Update on the State Budget Process

In case you missed it, earlier this week, Governor Hochul submitted to the Legislature a state budget extender that will give the state spending authority and extend the budget deadline until Monday April 10th.

This extension will address a number of critical issues, including:

• Pending State Payroll: Without some spending authority in place by the close of business today, the state would be unable to meet their payroll obligations on Wednesday, impacting more the 50,000 state employees.
• Religious Observation: Passover begins at sundown Wednesday, at which point Easter observance kicks off on Holy Thursday. This extender will get members (if not staff) home in their districts for religious observance.

If a deal is not reached by Monday the 10th, the houses will have to return to pass another extender, as the next state payroll date is two days later on April 12th.

Overall, negotiations have been stalled at the leadership level, dominated by several items:

• Bail Reform
• Housing
• Taxes

Progress on other issues has been stalled while the leaders try to come to agreement on these controversial issues. We will keep you all up to date while negotiations continue throughout the week (and weekend). Discussions on most education issues are at a standstill until these issues are resolved. 

The Governor released the following statement:

"New Yorkers are concerned about public safety, the rising cost of housing, and ensuring high-quality schools for all our kids, and any budget deal must make progress on these core issues. I have been negotiating in good faith with the legislature, but it is clear there is more work to be done before we reach an agreement. For that reason, I am submitting a bill to the legislature that would extend the budget deadline to April 10th, giving us the time we need to deliver a final budget that is responsive to the urgent needs of New Yorkers. We must make real progress to make New York more affordable, more livable and safer."

Senate Majority Leader Stewart-Cousins released the following statement:

"We are disappointed that all parties couldn't come together to pass a final budget in a timely manner. Today, we will be passing a short-term extender to ensure our public employees continue to be paid and state operations can carry on as usual while budget negotiations proceed. We look forward to concluding our budget process and having a budget that represents the values of all New Yorkers."