What Wasn’t in Hochul’s 2023 State of the State Agenda

The Gotham Gazette published an article that analyzed New York State Governor Kathy Hochul’s 2023 State of the State agenda. The article highlighted the policy, legislative and budget priorities that Hochul has committed to taking on and it also noted what was left out of the agenda. The article noted that Hocul’s agenda lacked many immigrant protections, including the Unemployment Bridge Program, which would provide unemployment insurance benefits to workers who are currently excluded from the unemployment system. These workers would include self-employed and free lance workers, undocumented immigrants, those recently incarcerated or in immigration detention and domestic workers, landscapers, and construction workers on very small teams.

The article cited a report from the Immigration Research Initiative:

“The program would provide workers with $1,200 a month if they lose their jobs, on par with the state’s unemployment insurance program that they are ineligible for. According to the Immigration Research Initiative, it could benefit up to 750,000 eligible workers, including 180,000 self-employed and freelance workers.”