Gov. Kathy Hochul Says This is Now Legal In New York State

Today was a big day for the State of New York. It’s the day that the state budget was approved.

Here in Western New York, one of the biggest topics has been the brand new Buffalo Bills stadium, which is part of the state budget for this year. The budget, by the way is for $220 billion.

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Suspending some state taxes for fuel prices, billions toward making child care more affordable and strengthening bail restrictions.

One other thing that Governor Kathy Hochul announced on Thursday, was the return of something that became extremely popular during the start of the pandemic in 2020.

The legalization of to-go drinks across New York State.

The new law will run for three years. It had expired last year, but will now be legal once again. According to the New York Times, there was opposition towards it but in the end, it passed and is now legal once again for the next three years.

Hochul’s main focus on the to-go drinks was too help small businesses who are still feeling the impacts of the pandemic, which as we know, hit the restaurant and bar industry hard in 2020 and again in 2021.

I know a lot of people who love the to-go drinks at bars and restaurants. The opposition is understandable, but with how much support it did have, I’m not surprised it’s been legalized again for the next three years.