ALBANY — Gov. Kathy Hochul on Dec. 19 vetoed the “Local Input for Community Healthcare Act,” better known to Brooklynites as the LICH Act, named in honor of Cobble Hill’s now-shuttered Long Island College Hospital.
The veto — the second by Hochul — dismayed Brooklyn Assemblymember Jo Anne Simon, who has been working to pass the legislation for a decade.
Simon, who represents the area once served by LICH — including Cobble Hill, Carroll Gardens, Gowanus, Downtown and Brooklyn Heights — first introduced the bill with former state Sen. Daniel Squadron in 2015. Senate co-sponsor in 2024 and 2025 was state Sen. Gustavo Rivera of the Bronx, chair of the Senate Health Committee…