The state’s fiscal year will begin Friday without a spending plan after lawmakers were allowed to leave Capitol Hill on Thursday despite failing to reach a deal.
Hochul and legislative leaders continued to bicker over issues such as bail reform and casinos in New York City, failing to reach a consensus before the midnight deadline.
For years, overdue budgets had been held up as a symbol of government dysfunction in Albany. But state Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins, a Democrat representing Yonkers, told reporters that Hochul and legislative leaders are still negotiating on important issues but will still come up with a “timely” spending plan, although the legislators will not return to the session in the Capitol until Monday.
“I will say we’re close on a lot of the issues,” Stewart said.
The lack of a budget leaves several major issues up in the air as Hochul and legislative leaders continue to negotiate on issues like a push for billions of dollars in child care subsidies and a pay raise for home health care workers. Hochul’s preliminary budget was $216 billion.
However, if lawmakers don’t pass a budget or a temporary extension by 4 p.m. Monday, more than 60,000 institutional state workers, including corrections officers and nurses, could see their paychecks interrupted until a budget is set, according to the State Comptroller’s Office.
Budget negotiations have been disrupted in recent weeks by two major moves by Hochul.
The first came on March 16, when Hochul sent legislative leaders a 10-point criminal justice plan that would make significant changes to the state’s landmark bail and discovery reforms. His plan, which has met with strong opposition from progressives, would make it easier for judges to impose cash bail on repeat offenders and those deemed a danger to the community.
The second came Monday, when Hochul’s office announced a deal to build a new $1.4 billion stadium for his hometown Buffalo Bills, with $850 million from taxpayers. The state’s share would be $600 million, which Hochul hopes to include in the budget despite criticism from lawmakers who say the money could be better spent. Erie County, home of the Bills, would pay $250 million to build the stadium.
In a statement Thursday, Hochul said he continues to have “productive conversations” with Stewart-Cousins and Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie.
“We are getting closer to an agreement, with consensus on the main policy elements,” he said. “New Yorkers need to know that progress is being made and that we will spend whatever time is necessary to reach an agreement that will deliver results and move our state forward.”
Stewart-Cousins and Deputy Senate Majority Leader Michael Gianaris, who represents Queens, were careful to strike a generally upbeat tone. But Gianaris acknowledged that Hochul’s latest political moves had clearly complicated negotiations.
“[Hochul] he is fighting hard for the issues he cares about and we are doing the same,” Gianaris said. “I think the unfortunate part is that there have been a significant number of non-budget issues thrown into the mix towards the end and that has slowed us down.
By Thursday afternoon, lawmakers were told they could return to their districts while Hochul and legislative leaders continued to negotiate. On the Senate side, lawmakers are expected to hold a closed-door conference Sunday on any negotiating progress, with the goal of voting on the budget bills on Monday.
“We definitely feel pressure to get this done by Monday,” said state Sen. Jessica Ramos, who also represents Queens.
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