New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) announced Wednesday that she plans to bring back the state's "Drinks-to-Go" initiative which allowed bars and restaurants struggling under COVID restrictions to serve take-out alcohol, the New York Post reported.
"Drinks-to-Go" was allowed to lapse in June.
Hochul, who took office in August after former Gov. Andrew Cuomo's resignation, made the announcement during her first state of the state address.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
She also proposed policies she said would expand the state's health care workforce, reduce taxes for small businesses, incentivize the purchase of electric vehicles, help formerly incarcerated people find jobs, and ensure greater oversight to prevent the kinds of ethical violations that brought down her predecessor.
Of course, Hochul's first state of the state address could also be her last. The next New York gubernatorial election is scheduled for November 2022, and the winner will be sworn in on Jan. 1, 2023. Hochul is running for re-election but faces several Democratic challengers in the June primary, including former New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio.
Before Hochul's speech, centrist Democrat Tom Suozzi, a member of the U.S. House representing Long Island, tweeted that "the State of our State is dismal."
Meanwhile, New York City Public Advocate Jumaane Williams, the candidate The New York Times describes as "the clear favorite in the battle for [votes of] the progressive left," released a written statement arguing that Hochul's proposals did not go far enough. "Much of this speech could have been given pre-pandemic, rather than meeting the moment by envisioning a new normal," the statement read.
Hochul currently leads in the polls, but many likely Democratic voters remain undecided.
-
'A symbol of the faceless corporate desire'Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
Say farewell to summer at these underrated US lakesThe Week Recommends Have one last blast
-
Truck drivers are questioning the Trump administration's English mandateTalking Points Some have praised the rules, others are concerned they could lead to profiling
-
DC prosecutors lose bid to indict sandwich throwerSpeed Read Prosecutors sought to charge Sean Dunn with assaulting a federal officer
-
White House fires new CDC head amid agency exodusSpeed Read CDC Director Susan Monarez was ousted after butting heads with HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. over vaccines
-
DOGE put Social Security data at risk, official saysSpeed Read DOGE workers made the personal information of hundreds of millions of Americans vulnerable to identity theft
-
Court rejects Trump suit against Maryland US judgesSpeed Read Judge Thomas Cullen, a Trump appointee, said the executive branch had no authority to sue the judges
-
Trump expands National Guard role in policingSpeed Read The president wants the Guard to take on a larger role in domestic law enforcement
-
Trump says he's firing Federal Reserve Governor Lisa CookSpeed Read The move is likely part of Trump's push to get the central bank to cut interest rates
-
Abrego released from jail, faces Uganda deportationSpeed Read The wrongly deported Kilmar Abrego García is expected to be detained at an ICE check-in and deported to Uganda
-
Trump arms National Guard in DC, threatens other citiesspeed read His next targets are Chicago, New York and Baltimore
