Governor Cuomo has announced that he will give his 2020 State of the State address at the Empire State Plaza Convention Center Wednesday, January 8 at 1:30 p.m., the first day of the regular 2020 Legislative Session.  For the first time since 2015, the budget address will be held separately, later in January.

The address will follow a groundbreaking 2019 session during which 935 bills were passed by the legislature, touted by Cuomo as “the most productive legislative session in modern history.” The volume of bills and staff changes within the Executive branch has resulted in an unusually busy December for Executive staff and those in the Legislature responsible for negotiating last minute “Chapter amendments” to bills to avoid veto.  As of December 23, 2019, 731 bills have been signed, 157 vetoed, 27 are on the Governor’s desk awaiting action, and 16 have yet to be delivered to the Governor.

2020 promises to be a challenging session for lawmakers as they seek to tackle a $6.1 billion budget gap due in large part to Medicaid spending. Governor Cuomo promises to build on 2019’s accomplishments and “set the bar even higher, making progress happen for the people of this great state.”