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Mr. Cuomo, delivering his third annual State of the State address, has worked feverishly this week to negotiate an agreement with legislative leaders on a package of gun measures that would make New York the most restrictive in the nation. In his speech, he planned to call on the Legislature to broaden the state's ban on assault weapons while also further restricting the capacity of magazines sold in the state. He also was expected to call for measures to require gun permits to be periodically recertified, and for better reporting of mental health records for use in background checks of gun buyers.

One of Mr. Cuomo's senior aides, Howard B. Glaser, said in a radio interview on Wednesday that gun control would be "an important component of today's speech."

Mr. Cuomo, a Democrat, used his first two years as governor to largely follow through on the agenda he laid out in his election campaign, working closely with Republicans in the State Senate to rein in state spending and limit local property taxes, while also persuading them to allow a vote to allow gay men and lesbians to wed.

Now, Mr. Cuomo is moving to tackle a number of crises that have emerged in recent months. After Hurricane Sandy, which he attributed in part to climate change, Mr. Cuomo vowed to revamp the state's emergency plans so New York was better prepared for storms, and to rebuild the state's infrastructure to make it more resilient to extreme weather. And after the Newtown massacre, he pledged to win passage of new gun measures, which Democrats, who have a majority in the State Assembly, have urged for years, but Republicans, who have led the Senate, have resisted.

In his speech, Mr. Cuomo was also expected to call on legislators to address the flood of money in politics, likely by requiring outside groups that spend money on elections to disclose more of their spending. Government reform groups also hoped that Mr. Cuomo would call for the state to put in place a system of public financing for state elections.

Mr. Cuomo now faces different political terrain in the Capitol than he did in his first two years as governor. The Senate this year will be controlled by a coalition of Republicans and breakaway Democrats. The Assembly remains controlled by Democrats.