New York State Assembly Chambers
The New York State Budget won’t be finalized until at least April 10 after Governor Kathy Hochul and the State Legislature agreed to an extension.
Hochul said in a 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.”
Issues holding up the budget from being passed includes Hochul’s proposals to further revise the state’s 2019 bail reform laws and to enact a plan to address the affordable housing crisis by building 800,000 new dwelling units over the next few years.
The bail reform revisement is the biggest issue with Hochul proposing to eliminate the requirement that judges use the “least restrictive means” when deciding whether to hold someone accused of a crime before they go on trial.
Democrats, who lead both houses, are firmly against this.
State Senator George Borrello called the budget process dysfunctional as a result of one-party rule in Albany, saying in a statement, “Nothing illustrates those failures more plainly than the inability to get a budget passed on time. While those in power regularly proclaim New York State to be a model for its peers, a corrupt, behind-closed-doors budget process and irresponsible, unsustainable $230 billion budget is hardly an example to follow. ”
Legislators will return to Albany the day after Easter to continue budget deliberations.
Leave a Reply