Cuomo: Keeping the promise of New York by ensuring opportunity for all

I believe that inclusion and collective action are the best ways to build a brighter future. It is the New York way – it is the Somos way – to ensure equality of opportunity. And at a time when some insist on building walls in other parts of the country, we are building bridges and creating opportunities in New York.

As an example, New York state has greatly expanded opportunities for minority- and women-owned businesses. Our MWBE program is a national model that ensures that women and minority entrepreneurs have a seat at the table when it comes to competing for state contracts. In the 2014-15 fiscal year alone, $1.69 billion in state contracts was allocated to minority-owned and women-owned businesses. And we are continuing to raise the bar. We have exceeded our 20 percent goal for the past three years and are now gaining momentum in the effort to reach a new 30 percent goal – which is the highest in the nation.

But there is still more we should do. The state currently awards approximately $65 billion each fiscal year for local government contracts – but under current law, those contracts are not held to our MWBE goal. We are fighting to change that so MWBEs have the opportunity to compete whenever and wherever state contract dollars are offered – whether it is the state Department of Transportation, or a project with our local communities.

When it comes to immigration, we have also led the fight to promote and protect those who come to our state seeking a better future for themselves and their families. This is not a new battle for me. As attorney general, I successfully fought to protect immigrants from unscrupulous immigration services and secured judgments and settlements in excess of $23 million. As governor, I am continuing to stand up for the tens of thousands of immigrant workers who come to New York in pursuit of the American dream.

My administration also rescinded the Secure Communities program, which unfairly harmed immigrants and their families in virtually every region of the state. Further, I have required all state agencies that provide services to the public to provide free interpretation and translation services. And we made national history by establishing the Office for New Americans, the first statutorily created immigrant office, to further help those who come to America to pursue new opportunities and a brighter future. 

We advanced these proposals because I believe that immigration status and language barriers should never condemn someone to poverty and hardship. And that is why we took smart, bold actions to protect workers – from introducing regulations and signing legislation to reform the nail salon industry, to cracking down on wage theft and encouraging workers in all sectors to come forward and report abuse. It is also why the New York State Police and the Division of Human Rights will receive and process U visa certifications requests for claimants, victims and witnesses.

Despite our accomplishments, we must do more to achieve genuine social and economic justice, including raising the minimum wage to $15 to benefit 2.3 million New Yorkers, and enacting paid family leave to support low-wage workers and their families. And we must build and protect affordable housing – by enacting a $20 billion proposal to create 100,000 affordable housing units, as well as 20,000 new supportive and emergency shelter beds over the next 15 years. And we must finally pass the Dream Act – because the young people who would benefit from it are as American as anyone born here.

The enduring promise of New York is that all are welcome, especially the tired, the poor and the huddled masses yearning to breathe free. That is the promise that this administration lives by, and it is what we are continuing to build on this year – in order to achieve a stronger, fairer and more inclusive state for all.

Andrew Cuomo is the governor of New York.