Assemblyman Abinanti Comments on Governor Cuomo's 2014 State of the State Address

Governor Cuomo outlined some good proposals in his speech like raising the age of criminal responsibility and investing in education technology. He endorsed important measures previously supported by the Assembly like statewide universal pre-k, the 10 point women’s equality act and public financing of campaigns.

Unfortunately, the Governor failed to propose a fix for the botched Common Core implementation or to protect students’ data privacy.

Most importantly, Governor Cuomo failed to address fairness for people with special needs – New York’s most vulnerable population. We need to adequately fund special education, restore New York’s model early intervention program and incentivize businesses to hire people with disabilities. The state must meet their growing education, healthcare, housing, employment and quality of life needs.