SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- Governor Andrew Cuomo was at the Syracuse Civic Center Wednesday morning for the fifth stop on his regional State of the State tour. His four previous stops were in New York City, Buffalo, Westchester County, and Long Island.
He opened the speech highlighting economic and social progress across New York state. He touted the improvement over local, county and state levels over the last 6 years. He specifically mentioned the unemployment drop.
"It's not just New York City that is doing well, it is the entire state," Cuomo said.
He said that New York has made great social advances, likes passing marriage equality, raising the minimum wage and paid family leave.
"We made progress because we took action. It is not an accident that the state turned around -- we made it turn around," Cuomo said.
WATCH: Gov. Cuomo's Full Central New York Region State of the State Address Speech
Cuomo proposed that the state needs to stop the spending spree that has been out of control over the last 50 years. He touted that under his administration -- he was able to cut spending down to 1.4 percent, which he called "historic."
"Cutting spending is very hard, but we did it," Cuomo said. " We've cut taxes across the board."
He went on to say that Upstate New York needed an economic transformation more than downstate did. Cuomo called the money that went into the Regional Economic Development Councils a success. Business leaders competed to create the best plans across the state and Cuomo says "it is working."
The REDC money went into New York State Fair renovations and improvements. He touted the highest attendance in state fair history in 2016 with 1.1 million visitors. The funding also went toward revamping Hotel Syracuse, Onondaga Lake, Empire Farmstead Brewery, and an overall investment in tourism. The I love New York tourism growth has brought $102 billion worth of revenue across the state.
He also said funding would be coming to the CNY Raceway Park which was where Super Dirt Week was originally planned to be.
This year, Cuomo says that manufacturing is gong to be the "bread and butter" along the east coast. He is proposing a Buy America Act proposal to keep jobs in the United States. It would give preference to purchasing American-made products on state procurements over $100,000.
"We have a responsibility to our people -- to keep jobs in America," Cuomo said.
Cuomo says that the ridesharing legislation is unfair to Upstate New York, and proposes that it be passed beyond New York City. He said it keeps people safe, creates jobs and is overall a good thing for the economy.
SAAB will invest $30 million North American headquarters for its Defense and Security Division in Onondaga County. This move would create 260 jobs in DeWitt. SAABs drone radar technology would be developed at the facility.
Cuomo is proposing that Syracuse's Hancock International Airport undergo improvements as a partnership with the county. He says he wants to transform and rebuild the outdated facility to become brighter, and that the state is going to invest $35.8 million to redesign the airport both inside and out.
"Airports are the new front door to regional growth," Cuomo said.
Some of the features on the new building will include a new drop-off canopy, solar panels on the rooftop, and a glass pedestrian bridge that leads right to the second floor. The inside of the airport will also be changed to improve security and move passengers through more efficiently.
Cuomo says the project should create about 870 jobs and could be done in 24 months or less.
The Southern Tier will lead the way for the state to capitalize on the hemp farming industry for New York. A partnership with the Department of Agriculture and Markets will help the region to succeed in the billion dollar industry. The cap on hemp farming will be lifted in the state, easing restrictions for the Southern Tier to achieve their goals.
Cuomo went on to tout the free tuition for qualified students at SUNY and CUNY schools in the state. In Central New York, 80 percent of families would qualify for the free SUNY tuition, according to the governor. An investment Middle Class Recovery Act, which will impact all of New York, was also proposed. The act would alleviate frustrations felt by the middle class in New York, and help to achieve income equality throughout the state.
"All we have to do is keep it going. At the end of the day it is very simple -- leave this place better than you found it. And that is exactly what we are going to do," Cuomo said in closing.
This tour is a break from the traditional single address given by the governor to the state legislature in Albany. Cuomo will make his final stop in the Capital Region Wednesday afternoon.