Public Safety

• The governor’s “justice agenda” is the centerpiece of his public safety budget. Spending for New York’s public safety agencies is projected to be nearly $5.7 billion, a slight decline of about 0.5 percent. The largest reductions will be at the Division of Criminal Justice Services and the Division of Homeland Security.

• The plan would establish a “comprehensive cannabis regulatory” structure to oversee implementation and regulation of legalized recreational marijuana. The three-tiered system would allow licensing for producers, distributors and retailers. Law enforcement will still work to stop “illegal” growing operations, but at the same time the governor is calling for a program to have marijuana convictions sealed — primarily in communities “disproportionately targeted by the war on drugs.”

• Cuomo wants to end cash bail. New York is one of only four states that doesn’t take public safety into consideration with bail is set by a judge.

• The plan would reduce use of solitary confinement through the creation of “more progressive, therapy-based sanctions that help inmates understand the cause of their actions.”

• Reform pre-trial discovery. New York is one of just 10 states that allow prosecutors to withhold evidence until a trial begins.

• Passage of the Child Victims Act would allow victims of sex crimes to file a civil lawsuit at any time before they reach age 50, no matter when the assault(s) took place.

• To attack the notorious MS-13 gang plaguing Long Island, a $13 million initiative would expand access to intelligence resources and add troopers and investigators to help local communities with gangrelated investigations.