Attorney General Pam Bondi announced on Thursday the Justice Department has taken legal action against Gov. Kathy Hochul, New York Attorney General Letitia James, and DMV Commissioner Mark J.F. Schroeder over New York issuing driver’s licenses to illegal aliens.
The post Pam Bondi Announces Legal Action Against New York for Providing Drivers Licenses to Illegal Aliens appeared first on Breitbart.
Editor's note: This story has been updated to reflect reporting that New York Democrats have decided not to move ahead with the legislation.
A controversial New York state election bill will no longer come to fruition, as multiple reports said the bill was put on hold at the behest of Gov. Kathy Hochul.
Sources separately told the New York Post and City & State New York that Hochul asked the Democrat-majority legislature not to take any action on the legislation – which would give the governor more power to decide when special elections can be held and potentially delay the filling of U.S. Rep. Elise Stefanik's deep-red upstate seat once the Republican is confirmed as U.N. Ambassador.
The Post reported some of the reasoning stemmed from negotiations between Hochul and the Trump administration as to the longevity of the state-operated MTA's "Congestion Pricing" tolling program in New York City – which the president has opposed.
City & State reported state Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie, D-Bronx, declared the bill at least temporarily a non-starter at an afternoon meeting.
Assembly Minority Leader Will Barclay, R-Oswego, also confirmed the bill is "no longer moving forward."
"It was a terrible piece of legislation in policy & principle. Thanks to strong pushback from Republican legislators & North Country residents, the bill has been halted," Barclay wrote on X.
State Senate Minority Leader Rob Ortt, R-Niagara Falls, added in a statement to Fox News Digital that while the bill "appears to be defeated for now, we will remain vigilant against any effort to bring it back."
The reform bill had been set to come up for a vote Monday.
Critics called it a naked attempt to keep Stefanik’s North Country congressional district without a representative until November, while Democratic sponsors say it will save local and taxpayer resources.
The bill, which would allow Hochul to postpone elections or combine them with upcoming general elections, was marketed by Democrats as a cost-saving measure that helps ensure more voters will cast ballots in specials.
However, Ortt said that for all Democrats’ claims about President Donald Trump being a threat to democracy, the truth is belied in their own legislation.
"It’s all about the outcome, not process, democracy, voter participation – they could give a s---. They could give a s---," Ortt said.
TOUGH DECISIONS FOR SANCTUARY CITIES AFTER BONDI'S FUND-WITHHOLDING ORDER
"I can’t shame them; they have none… 800,000 folks [in Stefanik’s soon-to-be-former district] will not have a representative in Congress ‘til November. That's a disgrace for a party that says it cares about democracy," he said, predicting Hochul will use the law to its maximum extent when enacted.
Ortt said the bill has two different provisions – one for federal elections and one for state legislative elections and ruminated how they could benefit Democrats.
He pointed out that state Sen. Simcha Felder, D-Brooklyn, is likely to seek an open seat on New York City Council in the politically-moderate, majority-Jewish Borough Park area.
Felder caucused with Senate Republicans from 2013-18, which gave the GOP a slim, technical majority in Albany for part of former Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s term.
Ortt said Democrats stand to potentially lose Felder’s Senate seat, which explains the reported two-tiered changes in the bill.
Meanwhile, Barclay said 44% of New York state voted for Trump and the legislation shows his opposition is still smarting about it.
GOP RIPS HOCHUL'S INFLATION REFUNDS
"No, they don't accept that result," said Barclay.
"So they're going to do everything they can, including depriving 800,000 people of a say in the budget [or] the SALT (tax deduction for high-taxed states) bill."
Barclay noted that if Stefanik’s seat remains vacant when the Farm Bill is voted on later this year, a significant portion of New York's agricultural lands will lack representation.
But Democrats remained united, with Senate President Andrea Stewart-Cousins saying in a statement that New Yorkers currently face "unprecedented challenges, including the strain on our democracy and our high cost of living."
"[T]his legislation is a common-sense approach that saves taxpayer dollars while maximizing voter turnout," said Stewart-Cousins, D-Yonkers.
Currently, Hochul has 90 days to call a special election once Stefanik, or Felder, resigns.
The bill’s text suggested the current special elections' framework in Albany is an operational and financial drag on counties and taxpayers – additionally citing "voter confusion and fatigue."
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Therefore, giving the governor the power to potentially consolidate elections is pertinent.
As NY1 reported, the bill also does not mandate Hochul – or any governor – to combine special and general or primary elections, but now gives her the power to do so.
Some in Stefanik’s district, however, believe Ortt’s claims may have substance.
"By holding up a special election, they’re keeping the North Country from having congressional representation at a critical moment," state Sen. Dan Stec, R-Queensbury, told Plattsburgh’s NBC affiliate.
Stec is one of several Republicans vying for the seat, along with Sticker Mule CEO Anthony Constantino, Assemblyman Chris Tague of Schoharie, and author Liz Joy, who previously ran against Democratic Rep. Paul Tonko in the neighboring Capital Region district.
Tague told Fox News Digital that Hochul's political career began via a special election using the same laws Democrats are seeking to change.
"She’s tossing them aside to cut backroom deals … leaving the people of Upstate and the North Country without a voice," Tague said.
A spokesman for Stewart-Cousins told NY1 that state Democrats will not "be lectured to by a party that openly celebrated the release of violent felons that attempted to overthrow a presidential election and have opposed every single voting reform that increases voter participation."
New York Democratic lawmakers are working to keep Republican Rep. Elise Stefanik's House seat vacant until the summer in an unprecedented move hashed out during late-night discussions last week, a Republican Empire State assemblyman told Fox Digital.
"We still haven't seen the final proposal from the Democrats in Albany, but there's no doubt that Tammany Hall corruption is alive and well in the state capital," Republican New York Assemblyman Matt Slater, who represents the state's 94th district in areas of Putnam and Westchester counties, told Fox News Digital in an exclusive Zoom interview on Sunday morning.
"It is just blatantly corrupt for the New York State Democrats to keep changing the rules of engagement simply out of self-interest. Meanwhile, New Yorkers are struggling in so many different ways. U-Haul just gave us our worst migration rating ever because there's so many New Yorkers who are fleeing this state. So they can get things done, but they only do it when it benefits them," Slater continued.
Slater, who serves as the ranking Republican on the state's Election Law Committee, was reacting to state Democrats working to introduce legislation that could keep Stefanik's House seat vacant until June, when the state holds its scheduled primary elections. Stefanik is in the midst of her confirmation process to serve in the Trump administration and is expected to resign her House seat if the Senate confirms her as the next U.S. ambassador to the United Nations.
Under current law, New York's governor has 10 days to declare a special election for a vacant seat and an additional 80 to 90 days to hold the election. Stefanik's seat is key for the Republican Party and Trump's second administration, as Republicans hold a slim majority at 218 members to the Democrats' 215 members.
The state Democrats' anticipated legislation has not yet been introduced, but Democrats were summoned to an emergency conference on Friday evening to reportedly discuss such a bill, Slater explained. He expects to have a copy of the Democrats' bill on Monday morning.
Slater said the Democrats' objective of changing election laws to move the special election back to the summer is part of their bigger agenda to combat the second Trump administration.
"Speaker Johnson has the hardest job in government right now, trying to keep the Republican conference, caucus together. This obviously would make that margin of Republican control that much more thin and that much more challenging for the speaker and, again, jeopardizing President Trump's agenda to get through Congress. That's their entire mission and goal, the Albany Democrats, is to make sure that they're combating President Trump each step of the way. And this is their latest way of doing it," Slater said.
He pointed to a bevy of instances in which New York Democrats have leveraged their state power to combat Trump and the Republican Party in recent years, including gerrymandering and "stacking" New York's top court with Democrats.
NEW YORK APPEALS COURT JUDGES IN TRUMP CASE ROUTINELY DONATED TO DEMOCRATS, RECORDS SHOW
"If you look at the track record of the Democrats, who control every aspect of state government here in New York, they have changed the rules so many times just because it benefits them. Whether it's redistricting, whether it's stacking the Court of Appeals, whether it's allowing the governor to remove her then-indicted lieutenant governor from the ballot. The list goes on and on," he said.
"And in this case, it will deprive 800,000 New Yorkers of proper representation in Washington. And oh by the way, there were two special elections last year. And the Democrats didn't say anything about changing the rules because fact of the matter is, these are Republican districts that will be impacted, and they are trying to disrupt the Trump administration and, frankly, Leader Johnson from being able to deliver on their agenda."
President Donald Trump nominated Stefanik to serve as the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations under his second administration. The Senate Foreign Relations Committee voted to advance the New York Republican's confirmation on Thursday, with her full Senate floor vote expected later this week.
Stefanik is expected to resign from the U.S. House to take the ambassadorship if and when the Senate officially confirms her nomination.
A spokesperson for Democrat New York Gov. Kathy Hochul told Gothamist that she "believes it’s critical to increase voter turnout and reduce the cost of election administration, and she would support legislation that achieves that goal."
Slater poured cold water on the office's claim that the proposal is rooted in promoting voter turnout and easing costs, pointing to two special elections held last year – former Democrat Rep. Brian Higgins' seat as well as the February 2024 special election to replace former Republican Rep. George Santos' in a district where Democrats were expected to have an edge over the GOP. Democrats, who have held trifecta control in the state since 2018, did not push to change special election laws last year, Slater noted.
WHAT STEFANIK'S HOUSE TENURE REVEALS ABOUT WHAT TYPE OF UN AMBASSADOR SHE MAY BE
"I can't believe how hypocritical the governor and her office can be in this, because let me remind the governor that she had two special elections for Congress last year," he said.
"To sit here and say that this is going to save taxpayer money and increase voter turnout, but you didn't think about that last year when your own party had special elections that you were favored to win? Fact of the matter is, this has everything to do with the fact that this is a Republican seat. This is about control of Republicans in Congress, and this is about disrupting President Trump's agenda in Washington."
Local outlets have reported the bill could push the special election beyond June to November, when the state holds its general elections, though Slater cast doubt that Democrats would push the envelope that far.
"If you want to talk about increasing voter turnout and saving taxpayer money, they really don't have an excuse to wait past that June date. And so, you know, yes, it's always a possibility that November is the date that they put in the legislation. But I'm hard-pressed to believe that they would go that far," he said.
Slater argued that the push from Democrats to approve the special election change is a wake-up call for New Yorkers.
"[It's] so transparently political that New Yorkers need to wake up, and they need to understand that this isn't the leadership that we're asking for. President Trump has a great agenda moving forward, and this is all about disrupting that agenda to put America first," he said.
Stefanik is a longtime Trump ally who chaired the House Republican Conference from 2021 to 2025, making her the fourth-most powerful Republican in the House. She was first elected to the House in blue New York in 2014 at age 30, making her the youngest woman elected to the House at the time.
Fox News Digital reached out to the governor's office on Sunday but did not immediately receive a reply.
During an interview with Univision 41 New York on Friday, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) responded to a question on gang members in schools and law enforcement being blocked from removing them from sanctuary jurisdictions who won’t let law
The post Hochul on Sanctuaries Potentially Blocking Access to Schools to Get Gang Members: I Want Gangs Removed appeared first on Breitbart.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul has announced a new $77 million plan to clamp down on subway crime, while the MTA has also begun installing "spikes" on some of its turnstiles to stop fare evaders who cost the transit agency hundreds of millions of dollars a year in lost revenue.
The new spike features consist of metal sheets with sharp edges installed on guardrails between turnstiles that are intended to stop fare beaters from using the gate handrails for leverage when jumping.
However, the spikes are not very sharp, and evaders are still able to place their hands on top of the spikes and jump over them — or simply duck underneath the bars. The spikes have so far been installed in Manhattan's Lexington Avenue 59th Street Station, which services the N, R, W, 4, 5 and 6 trains.
NYC MAN CHARGED WITH ATTEMPTED MURDER AFTER ALLEGEDLY SHOVING COMMUTER IN PATH OF SUBWAY
Skipping payment is notoriously easy, particularly at subway stations that do not have high turnstiles. One rider told the New York Post the new spikes were "silly and foolish" and a waste of money.
Additionally, the MTA also spends around $1 million a month on private unarmed security guards to deter fare beaters, per Fox 5, but the guards have no authority to apprehend those who dodge payment.
Hochul’s fare evader plan focuses on installing more modern high-rise turnstiles at 40 stations, and it is unclear if the spike rollout at 59th Street is part of this plan.
Hochul said fare evaders cost the MTA around $700 million per year in lost revenue. About $500 million of that is via the subway system, while the remainder is attributed to the bus system.
"I say it's time to crack down on the shameless, fare evaders who are just so brazen they just walk through and others who are paying, they feel like, why should I bother," Hochul said at a Grand Central press conference on Thursday announcing her $77 million plan.
NY GOVERNOR TOUTS INCREASED SURVEILLANCE AMID MTA MAYHEM: CAMERAS IN 'EVERY SINGLE SUBWAY CAR'
Overall crime in the city is down, Hochul said, but recent high-profile incidents on the transit system have struck fear into everyday strangers.
A Guatemalan illegal immigrant has been charged with setting a woman on fire and burning her to death on a subway train last month, while on New Year’s Eve, a man was pushed in front of a moving train but miraculously survived.
There has been a surge of violence on subways in recent weeks, and Hochul said 750 more police officers will patrol the subway system on top of the 2,500 already assigned. An additional 300 will be assigned to the trains onboard between 9 p.m. and 5 a.m. Those figures are on top of the estimated 1,000 National Guard troops who have been assigned to the subway system.
"So basically, this means we've doubled the number of law enforcement personnel on the New York City subway system in one year," Hochul said.
New subway edge barriers will also be installed on platforms at more than 100 additional stations by the end of 2025 to stop straphangers from falling or being pushed onto tracks.
The governor also announced funding to install LED lighting in all subway stations throughout the system in order to increase visibility throughout the stations.
"Let's just get back to basics, they served their purpose," Hochil said of the barriers. "They're there. If someone wants to stand behind them while the train is approaching and it gives you that sense of security that every New Yorker deserves to have."
Hochul also said a 24/7 "Welcome Center" near end-of-line stations will be expanded to create spaces for homeless people.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, a Democrat, announced Tuesday a plan to offer free tuition for certain degree programs at state and city colleges.
The governor announced the education proposal during her state of the state address, in which she also vowed to give students free meals at schools, make it more difficult for hedge funds to buy homes, cut taxes for middle-class earners and expand the child tax credit.
Under the free tuition plan, New York residents between the ages of 25 and 55 who enroll in associate degree programs in nursing, teaching, technology, engineering and other fields at colleges operated by the State University of New York and the City University of New York would have their tuition covered.
NEW YORK GOV. KATHY HOCHUL SEEKS EXPANDED INVOLUNTARY COMMITMENT LAWS OVER VIOLENT CRIMES ON SUBWAY
The state would also cover the cost of books and other college fees.
"When my dad got a college education, our whole family got a shot at a better life — and I want every New Yorker to have that opportunity," Hochul said in a statement. "Under my plan, every New Yorker will have the opportunity to pursue a free degree at SUNY and CUNY community colleges to help fill the in-demand jobs of tomorrow."
Other states have similar tuition programs, and several others offer various discounted tuitions for state colleges.
New York residents already receive discounted tuition at the vast network of state and city colleges, which consists of nearly 90 schools, and a program that already provides free tuition at the institutions for residents who make less than $125,000 a year.
Hochul also said she wants to address the problem of smartphones in K-12 schools by creating a statewide standard for distraction-free learning in the state.
Additionally, Hochul said she will work to address crime, expand mental health treatment services and to strengthen security in the New York City subway system after a surge in violent crimes on the subway. This would include plans to add police patrols on overnight trains and install barriers and better lighting on platforms.
The governor's proposals will be debated in the Democrat-controlled state legislature.
She is expected to face a contested Democratic primary election next year.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
New York lawmakers called for the governor-appointed chairman of the New York City transit system to be fired amid accusations he downplayed a rash of subway crime to praise new Manhattan tolls that are aimed at driving commuters underground.
In comments on a Bloomberg podcast, MTA Chairman Janno Lieber argued that crime on the MTA has declined and that the recent viral incidents are giving an impression of a system-wide safety crisis.
"The overall stats are positive. Last year, we [had] actually 12.5% less crime than 2019 . . . , " he said.
"But there's no question that some of these high-profile incidents; terrible attacks, have gotten in people's heads and made the whole system feel less safe."
SUBWAY MAYHEM SPURS CUOMO TO URGE HALT TO NEW NYC DRIVING TAX
Rep. Michael Lawler, R-N.Y., shared a clip of Lieber ceremonially unveiling one of the new "Congestion Pricing" setups near Lincoln Center and said the agency "needs an enema; starting with Janno Lieber."
"Imagine being such an a--hole as to celebrate screwing New Yorkers out of their hard-earned money just for the privilege to drive to work," Lawler wrote, adding that Hochul "needs to be defeated in 2026."
Lieber ripped Lawler in response, telling MSNBC that the Rockland County lawmaker was dabbling in "grievance politics."
Lieber claimed that a plurality of Lawler’s constituents – in bedroom communities 30 miles north of the city – already rely on mass transit and that only "one percent" make the daily drive down the Palisades to the "congestion-pricing" zone.
HOCHUL CHRISTMASTIME BOAST OF SAFER SUBWAYS CAME AMID STRING OF ALARMING VIOLENT ATTACKS
New York’s new $9 toll to enter any part of Manhattan below Central Park has enraged commuters, as well as residents within its bounds.
Commuters from Long Island found themselves bottlenecked in trying to access the last unaffected entry to Manhattan – the Upper Level of the Queensboro Bridge.
One East Side luxury building's exit also unintentionally forced residents through a toll gantry, even if they are trying to go uptown; away from the zone, while outer neighborhoods braced for a deluge of suburbanites looking for parking to avoid the toll.
New York Senate Deputy Minority Leader Andrew Lanza, R-Staten Island, torched Lieber:
"Janno: pull your head out of your piles of statistics, get out from behind your computer, and walk a mile in your riders’ shoes before you ignore, dismiss and insult them," Lanza said.
"The people of this state and city deserve the truth and real solutions, not eggheads trying to convince themselves they’re doing a good job."
Sen. Bill Weber of Valley Cottage added: "Albany Democrats claim congestion pricing is to reduce traffic congestion, but at what cost? It punishes everyday people—working parents, firefighters, seniors going to doctor's appointments, and those who already struggle to make ends meet."
"For them, this isn’t just a toll; it’s another obstacle in their daily lives. Tell me, how is that progressive?" he asked.
Sen. Steve Rhoads of Nassau previously quipped that the MTA’s acronym stands for "Money Thrown Away" and said this week that his constituents who rely on trains like the LIRR have grown distrustful of the agency.
"[Lieber] has no idea what it is to be a working-class New Yorker," Rhoads said. "While affordability and safety are huge concerns for real people, they are abstract concepts for him."
Lieber was previously an executive at Silverstein Properties — recently overseeing a World Trade Center project — a transportation adviser to President Bill Clinton and Mayor Ed Koch, and a journalist for the New Republic.
He was also the MTA’s capital development officer under Gov. Andrew Cuomo.
Cuomo, who still strongly supports the congestion pricing plan, recently told Fox News Digital through a spokesman that he, however, has reservations about whether now is the right time to activate the tolls – given the lack of confidence in subway safety and changes in the city since the COVID-19 pandemic.
"It is undeniable that New York is in a dramatically different place today than it was in 2019, and without a study forecasting its consequences based on facts, not politics, it could do more harm than good to New York City's recovery," Cuomo spokesman Rich Azzopardi said last week.
State Sen. Alexis Weik, R-Suffolk, called the video of Lieber’s Broadway sign-reveal "a despicable show of glee and greed" and called for a financial review board to scrutinize the transit agency’s books.
In response to the slew of calls for Lieber's ouster, MTA Chief of Policy & External Relations John J. McCarthy defended the transit boss.
"Under Chair Lieber’s leadership, the MTA has added service, opened new terminals and provided record on-time performance for their constituents on Long Island and the Hudson Valley, while delivering the most reliable subway service in a dozen years," McCarthy said.
"But apparently, none of that prevents out-of-touch politicians from bloviating."
An unflinching 71-year-old woman gave a group of would-be teen muggers a taste of their own medicine when they tried to mug the senior on her way to church on New Year’s Day.
The gutsy straphanger fought off the four female teens as they punched and stomped on her during the botched robbery on the New York City subway system, the latest in a string of crimes on the Big Apple’s crime-ridden transit network.
The victim was on her way to a church service on New Year's Day in Brooklyn at around 6 p.m. when she got off a Number 3 train at Hoyt Station – only to be set upon by the teens, according to the NYPD and a New York Post report.
SUSPECT ACCUSED OF BURNING WOMAN TO DEATH ON NYC SUBWAY IS PREVIOUSLY DEPORTED ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT
Police say the four suspects tried to steal the woman’s bag and struck her on the body. The NYPD released video of the group smiling as they pass through subway turnstiles and police say they are still on the loose. They have asked for the public's help in tracking them down.
The woman, identified by the Post as Linda Rosa from East New York, detailed the disturbing attack to the publication, saying she was adamant she would not be robbed.
Rosa said after one of the teens tried to grab her purse while a second also tried to get her sticky fingers on it, asking the senior if she wanted to fight.
The first teen then smacked Rosa in the face, knocking her glasses to the floor, while the second teen managed to snatch a pocket pouch that held Rosa’s ID and medical records, she said.
"I was still wrestling with the first person," Rosa told the Post. "Then I was trying to kick her in between her legs, but my leg wouldn’t stretch far enough, so I believe that’s when I fell. I fell, and then she stomped on me."
NYC MAN CHARGED WITH ATTEMPTED MURDER AFTER ALLEGEDLY SHOVING COMMUTER IN PATH OF SUBWAY
Fearing the law flouting teens would stomp her in the head, Rosa said she fought back.
"So I got up right away, and with that, I grabbed her braids and twirled them around my right hand, and then I pulled her down. She had her head down," Rosa said. "Then the other young lady said, ‘Let her go.’ And I said, ‘Oh, no, I’m not letting her go.’"
The plucky senior yelled out for someone to help her and then the second teen came for her again.
"So out of nowhere, I grabbed her hair and twisted it around my left hand," Rosa said. "So I had them both facedown….[like] rams when they’re getting ready to fight."
Rosa said the other two teens screamed at her to let the pair go and Rosa then yelled for help.
The senior eventually cut them loose and the stunned teens bolted from the subway system.
Rosa then headed to the nearby Brooklyn Tabernacle Church, where the staff tended to her and called 911, per the Post.
Police tell Fox News Digital that the victim sustained minor injuries and was taken by EMS to The Brooklyn Hospital Center in stable condition.
She told the Post that she was thankful they did not have weapons and that the frightening ordeal didn’t spark a heart attack.
Nevertheless, she said she forgives them.
"They do not know what they do," Rosa told the Post. "They don’t know what they did. It’s just teenagers acting foolish."
She said that nobody is safe in New York City’s subway system or on the streets these days.
"It could happen to anybody," Rosa said. "Now we’re seeing seniors getting attacked. Anywhere – it can happen anywhere, any station. You could be walking down the street. You could be crossing the street."
The attack came just a day after a 45-year-old man was shoved into an oncoming subway train in Manhattan. He suffered a head injury and was miraculously listed in stable condition.
Days earlier, police say an illegal immigrant from Guatemala heinously set on fire and burned a woman to death on a subway train in Brooklyn, New York.
The crimes come despite New York Governor Kathy Hochul touting the subway system as safe.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, a Democrat, is looking to expand the state’s involuntary commitment laws to allow hospitals to force more people with mental health problems into treatment.
This comes in response to a series of violent crimes in the New York City subway system.
Hochul said Friday she wants to introduce legislation during the coming legislative session to amend mental health care laws to address the recent surge of violent crimes on the subway.
"Many of these horrific incidents have involved people with serious untreated mental illness, the result of a failure to get treatment to people who are living on the streets and are disconnected from our mental health care system," the governor said.
HOCHUL'S CHRISTMASTIME BOAST OF SAFER SUBWAY CAME AMID STRING OF ALARMING VIOLENT ATTACKS
"We have a duty to protect the public from random acts of violence, and the only fair and compassionate thing to do is to get our fellow New Yorkers the help they need," she continued.
Mental health experts say that most people with mental illness are not violent and are far more likely to be victims of violent crime than they are to carry out a violent crime.
The governor did not provide details on what her legislation would change.
"Currently, hospitals are able to commit individuals whose mental illness puts themselves or others at risk of serious harm, and this legislation will expand that definition to ensure more people receive the care they need," she said.
Hochul also said she would introduce another bill to improve the process in which courts can order people to undergo assisted outpatient treatments for mental illness and make it easier for people to voluntarily sign up for those treatments.
The governor said she is "deeply grateful" to law enforcement who every day "fight to keep our subways safe." But she said "we can't fully address this problem without changes to state law."
"Public safety is my top priority and I will do everything in my power to keep New Yorkers safe," she said.
State law currently allows police to compel people to be taken to hospitals for evaluation if they appear to be suffering from mental illness and their behavior presents a risk of physical harm to themselves or others. Psychiatrists must then determine if the patients need to be involuntarily hospitalized.
New York Civil Liberties Union executive director Donna Lieberman said requiring more people to be placed into involuntary commitment "doesn't make us safer, it distracts us from addressing the roots of our problems, and it threatens New Yorkers' rights and liberties."
Hochul's statement comes after a series of violent crimes in New York City's subways, including an incident on New Year's Eve when a man shoved another man onto subway tracks ahead of an incoming train, on Christmas Eve when a man slashed two people with a knife in Manhattan’s Grand Central subway station and on Dec. 22 when a suspect lit a sleeping woman on fire and burned her to death.
NYC MAN CHARGED WITH ATTEMPTED MURDER AFTER ALLEGEDLY SHOVING COMMUTER IN PATH OF SUBWAY
The medical histories of the suspects in those three incidents were not immediately clear, but New York City Mayor Eric Adams, a Democrat, has said the man accused of the knife attack in Grand Central had a history of mental illness and the father of the suspect who shoved a man onto the tracks told The New York Times that he had become concerned about his son's mental health in the weeks prior to the incident.
Adams has spent the past few years urging the state Legislature to expand mental health care laws and has previously supported a policy that would allow hospitals to involuntarily commit a person who is unable to meet their own basic needs for food, clothing, shelter or medical care.
"Denying a person life-saving psychiatric care because their mental illness prevents them from recognizing their desperate need for it is an unacceptable abdication of our moral responsibility," the mayor said in a statement after Hochul's announcement.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, a Democrat, has ordered the firing of more than a dozen prison staffers in connection with the fatal beating of an inmate earlier this month.
Hochul said in a statement Saturday that she has directed the state's corrections department commissioner to begin the process of terminating 14 workers involved in a Dec. 9 incident at the Marcy Correctional Facility in Oneida County that led to 43-year-old Robert Brooks' death the following day at a hospital.
Brooks had been in prison since 2017 and was serving a 12-year sentence for first-degree assault.
The governor's office said the decision came after an internal review, but did not offer details on the circumstances leading up to Brooks' death.
HOCHUL SLAMMED FOR SAYING SHE'S MADE SUBWAYS SAFER ON SAME DAY WOMAN BURNED ALIVE ON TRAIN
"The vast majority of correction officers do extraordinary work under difficult circumstances, and we are all grateful for their service," Hochul said. "But we have no tolerance for individuals who cross the line, break the law and engage in unnecessary violence or targeted abuse."
The corrections department provided a list of 13 employees, including corrections officers, sergeants and a nurse who have been suspended without pay. It also included another corrections officer who resigned.
State Department of Corrections Commissioner Daniel Martuscello III condemned the staffers' involvement and said the suspensions are "in the best interest of the agency and the communities we serve."
LOUISIANA PRISONS ROUTINELY HOLD INMATES PAST THEIR RELEASE DATE, JUSTICE DEPARTMENT ARGUES
"There is no place for brutality in our department and we will vigorously pursue justice against the individuals who committed this senseless act," he said in a statement to The Associated Press. "These investigations are ongoing and additional suspensions may be issued."
Brooks' family said in a statement from their lawyer that they are "incredibly shocked and saddened" about the death, according to The Times-Union in Albany.
"We are grateful that Gov. Hochul is taking swift action to hold officers accountable, but we cannot understand how this could have happened in the first place," the family said. "No one should have to lose a family member this way."
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State Attorney General Letitia James, a Democrat, said her office is also investigating the use of force by corrections officers that led to Brooks' death. She said her staff has obtained video of the incident and it will be made public after Brooks' family has seen it.
"Law enforcement professionals must be held to the highest standards of accountability, and I am committed to providing New Yorkers with the transparency they deserve," James said in a statement.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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