New Yorkers will have to wait at least another week for a state budget deal as both the Senate and Assembly passed a second budget extender on Tuesday, April 7.
State lawmakers will meet again on April 14 to either pass another extension or the budget. Nearly $4 billion has been spent on keeping the state government open so far, which includes funding for Medicaid, public transit, unemployment insurance and veteran’s programs across New York.
It’s been mostly radio silence from Albany Democrats, while Republican representatives continued to express their frustrations with the late budget on Tuesday, including Assembly Minority Leader Ed Ra, a Long Island Republican.
“Twenty million New Yorkers are waiting for three people in a room to provide spending specifics and a final plan,” Ra said in a statement. “Right now, the only thing we know is that no budget is coming this week. This is government performing at its worst, and One-Party Rule has it down to a science.”
And Sen. Thomas O’Mara, a Southern Tier Republican, pressed Senate Deputy Leader Michael Gianaris, a New York City Democrat, on the Senate floor about what he says is a lack of urgency and transparency.
“It’s like repeat of every year around here, it seems, and it’s just not a good way to do business,” O’Mara said. “We should be doing better for the people of New York… we really need to get down to business here.”
Neither Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins nor Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie immediately responded to a USA TODAY Network request for comment about the Democratic leaderships response to the GOP criticism.
Here’s the latest.
What’s delaying NY’s state budget?
According to Gianaris, no remaining bills have been locked down and no meetings have been scheduled to work on finalizing the bills.
However, the same key issues are still being discussed on either side — the governor’s proposed auto insurance reforms, changes to the state’s environmental review process and adjustments to the state’s climate law.
Reforms to the state’s Tier 6 pension program have also been a topic of debate, which Assemblymember J. Gary Pretlow, a Westchester County Democrat and the Assembly’s chairman of the Ways and Means Committee, briefly addressed on the Assembly floor on Tuesday.
“There have been some discussions,” Pretlow said. “That has a $1.5 billion price tag [per year] attached to it and part of the discussion is do the municipalities share that with the state or does the state take on the entire burden?”
Is there an end in sight to Albany state budget debate?
Not really. According to Assemblymember Phil Palmesano, R-Corning, only one budget bill has been passed as of Tuesday and nine more are still on the list.
“This tells us very little about where we are, and it certainly keeps us in the same place,” Palmesano said. “This is really not just about being late, it’s about lack of visible progress.”
There was some optimism in the room, though.
“As you know, hope springs eternal,” Pretlow said. “It is truly my hope that we have a budget by April 14.”
Emily Barnes covers state government for the USA TODAY Network-New York with a focus on how policy and laws impact New Yorkers’ taxes, communities and jobs. Follow her on Instagram or X @byemilybarnes. Get in touch at ebarnes@usatodayco.com.
This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: NY budget extended again. Here’s what is delaying it from passing
Reporting by Emily Barnes, New York State Team / Rockland/Westchester Journal News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
