Gov. Kathy Hochul visited Market 32 in Albany on Tuesday, further pushing her State of the State affordability agenda.

The governor discussed the high prices of items at grocery stores.
She reiterated her proposal for New York state’s first ever inflation refund, which her office said is part of an ongoing effort to put more money in your pockets.

“I have a real innate feel for what families are going through right here in the great State of New York, and it’s too much.” Said Hochul.

“We’ve heard it. I’ve seen it. I’ve talked to people in stores. And as I walk the streets and I go into diners, the cost of living is the number one concern of New Yorkers and it has been for a while.”

As NewsChannel 13 previously reported, the governor estimates more than 500,000 people here in the Capital Region would get money from the state’s Inflation Refund proposal.

This is just one of several proposals to help address the cost of living in New York state.

Meanwhile, Republican Sen. Jim Tedisco is responding to Gov. Hochul’s rebate check proposal, releasing this statement:

“Anytime the state is returning money back into the pockets of overburdened taxpayers is a good thing, but the economic woes New Yorkers are facing are based on systemic problems in our state that have been exacerbated by inflation. The Governor’s rebate check proposal, while a step in the right direction, is a band aid on a gushing wound that requires major surgery to heal.” 

“I don’t believe the Governor is fully seeing the greater essence of the problem, which isn’t just about inflation. New York’s affordability crisis and out-migration of population, the largest in the nation, has been baked into our state government for some time due to overzealous state mandates, over-spending and over-taxing.”  

“This can’t just be a one and done approach to providing tax relief. We need a more holistic approach to making our state more affordable. An example of that is capping state spending, much as we do for property taxes, and passing my ‘Two-Star’ legislation to double property tax relief for residents and eliminate property taxes for seniors to enable them to continue to afford to live in their own homes here in New York.”