political, it's not an opinion. And we also started something called the Surge and Flex public health system management, which is something we're going to be implementing in an increased way today. Surge and Flex is not the most creative name, but what it says is we "surge" and we "flex" the hospital system in this state. We start with 54,000 hospital beds statewide. We can then mandate by the Department of Health, Dr. Howard Zucker to my left, Jim Malatras to his left, Gareth Rhodes to my far right, Melissa DeRosa to my right. You know Dr. Zucker and Melissa, you've worked with them, but Dr. Zucker can order a 50 percent increase in beds, which we've done before. Dr. Zucker can order no elective surgeries, which we have done before. And we can create field hospital beds, which we've done before and we can create several thousand field hospital beds. So, when you look at our hospital capacity, we start with 54,000 beds and you can increase it by 50 percent, it takes you to 75,000 total bed capacity. Roughly 35,000 of those beds are now occupied. If you cancel elective surgery, we estimate that you reduce the number of occupied beds by about half. That takes us to a total system capacity of about 58,000 beds for COVID patients. Today, we have 4,600 hospitalized, so that gives you a range of the capacity for the system. We can also add 5,000 additional field hospital beds. That would be, from my point of view, the last resource. We did that, the Jacob Javits Center for example, we did 2,000 beds. Dr. Fauci, it looked like a field hospital and an army. You just saw an ocean of cots. And I just hope we never have to get to that point.

Today, the Department of Health is going to issue an order saying hospitals have to increase their bed capacity 25 percent. They can, we can issue up to 50 percent, they can do that physically, but we're only going to go to 25 percent because we don't have a capacity criticality at this moment. We are aware of staff resources. The staff comes into this stressed, right. They had, you want to talk about a long year, nurses, doctors, hospital workers, 1199, they had the longest year of anyone. So they come into this stressed. We're going to ask retired doctors and nurses to sign up and we will automatically reregister them in the state without cost. We believe we can get about another 20,000 nurses and doctors from this mechanism.

And then the flex on the surge and flex is we have 215 hospitals. What happened in the Spring, interestingly, was not that the system was overwhelmed, individual hospitals got overwhelmed. And the individual hospitals did not have the capacity to balance patients. Frankly, this was an education for me. So you have public hospital systems. And let's say you have a public hospital system that had 10 hospitals. One hospital gets overwhelmed. They did not have the capacity to balance those patients among their other nine hospitals, right. So even in the public systems, before somebody walked into one hospital that was already overburdened, they didn't' say "hold on, I'm going to put you in an ambulance and drive you to my sister hospital that has less volume."

What our flex says is, those hospitals have to flex patient load and share it first within their system. We also shift patient load among private hospitals, which was, frankly, more unorthodox, right? You could go to NYU Langone, you think you're going to NYU Langone, what we say in the flex is, if NYU Langone is filled or at capacity, we're going to transfer you to Mount Sinai or another hospital. And then we actually have the capacity to shift between public and private systems. None of this has been done before. It was highly disruptive for the hospital management system, but we started it in the spring, it went fine enough, and we now have had more experience in it. We've started the Flex management system, where every night we get an inventory from every hospital doctor, how many patients do you have, how many ICU beds do you have, what capacity do you have, and we do that on a daily basis.

If our hospital capacity becomes critical we're going to close down that region, period. We call closedown a red zone. What is critical hospital capacity? Our formula is if your seven-day average shows that within three weeks you will hit critical hospital capacity, we close you down. So if your seven-day average says if that continues for three weeks, you're going to hit critical capacity, we close you down. We want that three-week buffer and then we call critical 90 percent of your hospital capacity, so a little complicated. If your seven-day average says if it continues for three weeks, you're going to hit 90 percent of your hospital capacity, close down.

CDC changed their guidance on Friday. Some have been critical about the changing guidance from CDC. I'm not. I believe as the facts change your opinion changes. As the facts change your strategy should change. I don't have a problem with that but they offered additional guidance on indoor dining especially and we're going to follow their guidance. If after five days we haven't seen a stabilization in a region's hospital rate, we're going to clamp down on indoor dining. Five days, if the hospitalization rate doesn't stabilize in New York City, we're going to close indoor dining. We're now at 25 percent in New York City. In the rest of the state, any region where the hospitalization rate doesn't stabilize - they're now at 50 percent capacity indoor dining - we're going to go to 25 percent. We have zones that are called orange zones where it's already closed. That wouldn't apply here. Bottom line for us: I see it as hospital capacity versus vaccination critical mass. I think that's the ultimate bottom line. Can your hospitals handle the increase until you start to see a reduction from the vaccinations? On the hospital capacity, do everything you can do to slow the spread and then at the same time, accelerate the vaccines. The frustrations we're seeing here — we estimate over 70 percent of the spread is coming from small gatherings and that's a problem. We're going to go through the holiday season. I think there's going to be more small gatherings. I've been talking until I'm blue in the face about the apparent safety of being at home, the apparent safety of being with your family, but that can be misleading. Your brother, your sister, your mother can love you, but they can still infect you. I know you think you're sitting in your living room and you're safe, but your living room is not really a safe zone. This isn't a political question. Trump's CDC and the Biden advisors all agree on the small gathering guidance, but it's about personal responsibility and community concern and I'm telling you, compliance is a major issue for us here. I'm also frustrated that we see polls that suggest a high percent of Americans are not ready to take this vaccine, 49 percent nationwide. Bigger problem in the black community: 57 percent say they're not ready to take the vaccine, but 75 percent to 80 percent needs to be vaccinated to hit critical mass on the vaccination and that's a problem. If you have 50 percent saying "I'm not taking it," but we have to hit 75 to 80.

The good news is New York still has one of the lowest positivity rates in the nation. Only Maine, Vermont, Hawaii are lower than we are and Maine, Vermont, Hawaii — beautiful states — but different than New York. They don't have the cities, they don't have the density, et cetera. So, for us to be down that low, is really good news. As a matter of fact, our worst region — our highest region in terms of positivity — is still lower than 41 states, so it's tricky because relative to everyone else, we're doing well. But the real question is, it's not a relative contest at the end of the day, it's how you're doing in your state.  

So to recap, we're going to monitor the hospital capacity, if it doesn't stabilize, we're going to reduce the indoor dining restrictions, we go to zero New York [City], 25 percent everywhere else.

We close down if you hit critical hospital capacity. We're implementing the Surge and Flex. We're going to add 25 percent additional hospital beds. We'll renew the registration for nurses and doctors to get us a backup staff pool, continue to caution on the small spread and at the same time, we are gearing up to have the most efficient, most effective, most fair vaccination program in the country, reaching out to the black community, Latinos, undocumented, to make sure that it's fair.

So, a couple of questions for you Dr. Fauci. That's what we're doing in general, your opinion has always been valuable to us. The holiday spread, I think it continues through Christmas, Hanukkah, et cetera. I'm trying to guess, and I know it is a guess, when we could see the peak of this holiday spread? Is it after New Year's? Is it mid-January? Do you have any guess, an educated point about that? And again, thank you very, very much for being with us.

Dr. Fauci: Thank you very much for giving me the opportunity to listen to what I found to be a very interesting plan that you have for New York. It seems really sound, and you have a lot of backup contingencies, which I like so you're not going to get caught shorthanded on this, I'm certain. So, thank you for that.

In regard to the issue of the holiday spread and the peaks, they are going to be superimposed on each other. So, you would expect the full brunt of the travel and family setting gatherings with friends that you alluded to as a problem, you would expect the effect of the Thanksgiving surge in probably another week and a half from now. It's usually two weeks from the time of the event. The problem is, that's going to come right up to the beginning of the Christmas and Hanukkah potential surge. So, you have a surge upon a surge, and then before you can handle that, more people are going to travel over Christmas, they're going to have more of those family and friend gatherings that you accurately said are an issue.

So, if those two things happen and we don't mitigate well and we don't listen to the public health measures that we need to follow, then we could start the seeing things get really get bad in the middle of January. So, I think not only for New York State but for any state or city that is facing similar problems, without substantial mitigation, the middle of January can be a really dark time for us, but as you said in your presentation coming up there were some things that we can do to mitigate against that. I think particularly the appreciation that it's such a natural thing to think when I have family over, eating and drinking and you don't realize that there may be somebody that you know, that you love, that's a friend, that's a family member, who is perfectly well with no symptoms and yet they got infected in the community and brought it into that small gathering that you're now having in your home. So, that's the reason why I want to underscore what you said, that's one of the issues, but bottom line for your first question, mid-January is probably going to be a bad time.

Governor Cuomo: The small spread, family spread, living room spread - we call it living room spread here - like 16 states have done an order of no more than 10 in a home. The CDC guidance, that's President Trump's CDC, says no more than 10. Some states have gone to no more than 8. Compliance is very low on that. Do you think that is a sound rule, the no more than 10 in a home?

Dr. Fauci:Governor, I think that's a very sound rule and I feel 10 may even be a bit too much. It's not only the number, Governor, but it's the people that may be coming in from out of town. You mentioned in your presentation that you don't want somebody who's from New York who wants to go to a restaurant that's closed in New York, they go to New Jersey and then they come back. They travel back and forth in addition to the number of people in a home for a gathering or a social setting.

You want to make sure you don't get people who just got off an airport or a plane or a train and came in from Florida or came in from wherever. That's even more risky than the absolute number. Not only the number of 10 seems reasonable, but make sure that when people come in, that they're not people who have no idea where they've been or who they've been exposed to. You want to be friendly, you want to be collegial, but you really got to be careful about that.

Governor Cuomo:You're so right, doctor. The practical implications are so difficult. As I mentioned, I had a birthday yesterday. One of my daughters who wasn't with me wanted to come up. She had to quarantine before she could come to my birthday. So, you want to go travel and see someone, it's not just that weekend, it's the whole quarantining process before. In this state, we have very strict regulations of when you come in and what you have to do.

On the vaccinations, looking ahead, 75-80 percent is going to be very hard to reach. New Yorkers are tuned in and we're going to be very aggressive on public education, outreach, et cetera. But what does your crystal ball say? When is 75-80 even feasible? You know, I hear anywhere from May, June, July, August, September. What would you guess there? Which is when it's really over, right, when the vaccination hits critical mass.  

Dr. Fauci: Yeah, when you have 75 to 80 percent of the people vaccinated, you have an umbrella of protection over the community that the level of community spread will be really, really very low. The virus will not have any place to go. It's almost metaphorically, if you think the virus is looking for some victims, when most of the people are protected the virus has a hard time latching on to someone. When that happens, Governor, is going to be entirely dependent upon how well we do, how well I do, you do, your health officials, in getting the message out of why it's so important for people to get vaccinated, because if 50 percent of the people get vaccinated, then we don't have that umbrella of immunity over us.

But let's say it works out well, let me answer your question specifically, and we do a really good job of convincing people between now and the end of December, you'd likely get a substantial proportion of healthcare providers and people in your nursing homes. As you get into January, you'll get the second level, and then February, the third. I would think by the time you get to the beginning of April, you'll start getting people who have no high priority, just a normal man and woman New Yorker on the street who's well, has no underlying conditions. If we get them vaccinated in a full court press, get them really going, and you do that through April, May and June, by the time you get to the summer - because remember it's a prime boost, which means you get vaccinated today, you get a boost 28 days from now, and then seven to 10 days following that, you're optimally protected. Even though you could get some protection even after the first shot, but optimally it's within seven to 10 days following the second shot. If we do that well, by the time we get into the core of the summer and get to the end of the summer and into the start of the third quarter of 2021, we should be in good shape. That's what I'm hoping for, and that's the reason why it's so important to extend ourselves out to the community, particularly to the Black, African-American, Latino, the people who are undocumented, the people who we really need to get vaccinated.

Governor Cuomo: Well doctor, I couldn't agree with you more on that. I'm pushing the Congress right now. New York, look, I think it would be discriminatory not to understand the situation that exists with the Black and Latino population, who, by the way, had- Blacks had twice the death rate of whites, Latinos had one and a half times the death rate of whites. Higher infection rate, higher percentage of essential workers. We're going to need a whole effort just to educate, and outreach, and get into public housing, and communicate with their communities, because otherwise, they're not going to flock to the local Walmart or K-Mart or Walgreens to take this vaccine. I think we're going to need an affirmative effort to do that.

Let me ask you this, our school positivity rate is amazingly low. Even in communities that have higher spread, we're seeing much, much lower infection rates in schools. It's almost a universal statement that the school is the safest place to be in the community. Does that surprise you?

Dr. Fauci: You know, it originally did surprise me because we were always concerned, if you look at the influenza model, the issue is the kids are in school, they get infected, they come home and they infect their parents and their relatives. We're not finding that with this coronavirus. In fact, to our, I think, real positive spinoff of this is the realization that schools appear to be a place where the positivity rate just like you all are seeing it in New York, the whole state including New York City, you're not alone. We're seeing that in other parts of the country that the test positivity rate is actually really low which is really a good thing which is one of the reasons why when we were talking about what the best strategy would be we would say something like close the bars, keep the schools open is the best thing to do, so long as you subsidize and help the restauranteurs and the bar owners so that they don't go down and essentially crash because of the economic strain. But if we can keep those things under control, subsidize those people, as well as keep the schools open, we'd be in good shape.

Governor Cuomo: And I think you're exactly right. The CDC says more restrictions on indoor dining which I understand, and again, changing positions when facts change is intelligent. People say, well, remain consistent. I'm not going to be consistent when the facts are inconsistent and if I see a different situation I'm going to change my opinion. But the Congress, Washington, also has to understand those bars, those restaurants, they need financial assistance because this has been a long year and they have bills to pay so you can't tell them we have to close you down without saying here is the economic reality and we're going to help.

Dr. Fauci: Absolutely.

Governor Cuomo: On the question of this state's infection rate versus other states, we're lower than all states besides Vermont, Maine, Hawaii - does that surprise you and how do you explain that?

Dr. Fauci: You know, I have to say, being a New Yorker, Governor, it doesn't surprise me. You guys, as you and I have discussed on many phone calls that we've had, you got hit with a sucker punch right from the beginning when the cases came in from Europe and the Northeastern corridor, particularly New York State, particularly the metropolitan area got hit really, really badly. You recovered from that - was after you got hit badly, your baseline level went way, way down and very, very low, and then you did things which were the appropriate way to avoid getting, resurging. So the bad news and it's painful for me to see it from a distance to my place of birth, but you guys got really slammed and then you rebounded. And you rebounded in a way that you kept your test positivity low because you did the prudent things that you need to do. I was following it from here in Washington and I was seeing that whenever it looked like things were getting a little out of hand, you'd tighten the rope a little bit and then when things went back, you eased up a little bit. So I'm not surprised that your infection rate is really low because I think you were doing the right things after you had a really serious hit in the beginning when you were there in the late-winter, early-spring.

Governor Cuomo: Doctor, on this education of the population — on both the small spreads and even more the vaccine, take the vaccine it's safe — I think that's going to be difficult to do. I think you have tremendous credibility, not just across the country but across this state and I think your voice on saying that the vaccines are safe would be important. I said that as soon as the vaccine is deemed ready and safe, I'll be the first one to take a vaccine. Maybe we enlist you, I'll do it with you — we'll do an ad telling New Yorkers it's safe to take the vaccine, to you know, put us together. We're like the modern-day DeNiro and Pacino. You can be whichever one you want. You can be the De Niro or Pacino. Fauci and Cuomo. Who do you want to be: De Niro or Pacino? Which one do you want to be?

Dr. Fauci: I love them both. I love them both. I don't want to insult one or the other. If I say one, I don't want to hurt the feelings of the other, so either one.  

Governor Cuomo: Yeah. Who's the politician? Alright, last question. I know you're down in Washington, you're doing great duty, but I know you miss New York. What — we want to figure out what to send you for Christmas — what food do you miss the most that you can't get down there that you could get if you were back here in New York in Brooklyn?

Dr. Fauci: You know, Governor. Whenever I need some comfort food and I dream back on my days in the Bensonhurst section of Brooklyn, the thing that comes to my mind are two things: a nice Nathan's hot dog and a really steaming pastrami sandwich. That would be really great.

Governor Cuomo: Alright, so no cannoli, no meatballs? Nathan's hot dog.

Dr. Fauci: I don't want to overdo it. I don't want to overstay my welcome. I'll take them all.

Governor Cuomo: Alright done. Doctor, thank you so much for everything you've done for this country. God bless you. God bless you.

Dr. Fauci: Thank you very much, Governor.

Governor Cuomo: You know, this was a moment we really got to see what people were made of. When the pressure's on, you see the weaknesses and you see the strength — and the pressure was on and it forged you into a rock that really stabilized this nation, so God bless you for what you did, doctor. And I know what to get you for Christmas. Send the bill to Christopher. Thank you very much. God bless you, doctor. Be safe.

Dr. Fauci: You too, Governor, and thanks an awful lot. Appreciate it.

Governor Cuomo: Thank you, thank you.