Gov. Kathy Hochul proposed on Wednesday a new round of state funding for nonprofits vulnerable to hate crimes in the upcoming budget, while renewing her push for a 25-foot buffer around houses of worship — a proposal likely to draw fresh scrutiny over free speech and protest rights.
Hochul’s proposal, which she first pitched during her fifth State of the State address in January, goes beyond the watered-down City Council bill still awaiting Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s signature, which would require the NYPD to publish plans for handling protests near houses of worship rather than create a flat 25-foot prohibition.
