After former Gov. Andrew Cuomo tumultuously left office, news regarding the governor has died down. On Aug. 24, Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul assumed Cuomo’s former position and yet, not much has been said about her in the news.
In an opinion poll for how voters view Hochul thus far, a large percentage have yet to form an opinion. Nonetheless, she is posting a strongly favorable 42% approval rating. Hochul seems determined to show strong leadership with her decisions. As she is the first female governor of New York, on top of the fact she took office following Cuomo, it would be wise for her to show tenacious leadership and stand out, and so far she is doing just that.
In one of her first decisions as governor, Hochul made masks a requirement in schools.
She also announced that all healthcare workers need to be vaccinated, saying the mandate is not unconstitutional, despite a lawsuit arguing it is because there is no religious exemption. This is a common sense mandate; however, the lawsuit has already been raising her determination by vowing to fight it. It is ridiculous that this lawsuit even exists, but it is clear that Hochul wants to shift the tide with COVID-19.
Furthermore, in her first major action, Gov. Hochul signed the “Less is More Act,” which looks to transform the criminal justice system in New York. This act allowed 191 inmates to be released from Rikers Island Correctional Facility. Hochul believes that the prison system needs serious changes, saying most inmates are incarcerated because of parole violations.
According to a CBS News article, Rikers Island is in a state of crisis. The article states that lawmakers visited the facility and saw “cockroaches, rotting food and urine on the floor.” Rikers Island is set to close in 2027 due to other facility issues, but it is about time someone works to improve the criminal justice system.
Cuomo attempted to do some reforms by releasing non-violent offenders; this caused backlash from New Yorkers. Hochul stated in a press conference that those on parole have the right to adjust back to society, and makes the excellent point that re-incarcerating them for a technical violation creates a never-ending cycle. A major issue with the criminal justice system is that recent releasees cannot adjust back to society. Often, parolees will commit a crime just to go back to jail because it is all they know. It appears that Hochul wants to break this cycle, which is a long time coming.
Hochul entered the position with New York a mess between Cuomo’s sexual harassment scandal and COVID-19. The fact that she is choosing to tackle the prison system this early in her term shows that this is an issue she really wants to address. She could have implemented laws revolving around sexual harassment in the workplace, which is what I expected her to do, but she did not.
Hochul appears to be a politician that knows exactly what she wants, and she is going to do everything in her power to get what she believes is right accomplished. So far, Gov. Hochul is doing an effective job in her new position.
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