The New York state Legislature on Monday passed a seventh state budget extender — now nearly four weeks past the budget’s deadline — which was sent to Gov. Kathy Hochul for her signature.
The extender runs through Thursday and funds state operations including payroll and public health programs. Lawmakers are expected to pass another extender this week.
The budget was due April 1.
Major differences between Hochul and the Democrat-led Legislature over the her proposal to reform the state’s car insurance laws in an effort to lower rates and dial back the 2019 climate law remain key sticking points, as well as differences over raising taxes on the wealthy, school aid, Tier 6 pension reform and Hochul’s measure to create a 25-foot protest buffer around places of worship.
There have been frustrations among some lawmakers about the slow process. Late last week, state Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie chastised the media for not adequately covering the legislative fallout stemming from the lengthy policy debates commonplace in New York’s budget process, where the governor has the power to make policy changes tied to the state’s spending plan and state lawmakers negotiate objections or desired tweaks to those policy proposals behind closed doors. Hochul has fired back against criticism from lawmakers and good-government groups over her use of the budget process by insisting that she “prefers an on-time budget” and that her priorities have been open for legislative digestion since her State of the State address at the start of the year.