Earlier on Jan 31st, Governor Kathy Hochul was a guest on NewsChannel 9’s “Newsmakers” With Andrew Donovan.

AUDIO: The Governor’s remarks are available in audio form here.

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

Andrew Donovan, NewsChannel 9: Welcome to Newsmakers. I'm Andrew Donovan and we're honored to have the 57th Governor of the great State of New York with us, Governor Kathy Hochul. Governor, thank you so much for being here.

Governor Hochul: Great to see you again, Andrew.

Andrew Donovan, NewsChannel 9: You're in Syracuse off of a couple of fun visits. You were at the Varsity for some pizza, where I think you — you know that place pretty well.

Governor Hochul: I used to work there in 1980. I was the person who called out the numbers when the pizzas were ready. A great place of history. It celebrates its 100th anniversary next year, so I promised I'd come back with a nice proclamation from the Governor.

Andrew Donovan, NewsChannel 9: Nice. And then before that, you were at Onondaga Community College where you got to talk a lot about your State of the State and Budget initiatives, including free tuition for a certain age group of people going into certain professions.

Governor Hochul: That's right. The reason I went there is I also wanted to see the progress on the Micron Cleanroom [Simulation Lab], and this is a $15 million initiative that I announced last year to start really training the Micron workers today, even before they're done with the whole build out of the quads there. So, it was exciting to see the progress they're making.

So, we were on campus and did talk with Chancellor John King and the president there and talked about why this makes a difference — to be able to have an opportunity for free tuition for people who maybe are trying to rethink their career, trying to make more money, someone who maybe just wants to do something totally different. But it's important for us, not just for that family, but also for us as a state because I have to give more trained workers to our employers, places like Micron where they want to hire thousands of people.

So, we have to be ready for this, and to offer free tuition at a community college for someone 25 to 55 in our high demand fields — health care, advanced manufacturing, engineering, computer science — those are the areas we want to drive young people to with the promise of a tuition free experience, and then welcome them to the workforce. So, it hits a lot of objectives all in one policy.

Andrew Donovan, NewsChannel 9: Well, in that age group specifically, 25 to 55, people that maybe didn't go to college at the more traditional time of 18, people who might see these opportunities at Micron, and instead of being left out, actually get to retroactively catch up.

Governor Hochul: That's what we're trying to do. Someone who's really driven toward a college degree is probably there at age 18. They might be in a two year program or a four year program. But these are individuals who maybe started a low wage job, and they're starting to see their friends who went to college, younger, doing better and having more earning power, and I want everyone to have their maximum earning power. That's how we deal with the affordability crisis.

Many ways to deal with this, and I'll talk about a number of them today, but one is just to say, you can earn more money that'll help you pay your bills. Maybe not have to have an apartment, but actually buy a house someday, which is really still a dream for so many young people who feel left out. So, to have a chance to re-skill, go back and do something you maybe never dreamed of, or to build on the credentials you have, and ultimately earn more money, a bigger paycheck.

Andrew Donovan, NewsChannel 9: Your Budget got some extra attention in Syracuse because of the $200 million you’re allocating to Upstate Medical University, specifically for the hospital to upgrade its emergency room. But as you know, and in a letter from the delegation, $450 million is the request. I'm wondering if there's wiggle room, if that gap will be closed at all as negotiations for the Budget continue?

Governor Hochul: I just left there. I did a wonderful tour with Dr. Dewan and all the leadership there and I walked through the emergency room. First of all, I had a chance to talk to a lot of patients who are getting high quality care, but right now they're on gurneys in the hallway.

They desperately need something done there. And they provide Upstate New York's burn center. People come from all over for pediatric care. They are really serving thousands of people outside of Onondaga County. And I'm well familiar with them having gone to school right next door.

So, I know how important this is, but you have to start somewhere. $200 million, as Dr. Dewan said and I was with Chancellor John King, this is the largest investment in this hospital, ever in the history of it. So, let's start with that, and I know they're grateful for it. I know they told me that this is a game changer for them and we'll get the process started. But they have a great vision and I cannot wait to be continuing to support them in years to come.

Andrew Donovan, NewsChannel 9: I was going to ask about years to come, maybe not more in millions this year but perhaps the next Budget.

Governor Hochul: They couldn't spend $450 million if they had it. Let's be realistic about this. You break this off, you have to have your strategic plan. They already have a plan to move across the street and to backfill other services. So, they know what they want to do, but we also have to manage a Budget, and we'll be able to be helpful in the future. I'm quite sure of it. But I think those who criticize this should look at a lot of other communities that would be very grateful to have $200 million for a hospital.

Andrew Donovan, NewsChannel 9: I know a lot of students and parents and teachers were waiting for you to say what you were going to do with cell phones because you've been studying it, you've talked about it a lot, and then through your State of the State and then Budget, you allocated $13.5 million to actually go to these school districts to help buy some sort of container, whether it be an individual bag or a big box, so these cell phones can basically get locked up for the day. Is that enough money for every school? And do you think it's enough?

Governor Hochul: Many schools are already doing this. I do want to put it out there and there are some low tech ways to do it. I was in some classrooms, one in Guilderland outside of Albany, and they had what looked like a shoe rack, a little area with a number on it for each student. They just put it in there every single day.

Now there's more sophisticated, more expensive ones. School districts also have a lot of money from the State, and so no one stops them from using other resources. Our spending on education is going up about $8 billion. We're investing in our schools and our teachers and education, but I'm going to guess that there'll be no barriers to them being able to implement this policy.

So, it's not the dollar amount. It's the fact that we're having the courage to do this because a lot of people could have done this before in other states. And it's tough because you're not sure if there's going to be criticism from a school board, a parent, a superintendent, but I've spent an entire year convening people, students, teachers, everybody across the State to have the conversation — why we have to do this now.

And I appreciate the parents who are willing to undertake something that's new to them. But I guarantee you, the parents did not have a cell phone in their hand all day talking to their parents when they were school age either.

Andrew Donovan, NewsChannel 9: It's probably true. It's even true for me way back when. Who will police that schools are doing this? If the school is low key about enforcing it. Who's actually watching the school districts from the state level?

Governor Hochul: We'll be asking for metrics on this, but I will say, there's never been a school district that had a distraction free environment — no smart watches, no earbuds, no cell phones, nothing connected to a computer – they've never looked back. They've never said, “Oh, we really wish we hadn't done this.” People embrace this. They want this to happen.

And there's one message I want to give to parents who, like I was at first, who thought, if there's a school shooting, your parent’s worst nightmare, my kids were little when Columbine hit, one of the first mass shootings in the school, and it just creates a sense of fear. What if you need to connect with your child in that moment? And I thought the same, until I listened to law enforcement, police officers, sheriffs, district attorneys, who said, if there is a crisis in that school or on the grounds, the last thing you want is for your student to be distracted, fumbling for their cell phone, texting mom and dad, maybe connecting with their friends, videoing it or somehow even telegraphing to the shooter where they are or giving wrong information to law enforcement. They are safer listening to the adult in the room who's gone through extensive training. And that's where we have to put our faith in our teachers.

Andrew Donovan, NewsChannel 9: There's so much in your Budget. It's titled, ‘Your family is my fight,’ it's here in front of us. But when it comes to tax credits and the allowance for new births for new parents. There's just so many maybe small dollar values, but when you expand, when you list them, it seems like there's a lot in there that maybe hasn't been done before. That literally goes to people's wallets.

Governor Hochul: You're exactly right, Andrew. And the reason is Americans and New Yorkers have been hit so hard by the high cost of everything. No one could have foreseen the inflation that would follow the pandemic. We thought we were going to come through the pandemic, get back to normal, and it's been hard because everything from diapers to eggs to your kids clothes and sneakers, everything has gone up. And how do you manage that? Yes, incomes are rising in New York State. We've raised the minimum wage. People are doing better, but if that gets gobbled up by the high cost of everything, then you're not getting ahead.

We've known this. We've been trying to work on it. This is my second time I'm putting in a middle class tax cut. We've done everything we can, but I said, “Let's really focus on this this year.” And particularly families — your family is my fight.

So what am I talking about? For families with a four year old under age four, $1,000 for a new child, when your most expensive days are, when you're buying formula diapers and they're outgrowing everything every three months. For families with a child school age, $500. But also doing things like covering the cost of breakfast and lunch in schools. Right now, the kids who are high needs, who qualify – they feel stigmatized when they have to be in that different line, or the other kids know who that child is who needs to get this.

And I was really taken by a Republican Senator from Long Island, who told me he was that child, and it lived with him forever, the embarrassment. So we said, “For not that much more, we can cover everybody, so every child can have a meal.” But you know what that does? per child to put $1,600 back in parents pockets, not either have to pay for the groceries to make lunch and the time involved, or to have to give them their school lunch money. You get $1,000 per child, you get a couple of kids, $2,000, maybe $2,500.

If you have one in school you save, per child, $1,600 on having to pay for lunches, then the middle class tax cut, and to top it off — because we collected so much more in sales tax because everything costs more — I'm putting that back in New Yorkers pockets with our inflation rebate. For families it's $500, and for an individual it's $300. You add all that up, you're over $500 if you've got a few kids — I'm sorry, $5,000. I want to credit $5,000.

Andrew Donovan, NewsChannel 9: You watch the crime numbers in Central New York very closely. You do it for every region of the State. We hear people say they think the Governor and Democrats are soft on crime. Soft on crime — we hear it all the time. I'd imagine you disagree. And as I study these issues; bail reform, raising the age — which seem to be buzzwords — I'm not sure everyone truly understands what each of those pieces mean. What do you do to better communicate that the youngest, the repeat offenders, aren't affected by either of those policies? They're repeat offenders because maybe there's not a proper training with police or with judges about the tools they do have.

Governor Hochul: That's an excellent point and it does get a little frustrating that people continue to go on a narrative which is no longer accurate. Yes, there was a time when the bail laws were changed and discovery changed and everything was changing, and it really loosened the requirements and it made it more difficult for people who committed serious crimes, or committed crimes at all, to have the consequences that are required. That's how you keep society safer. That's what laws are supposed to do.

What I had to do in two consecutive sessions of the Legislature, including the last year before last, I had to push the Legislature further than they wanted to go, and that's why our Budget was late. On the bail issues, I said, “I'm not leaving here until you fix this. I want to make sure that hate crimes are covered, gun offenses are covered; that judges have the discretion that had been removed from them.” Now, at one time, all they could look at in deciding whether to impose bail was whether or not they thought someone was a flight risk. What is the likelihood they're coming back to court? That's all you could look at.

I said, “That doesn't make sense, because everybody goes out.” Even someone who might be a repeat offender. So we changed it. We gave a lot more for the judge to consider. And I'll tell you this: Upstate consequences and impacts are different than Downstate. What that says is the prosecutors and the judges using the discretion we gave them are applying the State law differently. So now it doesn't come down to whether or not the law should be changed. We changed the law. It's how it's being applied by the judges based on people's political beliefs or life experience, whatever it is.

And that's frustrating to me because we put the laws where we need to. We're going to make some more changes this year on something called discovery because right now it's being gamed. So, so many cases are being dismissed and prosecutors are at a severe disadvantage where they might have been at an advantage. We have to find the right balance here.

Andrew Donovan, NewsChannel 9: Which is — so people know — discovery is basically the package of evidence that prosecutors maybe get from police and then it has to be shared with the defense so that everyone has the same access to the information.

Governor Hochul: Right, but everything has to be brought under the new law in a very short period of time. So the defense lawyers will argue about disagreeing on elements of it the day before the deadline and then it gets dismissed. That's how too many people are getting loose. I brought that up as a policy in my Budget, and I want to get that changed as well.

But the numbers in Syracuse — crime is down dramatically. We had record low numbers of violent crimes and shootings because I saw we had a problem here a few years ago. I came here, I convened everybody, sat down with the Mayor and Chief of Police, and everybody — my experts. I said, “This is not okay. We have to make Syracuse safer.” Now we're seeing record low numbers in shootings and other violent crimes, and I just put another $20 million into policing Syracuse, but also diversion programs and violence disruptor programs and programs for youth to have other options.

So it was a very holistic approach and now we're seeing the benefits of that. We're not done yet though. I'm not spiking the football. There is no mission accomplished. We're going to continue. But no governor has spent more money on law enforcement and policing and public safety than I have, bar none.

Andrew Donovan, NewsChannel 9: Micron could very well define your legacy, at least locally, but people are getting skeptical because there's not a shovel in the ground yet. And I know there's environmental reviews, we saw it with the I-81 project. It took a long time. Is there anything the State can do to advance that project quicker? Because we know the federal government is considering trying to cut through some of the red tape, so to speak.

Governor Hochul: No, we have been. And shovels will be in the ground in 2025. They are committed. I am in regular communication with them. My Empire State Development team is working with them. We're working through the environmentals. And yes, I think it is taking too long, but they're following a lot of requirements that are statutory in New York State. But it's going to be transformational when it happens and I cannot wait.

And even the fact that Micron is investing in building a child care center already. They've also invested money in this clean room over at OCC. That's because they believe this will happen, and I believe that too. And this is going to be exciting.

Andrew Donovan, NewsChannel 9: You recently visited the Marcy Correctional Facility after the brutal death of Robert Brooks. He was beaten in that facility by people who worked there. There have been calls to close the facility. Do you see a day where that happens?

Governor Hochul: Let me tell you what my thoughts are. Of course, your first reaction is, “Something horrific happened there. Let's make it go away and forget about it.” I went there in person after I fired those individuals. I didn't even need to see the video before I fired them because I heard what they did and I was so sickened by it — that this man who, yes, he was paying his debt to society, but it was not supposed to be a death sentence. So I'm angry that it has taken this long now.

We're still waiting for the indictments to come out, but I understand the district attorney here in Onondaga County is being thoughtful about it and he has to work with the medical examiner. I understand that. But the community needs to know that there is a process where these people will be held accountable for what they did. Does that mean the facility has to close?

The other alternative is this. We'll put reforms in place. We'll find ways to hold people accountable. I've put $400 million in making sure that every inch of a facility has cameras so never again can someone get away with this. And we're just lucky there were cameras at that time. But listen, if you close it, you're shutting down one of our behavioral health centers, one of our largest ones where we're dealing with challenges that people have in jail.

I went and visited. I spoke to inmates. They told me how much they appreciated the leadership. The superintendent of the prison, she was doing a great job. They thought that she was responsive, she was walking the halls, she was engaging with them. And I don't know that closing it and taking these people out of a place — many of them live Upstate, we're going to send them up to the North Country jail, we're going to send them down to the Southern Tier, we're going to send them closer to New York City?

This is where people are used to congregating, their families visit them there, some were from this area. What does closing it accomplish? I'm willing to listen to people on this, I truly am. But we also can make this be a model for prison reform that is nationally recognized. I'm willing to make the investments. I just need the people to understand that this could also be a place we could turn a tragedy into something that is more positive.

Andrew Donovan, NewsChannel 9: I'm going to switch to a different topic because it's great that you're here and able to hit so many things. Local superintendents are concerned about the electronic bus mandate. It's expensive. They've actually put the proposal to their voters. The voters have said no. I know there's money, there's grants from the state. It's not nearly enough, but will these districts be punished if they can't convert their fleets in the current timeline established by State law?

Governor Hochul: I think the current timeline is 2027. They've known about this for a number of years. Out of our $4.2 billion Bond Act, we have over half a billion dollars dedicated to help these school districts, so the money is there.

Andrew Donovan, NewsChannel 9: Even without the taxpayers saying yes during — through a referendum as a normal budget process would go?

Governor Hochul: We're trying to be as supportive as we can. But let me say this, if a school district needs a longer grace period, we're going to be accommodating. This is a transition that is going to make it better for children standing at the bus stop, that they don't have exhaust — they're not breathing in exhaust.

Think about that if you're a parent. You want them to have clean energy. You want the world to be cleaner and safer for their own children growing up. So, when people understand it from that framework, then it makes a lot of sense.

Andrew Donovan, NewsChannel 9: Another environmental question. People in the Finger Lakes are watching State government closely, seeing what the DEC might do with this request for Seneca Meadows to extend the life of that landfill. I can't imagine a state government being so green friendly allowing that to continue, but it's also where New York City sends its trash. Do you have a read on what will happen?

Governor Hochul: No, we're still waiting, the DEC is in its review process. These are extensive. They look at everything to make sure that the community is protected. And also we have to meet objectives. There's not an answer on that yet, but I would say that the DEC has been very thoughtful in really making sure they get it right.

Andrew Donovan, NewsChannel 9: I wanted to spend our time on local and state issues, but there's a lot going on at the federal government right now. Including, as we prepare to sit down together, an update from Washington that this freeze on spending – the freeze on the grant spending, is over. Basically, it was a distraction of 24 hours that turned out to be nothing. How do you cut through the clutter? Stay focused. And how do you know where to raise a challenge that you think is actually worth the time?

Governor Hochul: Yeah, you just described the new world we're entering because yesterday, I was at a press event being asked by everyone, “Why didn't you put enough money in your Budget to cover for all this money that we now don't have enough?” I said, “We don't have enough information. I am not going to panic every time something comes out of Washington — I need to know for certain. And we heard that the Medicaid portal was shut down. Well, come to find out that it was just so many people went on at the same time that it couldn't handle — the capacity was short changed.

First of all, the way I'll do this — yes, it sounds alarming, but let me get all the facts, and I'll have a strategy to deal with it. And in this case, if it had gone through, the strategy would have to be, go to your Republican members of Congress — and we have seven of them in the State of New York, some not too far from here — go to them and demand that the Republicans who run the House, the Senate and the White House listen to you, farmers, small businesses, people who work on roads and construction, people who benefit from having Medicaid to take care of their elderly grandparents in a nursing home, nutrition programs, law enforcement.

This would have been cuts in law enforcement for New York State, as well as the roads and bridges. So, we spend a lot of money — New Yorkers sending tax dollars to the federal government. You can't just say we're not going to give anything back to you. We're paying for our government services from the federal government. That is owed, and it's money that's already passed Congress, it's already committed, and a judge said “This is wrong.” We're not going to have “hair on fire” moments all day long. I have to work on affordability, public safety, mental health, health care overall and protecting the people of our State.

So, we're closely watching what's happening in Washington. I have teams that are ready to work with the Attorney General, file lawsuits, and we'll get out there and shout what we have to shout if it'll make a difference. But otherwise, we need to govern responsibly and not panic every single time something is issued out of Washington, because otherwise, it's going to be a long four years.

Andrew Donovan, NewsChannel 9: We're at the tail end of our time. My last question will be, you went to college in this community. You know it very well. You see the I-81 project. I know you had to travel it just to get around town today. You see Micron coming. Compare the Syracuse of when you were here as a student compared to the Syracuse of you being here as Governor.

Governor Hochul: No comparison, and I love that. This is a region steeped in history. And we're celebrating the 200th anniversary of the Erie Canal. That transformed and made Syracuse a powerhouse, as well as Rochester, Syracuse, Buffalo — this whole region was on fire back then, and then we lost it. So many of these businesses left and they left us without a future.

And when I came here, Syracuse, I used to take the Greyhound from the Buffalo Greyhound Station to the Syracuse one. They were both scary places for an 18-year-old with a backpack, I assure you. I can't believe my parents just left me there, but I survived it. But there wasn't hope — I knew when I graduated, I would likely not stay in this community, just like all my siblings had to leave this state at that time.

There's no way that is the same reality today. We are begging for people to come here, get that degree here, whether it's at Le Moyne, or Syracuse, or OCC or any of our other great schools. You have that degree, guess what? You don't have to leave. You can live here, and there's a great quality of life here. Downtown is far more vibrant — nobody from the university ever went downtown when I was a student; they were different worlds.

So, the Mayor’s done a great job — we have a great relationship with Mayor Walsh. He has been transformational in terms of what he has done. We're building more housing, we're taking care of issues, but this is a whole different world, and I could not be prouder to be Governor at this moment in history.

Andrew Donovan, NewsChannel 9: Well, as a lifelong New Yorker, it's an honor to have you here.

Governor Hochul: Thank you.

Andrew Donovan, NewsChannel 9: Thank you for making time. Thanks to your team for getting you here — really appreciate it, really.

Governor Hochul: Really, let’s do it again.

Andrew Donovan, NewsChannel 9: Thanks, Governor, appreciate it.