A day after New York state lawmakers finalized a long-delayed $229 billion state budget that touches everything from education and transportation to wages and housing, Gov. Kathy Hochul zeroed in on one area in particular: crime and public safety.

The topic had once again become a contentious point of debate among Democratic lawmakers, who control all three levers of state power.

But together with New York City Mayor Eric Adams, a collection of district attorneys from across the state and violence reduction advocates, the governor attempted to show a united front.

During a news conference in Manhattan, she touted changes to state bail laws — which give judges greater discretion when setting bail for serious crimes — as well as a $347 million investment meant to drive down gun violence, reduce recidivism, stymie the flow of fentanyl into the state and improve the court system.

“We’re not just making reactive investments, we’re being proactive,” Hochul said. “This is what we call a holistic approach to criminal justice. We’re going to get at the root causes in these communities and find out why the young people too often are making the wrong decision. It’s about investing in those kids right from the start.”

Over $84 million of those funds will go to youth employment programs, of which $37 million has been set aside for programs that reside in Gun Involved Violence Elimination (GIVE) jurisdictions. Those jurisdictions include the Bronx, Albany and Buffalo, among others.

Another $70 million will be allocated for communities to respond to the aftermath of gun violence.

“Whether it’s the day-to-day gun violence, or a place like my hometown of Buffalo where, ironically on Mother’s Day, it will be the one-year anniversary of the mass shooting in a neighborhood grocery store not far from where I live,” Hochul said.

That funding will help “lift them up, to give them a purpose, help deal with problems that are specific to their neighborhoods, to help them cope with the pain and connect them with the resources,” the governor added.

The $347 million meant to reduce gun violence in New York represents a $120 million increase from the Fiscal Year 2023 state budget.

Adams, who has been a vocal advocate for rolling back state bail laws and cracking down on gun-related violence, celebrated his partnership with the governor.

“We started out this session in Albany focused on communication, and I just cannot say enough about the governor, what she has done from day one,” Adams said. “This budget is clearly a budget that will make our city and our communities safer.”