ICYMI: Governor Hochul's Op-Ed in the Long Island Business News: Easing the Affordability Crisis for Long Island Families

On December 19, 2024, the Long Island Business News published an op-ed by Governor Kathy Hochul regarding her longstanding commitment to addressing the cost of living in New York, including her new proposal to send Inflation Refund checks to 1,344,000 Long Island residents and 8.6 million New Yorkers overall. Text of the op-ed can be viewed online and is available below:

From Montauk to Mineola, Long Islanders face unique affordability challenges. Whether it’s saving for your kids’ tuition, covering property taxes, paying for sports or extracurriculars, or managing everyday expenses, families across the region are feeling the squeeze.

Since COVID, inflation has eaten away at New Yorkers’ incomes. Over the last four years, essentials like eggs, milk, and diapers have soared in price—adding to an affordability crisis that extends far beyond the grocery aisle.

But here on Long Island, the affordability crisis goes far beyond groceries. Families struggle to afford flood insurance, ever-increasing property taxes, and high childcare costs—all while facing some of the highest housing costs in the nation. For seniors, fixed incomes often don’t stretch far enough to handle unexpected medical bills or utility costs.

I understand these struggles firsthand because I’ve lived them–balancing affordability concerns while raising a family on a tight budget. My grandparents worked in factories and barely got by in retirement. My mother raised eight kids, stretching every dollar to make ends meet with hand-me-down clothes and fried spam sandwiches for dinner.

When I was starting my own family, we couldn’t afford childcare, so I had to leave my job. I shopped at discount grocery stores, dreamed of the day we wouldn’t have to budget for formula and diapers and worried about how we’d save for our kids’ future.

This experience is why, since I became governor three years ago, my top priority has been to tackle the affordability crisis. And it’s also why, when I present my new state budget in Albany next month, I will include a historic new directive to return $3 billion in surplus sales tax revenue to the taxpayers.

Under my proposed Inflation Refund plan, we’re tackling the affordability crisis head-on. Single filers earning under $150,000 would receive a $300 check, while joint filers earning under $300,000 would get $500. This is money to help with groceries, property taxes, childcare or wherever your family feels the strain.

This is your money to spend however you see fit—on groceries, clothes, childcare or even your property taxes.

Thanks to surplus sales tax revenue, driven by inflation, we can provide meaningful relief. Personally, I don’t think this extra revenue should be spent by the state. After all, it’s your money. Instead, it should be heading one place and one place only: Back into your pocket.

This could benefit 8.6 million households and make a real difference for middle class New Yorkers. It could help a young family pay for things like groceries, formula or diapers. It could help a young person pay student loans or rent. Or it could lift up a senior struggling to afford medication and heat in the winter.

And this is only the beginning of my 2025 affordability agenda for New York.

This groundbreaking Inflation Refund will build on actions we have already taken to protect New York families and make this state a more affordable place to live and raise a family.

Since my first day in office, we’ve expedited middle-class tax cuts and lowered property taxes, saving Long Islanders thousands of dollars. We’ve increased housing supply to reduce rents and ensure more families can afford to stay in the communities they love.

We’ve also expanded tuition assistance to include part-time students, making college more accessible than ever. My administration has also dramatically increased childcare support, so that eligible families may pay as little as $15 per week.

We’ve raised the minimum wage and tied it to inflation to ensure wages keep up with rising costs. This year, we delivered first-in-the-nation paid prenatal leave so working moms won’t lose income when they visit their doctor. We’re helping to cover utility bills and we’ve sent money to families for back to school shopping. This summer, we helped feed nearly 2 million more hungry kids with direct funds for food to parents.

For many Long Islanders, affording a home, saving for college, or simply staying in this region they love has become harder than ever. My administration is committed to changing that.

Every day, I wake up thinking about how I can make life more affordable for New York families—ensuring you can build and sustain the life you’ve worked so hard to build here on Long Island.

No one should ever have to leave this beautiful region—or anywhere in New York —because it’s become too expensive to stay. I believe New York should be a place where families thrive, not just scrape by.

Kathy Hochul is the 57th and first female governor of New York State.