New York state Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins told reporters Tuesday she thinks legislative leaders and Gov. Kathy Hochul are approaching agreements on large policy items that have been holding up the state budget, which is approaching being a month late.
“I do believe we are making good progress on getting close to an agreement on the big policy issues,” she said.
The Democratic lawmaker said those agreements include a framework on the governor’s proposal to reform the state’s car insurance laws in an effort to lower rates and to dial back the state’s 2019 climate law. Hochul had proposed to move the date by which the state must release regulations for how it will reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 85% by 2050 to 2030 after environmental advocates sued the state over blowing past a previous 2024 deadline.
Stewart-Cousins said there has also been progress on proposed changes to the state’s environmental quality review (SEQRA) to spur housing development, as well as on an immigrant protection package which has been brewing since the beginning of the legislative session.
“I am hopeful, frankly, that we will be able to get past that and get to the other issues in the budget, especially the money,” Stewart-Cousins said.
The upper chamber leader also told reporters, using her annual budget lingo, about where she believes the spending plan lies overall.
“I would say that we are approaching the end of the middle,” she said.
The budget was due April 1. The Legislature passed a seventh budget extender on Monday that runs through Thursday.