Governor Hochul talks public safety initiatives in proposed State Budget as April 1 deadline creeps closer

As the April 1 deadline for New York’s budget looms, Governor Kathy Hochul is re-emphasizing public safety initiatives that are part of her proposed financial plan.

She held a press conference Tuesday while visiting in Rochester, NY. "We are working overtime to continue the positive trends we are seeing of decreasing gun violence and crime because one New Yorker lost to gun violence is one too many,” the Governor said.

Hochul says she aims to double funding to $36-million for the Gun Involved Violence Elimination Initiative.

Furthermore, she iterated her vision to make more adjustments to the bail reform law, acknowledging the initial law passed had too many offenses that didn’t require bail.

With that being said, Hochul remains firm with the original intent of the law, which is to prevent a person’s wealth being a deciding factor for sitting in jail or walking free.

In regards to her revisions, Hochul is proposing that the legislature tweak the verbiage to give more discretion for judges to utilize.

Image via the office of New York Governor Kathy Hochul.