text: He is proposing to make Election Day a state holiday, synchronize state and federal elections and enact early voting by mail and same-day voter registration.
  Following a tragic crash involving a stretch limousine in Schoharie County last fall, comprehensive safety reforms for limousines and similar vehicles were included in the 2019 executive budget.
  The reforms include an outright ban on stretch limos and would require drivers to hold a commercial driver’s license denoting that they can operate a vehicle for eight or more passengers.
  It would also increase penalties for removing out-of-service stickers issued by the Department of Transportation and give the DMV authority to seize suspended license plates.
  The reforms also eliminate exceptions to seat belt requirements for limousines, buses and taxis and explicitly prohibit “larger vehicles” from making U-turns on all roads.
  In 2015, four young women were killed and four more were injured when a limo driver attempted a U-turn at the intersection of Route 48 and Depot Lane in Cutchogue.
  In 2013, in response to the Sandy Hook shooting, the New York SAFE act was signed into law. The legislation requires universal background checks for gun purchases and increased penalties for people who use illegal guns.
  Under the law, school officials, law enforcement and family members would be able to seek a court order in order to block someone from purchasing or possessing a firearm if they pose an extreme risk to themselves or others.
  He also proposed banning bump stocks and extending the waiting period during a background check from three to 10 days.
  “History proved us right. We have more mass shootings, more gun violence, more student deaths,” Mr. Cuomo said Tuesday. “Let New York lead the way again.”
  Mr. Cuomo touted several ongoing projects such cashless tolling, airport improvements and Long Island Rail Road second and third track projects as infrastructure achievements. He would like to see $150 billion invested into infrastructure projects statewide over five years.
  To address ongoing MTA issues, the governor is proposing to create a “reliable funding stream” through congestion pricing in Manhattan. According to Mr. Cuomo, electronically charged tolls to enter the Manhattan central business district (south of 60th Street) would generate $15 billion. To cover the shortfall to fund the MTA, he proposed a 50-50 split between the city and state.
  “Let’s write the rights of Roe v. Wade into the New York State Constitution so it cannot be changed no matter what happens politically,” he said.
  He also wants state lawmakers to pass the Equal Rights Amendment to protect against discrimination on the basis of sex in the state constitution, among other protections for women that would outlaw ‘revenge porn,’ eliminate the statute of limitations for rape and modernize pay equity laws.
  “Our middle class are the ones who took it on the chin,” Mr. Cuomo said, referring to sweeping federal tax reform that limits deductions for state and local taxes to $10,000. He is proposing to lower taxes for the middle class from 6.85 percent to 5.5 or 6 percent, depending on income, and is seeking to make the 2 percent cap on local property tax increases permanent under New York State law.
  Photo caption: Governor Andrew Cuomo delivers his State of the State address Tuesday in Albany. (Credit: Courtesy/Flickr)
  New Yorkers over 65 years of age will now be eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine following a shift...