Senator Farley Notes State-of-the State Message to Be Delivered Jan. 4th

Tomorrow, January 4th, the Governor will open the 2012 Legislative Session with his annual State-of-the-State Address. This speech will be given at 1:30 p.m. It will be broadcast live on public television, and can also be viewed online at http://www.governor.ny.gov The text of his message will also be posted on his website.

The State-of-the-State is a vision, or a road map, of what the Governor would like to see happen in New York State in 2012.

I anticipate that Medicaid Reform will be one of the big topics in his speech. The Governor’s Medicaid Task Force has given him a report of suggested changes, including the eventual takeover of the payments of the entire program by the State to help local municipalities give relief for property taxes. I will follow these suggestions closely as I have already sponsored legislation that is similar to this plan. I also hope that we will see positive action on additional mandate relief for local governments and school districts.

I look forward to working with Governor Cuomo in 2012 and continuing our efforts to move New York in a positive direction.