Governor Hochul: “As a mom, and someone who did all the family shopping and had to go to discount stores to pile up a big grocery cart with oversized packages of paper towels and toilet paper and Cheerios — just hoping they would last as long as possible before I had to go back there again — 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.”

Hochul: “Because inflation has been so high, it actually resulted in something we didn’t foresee when we were doing our budgeting, $3 billion more that was collected over the last few years unexpectedly. And it’s all because New Yorkers paid more for everyday products… That money can stay in the State, or it can go back to New Yorkers — I’m on the side of New Yorkers.”

Earlier today, Governor Kathy Hochul went grocery shopping with a Capital Region constituent to highlight her 2025 State of the State affordability agenda. As her first proposal for the 2025 State of the State, Governor Hochul proposed New York State’s first-ever Inflation Refund, which would deliver about $3 billion in direct payments to around 8.6 million New York taxpayers statewide in 2025. This new refund would send a payment of $300 to single taxpayers who make up to $150,000 per year, and a payment of $500 for joint tax filers making up to $300,000 per year. The announcement is one of several proposals to help address the cost of living that will be unveiled as part of the Governor’s upcoming State of the State.

B-ROLL: The event is available to stream on YouTube here and TV quality video is available here (h.264, mp4).

VIDEO: The event is available to stream on YouTube here and TV quality video is available here (h.264, mp4).

AUDIO: The Governor’s remarks are available in audio form here.

PHOTOS: The Governor’s Flickr page has photos of the event here.

A rush transcript of the Governor’s remarks is available below:

Governor Hochul: Sally McKenna, thank you for joining me here today. And I know you had a lot of shopping to do. She has an almost 16-year-old grandson that she has to feed every single day. He’s getting bigger and I cannot imagine what those grocery bills look like. But we also talked about what it was like when she had to raise four children and you had to do things like how you’re going to divide up this into four or five hamburgers because it's expensive.

But the prices today, compared to when our families were young, our paychecks were small, but my God, it's so expensive these days. The eggs, $5, some are $7. The gallon of milk — and for most families, you can go through a gallon of milk so quickly — it’s another $5. It just keeps adding up and up and up. And as a mom, and someone who did all the family shopping and had to go to discount stores to pile up a big grocery cart with oversized packages of paper towels and toilet paper and Cheerios — just hoping they would last as long as possible before I had to go back there again — 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.

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. We have many affordability initiatives that we launched over the summer, we’ve been talking and talking about this: trying to put more money back in people’s pockets when they're going back to school shopping, covering their home heating bills, trying to give more money for parents to give their kids that food in the summertime when they don’t have the school lunches and breakfasts. But right now, it's really really hard.

And so, because inflation has been so high, it actually resulted in something we didn’t foresee when we were doing our budgeting, $3 billion more that was collected over the last few years unexpectedly. And it’s all because New Yorkers paid more for everyday products. Their costs went up, they paid more in sales tax, and as a result, the money was collected by the State. So, here we go. That money can stay in the State, or it can go back to New Yorkers — I’m on the side of New Yorkers; people like Sally and her grandson and others, and she’s going to feed a family of 13 over the holidays. I want to help them directly.

So, what I’m proposing is returning that $3 billion in inflation surplus, inflation sales tax surplus, and saying we have about 8.5 million families — either an individual earning $150,000 or a family earning $300,000 or less, $500 more for them to be able to just, as Sally mentioned, not have to worry that one month, not have to have that stress.

And I’m going to work hard to get this through the Legislature, get it passed, get it signed into law with my Budget, and then we’ll be looking at the returns that come out this upcoming spring, and sending out checks as soon as we can.

So Sally, I want to just ask you if you have any thoughts on what that would do for a family like yours? You have worked so hard. You’re a school teacher. She still wants to be a school teacher, I can tell she loved her work with the third and fifth graders. But tell us what your thoughts are about this, Sally.

Sally McKenna: Well, when the paychecks come in, I have to decide what bills are going to get paid, what portion, but the first thing that comes out is the food budget that I know I spend every month. And to have a boost of a check like that would make it easier to then put something toward another bill or just — either way, that money would go for the food, than the money that would be a boost for other bills too.

And you mentioned relieving stress? Yeah, we all could use a relief from stress, and it would go a long way.

Governor Hochul: Well, hopefully we'll get it done for you, Sally. I promise we'll get it done. We’ll get it done.

Sally McKenna: Thank you.

Governor Hochul: Thank you for joining us. I want to wish you the very best of holidays.

Sally McKenna: You too.

Governor Hochul: And just give that little 1-year-old grandbaby that’s coming to visit a special hug for me as New York’s also first grandmother ever to hold this position. Thank you for joining us.