It will be a return to tradition for the annual State of the State address as Gov. Kathy Hochul plans to deliver her first formal message to the Legislature in the Assembly chamber. 

Hochul's office announced Monday she will deliver the address on Jan. 5, the start of the legislative session in Albany. 

Her predecessor, former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, had opted to deliver the address in the convention center of the Empire State Plaza. The venue is a cavernous one, which allowed for more people to attend the speech beyond the members of the state Legislature. 

But the break with tradition from delivering the address in the Assembly chamber chafed some state lawmakers and traditionalists in Albany, who felt the governor should be giving the speech in the chamber in order to reflect the checks-and-balances relationship of the executive and legislative branches. 

Having the speech conducted in a different location also allowed Cuomo and his office to control every detail of the event, from PowerPoint slides to the room's temperature (Cuomo famously liked to keep rooms colder than some found comfortable). 

Hochul will also be delivering her first address in person after the COVID-19 pandemic last year sent Cuomo to deliver his address in the Capitol building's War Room without an audience. 

Precautions for COVID will be enforced, Hochul's office said, including "specific protocols" that will be announced before the address. 

"Over the past four months we've taken major steps forward to address the challenges facing New Yorkers, from increasing our statewide vaccination rate to providing relief to struggling tenants and homeowners -- but there's more work to be done," Hochul said. "I look forward to bringing the 2022 State of the State Address back to the New York State Assembly Chamber for the first time in a decade and to sharing my vision for the year to come with my legislative partners. Working together, I know New Yorkers can take on any challenge that comes our way."

The State of the State, much like the president's State of the Union, is meant to give a broad-brush view of the governor's agenda for the new year. More details and specifics come weeks later when the state budget proposal is presented.