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Civil Rights and Criminal Justice Reform
New York was founded on the values of equality, justice and tolerance, and Governor Cuomo has fought over the past ten years to uphold that legacy. He established the Liberty Defense Project to assist immigrants threatened by intimidating policies and made history by creating the Office for New Americans as the first statutorily created immigrant services office. He passed the Senator José Peralta DREAM Act and will not stop fighting for DREAMERs. Additionally, he reformed an antiquated criminal justice system by raising the age of criminal responsibility to 18, implementing discovery reforms, and launching innovative re-entry programs to ensure a lower recidivism rate and fairness for all New Yorkers. Governor Cuomo has worked to provide opportunity for all, to welcome immigrants, and to protect individual and religious freedoms. He has defended these New York’s values against the extreme conservatives who are looking to take us backwards. -
Gun Safety
While Washington ignores the scourge of gun violence, Governor Cuomo is taking action. Following Sandy Hook, he passed the SAFE Act — the toughest and smartest gun safety program in the nation. And as students across the nation speak out against gun violence in the wake of continued shootings, Governor Cuomo further strengthened New York law by enacting legislation that removes guns from domestic abusers. Under Governor Cuomo’s leadership, a multi-state coalition was formed to share research and data to keep New Yorkers safer. -
Fighting for Women’s Equality
Governor Cuomo knows that when women succeed, New York succeeds. He has fought to champion women’s rights and break down barriers to equality. Under Governor Cuomo, New York passed the most comprehensive paid family leave program in the nation, launched the most aggressive public university sexual assault policy in the country, fought for a comprehensive policy to combat sexual harassment, achieved the smallest wage gap in the country, and ensured that contraceptive coverage is not interrupted regardless of what happens in Washington. Governor Cuomo outlawed gender-based pricing discrimination on products marketed for women vs. men, also known as the "pink tax." He codified Roe v. Wade into New York State Law. He will always protect a woman’s right to choose and will fight the extreme conservatives in Washington who threaten that right. -
LGBTQ Community
Pride was born at the Stonewall Inn in New York, and Governor Cuomo is a tireless fighter for the rights of the LGBTQ community. Under the Governor’s leadership, New York became the first large state to pass marriage equality and to prohibit discrimination on the basis of gender identity, transgender status or gender dysphoria. He has led the fight to end the AIDS epidemic by 2020, decreasing the percentage of new HIV diagnoses by 11% in 2018 alone. In 2020, Governor Cuomo legalized paid surrogacy in New York State. -
Educational Opportunity for All
From pre-kindergarten to college, Governor Cuomo is committed to providing the nation’s best educational opportunities to all New Yorkers. The Governor increased education funding to record highs, fought for funding equity in education, expanded full-day pre-k, launched New York’s first 3-year-old pre-k program, expanded community school programs, and passed the groundbreaking Excelsior Scholarship, a first-in-the-nation program to provide cost-free tuition at New York’s public colleges and universities. He puts students first and works to ensure that all New Yorkers are empowered to achieve their dreams. -
A Healthier New York
Governor Cuomo believes health care is a right, not a luxury, and has fought to expand quality and affordable health care for more New Yorkers. From redesigning Medicaid to reduce costs and improve care, to embracing the Affordable Care Act, and enrolling nearly one in five New Yorkers through the state’s marketplace, Governor Cuomo strengthened New York’s health care system and set an example for other states to follow. He is also laser focused on combating the opioid epidemic, making record investments in treatment services and increasing access to life-saving Naloxone. In 2020, Governor Cuomo banned flavored nicotine vaping products. -
Protecting New York’s Environment
Governor Cuomo has taken decisive action to lead the fight against climate change, create the clean energy jobs of tomorrow, and protect our environment for generations to come. By making record investments in conservation, clean water, and renewable energy like offshore wind and solar and by standing up to Washington’s proposal to drill off New York’s coast, Governor Cuomo is picking up the mantle of climate leadership where Washington is failing. In 2020, Governor Cuomo banned the use of Styrofoam and passed a $3 billion environmental bond act to fund critical environmental restoration and climate mitigation projects. He has passed the strongest environmental protection legislation in the country, including a ban on hydraulic fracturing and the most progressive clean energy standards in the nation. -
Building a New New York
To grow New York’s competitiveness in the 21st century global economy, Governor Cuomo is building today for a better tomorrow. Under the Governor’s leadership, and with the support of the men and women of organized labor, New York advanced a nation-leading $100 billion infrastructure program to rebuild roads, bridges, tunnels and airports, make historic investments in public transportation, and expand access to high speed broadband. -
Creating a Strong Middle Class
Governor Cuomo knows that the American Dream depends on economic mobility and a strong middle class. Today, every New Yorker pays a lower tax rate than they did before he took office. He took action to change a largely flat, regressive income tax into a fairer tax system by adding additional brackets. Now New York has more private sector jobs than at any point in history. Governor Cuomo is also fighting to protect New Yorkers against Washington’s devastating elimination of full state and local tax deductibility and to protect our economy. -
Combatting Income Inequality
Governor Cuomo is fighting for economic justice by securing New York’s groundbreaking $15 minimum wage, enacting critical protections for New York’s workers, passing the largest affordable housing and anti-homelessness program in state history, expanding the child care tax credit for working families, and passing the first in the nation plan to provide free college for New York students. Governor Cuomo has fought to give all New Yorkers the opportunity to succeed.