Kathy Hochul was officially sworn in as the first elected female Governor of New York on New Year’s Day. The oath was administered by longtime NAACP President Hazel Dukes, using two Bibles. One was her family Bible, and the other was the Roosevelt family Bible, borrowed from the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library, first published in the 1600s and written in Dutch. The Governor pledged to take on battles over the next four years, including fighting against gun violence, antisemitism and other bigotry, and recent decisions by the U.S. Supreme Court.

Governor Hochul said:

Governor Signs Legislative Pay Raise

On New Year’s Eve the Governor signed into law S.9617/A.10730 which will provide a $32,000 pay raise for each State Senator and Assemblymember beginning on January 1. New York legislators will now earn $142,000 per year excluding per diem travel reimbursements and the few legislative stipends for leadership positions that remain, making them the highest paid state legislators in the nation.

The bill also contains a limit on outside income that a member can earn which will not take effect until 2025. Beginning in 2025, legislators will be limited to $35,000 per year of outside income. Outside income does not include income from serving in the national guard or army reserves, copyright royalties or fees, income from retirement plans, income from investments, income from a trade or business in which a member of their family holds a controlling interest (where the member’s services are not a material factor in the production of income), or compensation for services performed prior to 2025.

It was speculated that the Governor might delay signing the bill into the New Year and after her nomination for chief judge of the Court of Appeals was taken up by the Senate, using the bill as leverage to guarantee confirmation.

Governor Announces Launch of Pre-seed and Seed Matching Fund Program

The Governor announced the launch of the $30 million Pre-Seed and Seed Matching Fund Program, which will offer early-stage start-up companies $50,000 to $250,000 in growth assistance which they will match with funds from private sector co-investors. The program will support the development of businesses in high-growth industries and the creation of 21st century jobs. Funding for the program comes from the State Small Business Credit Initiative, part of the federal American Rescue Plan, to support small businesses, especially those owned by socially and economically disadvantaged individuals and very small businesses which traditionally do not receive access to capital or support.

The Program is managed through Empire State Development’s NY Ventures and will be focused on technology markets including advanced manufacturing, agricultural tech, climate tech, consumer tech, data/SaaS/AI, fintech, healthcare, Life Sciences and BioTech, and medical devices.

Governor Hochul said:

New Legislative Session Begins

The legislature gaveled into the new session on Wednesday where they voted on the typical opening day resolutions to elect their respective leaders and establish the rules of each house. Large amounts of turnover in membership created Committee Chair vacancies which each house filled. In the Senate, Sen. Peter Harckham of Westchester County was appointed as Chair of the Environmental Conservation Committee to fill the vacancy left by the outgoing Senator Kaminsky. In the Assembly, the retirement of longtime members and the electoral defeat of others made for more than typical movement in Committee Chair Assignments. Assemblymember Paulin was named as Chair of the Health Committee, M of A Weprin was named Chair of Insurance, M of A Zebrowski will lead the Corporations, Authorities & Commissions Committee, and M of A Barrett will take over the Energy Committee.

Assembly Committee Chair Assignments:

Ron Kim – Chair, Aging

Donna A. Lupardo – Chair, Agriculture

Phil Steck – Chair, Alcoholism & Drug Abuse

Pamela J. Hunter – Chair, Banks

Andrew Hevesi – Chair, Children & Families

Edward C. Braunstein – Chair, Cities

Jeffrey Dinowitz – Chair, Codes

Nily Rozic – Chair, Consumer Affairs

Kenneth Zebrowski – Chair, Corporations, Authorities & Commissions

Erik M. Dilan – Chair, Correction

Harry B. Bronson – Chair, Economic Development

Michael Benedetto – Chair, Education

Latrice Walker – Chair, Election Law

Didi Barrett – Chair, Energy

Deborah J. Glick – Chair, Environmental Conservation

Jo Anne Simon – Chair, Ethics & Guidance

Stacey Pheffer Amato – Chair, Governmental Employees

John T. McDonald III – Chair, Governmental Operations

Amy Paulin – Chair, Health

Patricia Fahy – Chair, Higher Education

Linda B. Rosenthal – Chair, Housing

David I. Weprin – Chair, Insurance

Charles D. Lavine – Chair, Judiciary

Latoya Joyner – Chair, Labor

Carrie Woerner – Chair, Libraries & Education Technology

Fred W. Thiele, Jr. – Chair, Local Governments

Aileen M. Gunther – Chair, Mental Health

Clyde Vanel – Chair, Oversight, Analysis & Investigations

Rebecca A. Seawright – Chair, People with Disabilities

1. Gary Pretlow – Chair, Racing & Wagering

Jaime R. Williams – Chair, Real Property Taxation

Steven Otis – Chair, Science & Technology

Al Stirpe – Chair, Small Business

Maritza Davila – Chair, Social Services

Daniel J. O’Donnell – Chair, Tourism

William B. Magnarelli – Chair, Transportation

Kimberly Jean-Pierre – Chair, Veterans Affairs

Senate Committee Chair Assignments:

Cordell Cleare – Chair, Aging

Michelle Hinchey – Chair, Agriculture

Nathalia Fernandez – Chair, Alcoholism and Substance Abuse

James Sanders – Chair, Banks

Andrew Gounardes – Chair, Budget and Revenue

Jabari Brisport – Chair, Children and Families

Luis Sepulveda – Chair, Cities 1

Rachel May – Chair, Cities 2

Robert Jackson – Chair, Civil Service and Pensions

Jamaal Bailey – Chair, Codes

Sean Ryan – Chair, Commerce, Economic Development, and Small Business

Kevin Thomas – Chair, Consumer Protection

Leroy Comrie – Chair, Corporations, Authorities and Commissions

Julia Salazar – Chair, Crime Victims, Crime, and Correction

Jose Serrano – Chair, Cultural Affairs, Tourism, Parks and Recreation

John Mannion – Chair, Disabilities

Shelley Mayer – Chair, Education

Zellnor Myrie – Chair, Elections

Kevin Parker – Chair, Energy and Telecommunications

Peter Harckham – Chair, Environmental Conservation

Neil Breslin – Chair, Ethics and Internal Governance

Liz Krueger – Chair, Finance

Gustavo Rivera – Chair, Health

Toby Stavisky – Chair, Higher Education

Brian Kavanagh – Chair, Housing, Construction, and Community Development

Neil Breslin – Chair, Insurance

Kristen Gonzalez – Chair, Internet and Technology

James Skoufis – Chair, Investigations and Government Operations

Brad Hoylman – Chair, Judiciary

Jessica Ramos – Chair, Labor

Iwen Chu – Chair, Libraries

Monica Martinez – Chair, Local Government

Samra Brouk – Chair, Mental Health

John Liu – Chair, New York City Education

Jeremy Cooney – Chair, Procurement and Contracts

Joseph Addabbo – Chair, Racing, Gaming, and Wagering

Andrea Stewart-Cousins – Chair, Rules

Roxanne Persaud – Chair, Social Services

Tim Kennedy – Chair, Transportation

Jessica Scarcella-Spanton – Chair, Veterans

Lea Webb – Chair, Women’s Issues