ALBANY, N.Y — Gov. Kathy Hochul and state lawmakers missed the New York State budget deadline and pushed it back to April 7.
Lawmakers passed a budget extension funding the government and paying state workers through that date. Assemblyman Josh Jensen said the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act and auto insurance rates are part of the negotiations.
“Certainly myself and families across New York, including right here in Monroe County, see their auto insurance rates going up,” Jensen said. “And the question that we’re discussing as part of the budget process is how do we bring those auto insurance rates down?”
Last year’s state budget was late by more than five weeks. Assemblyman Brian Manktelow said the final budget was adopted in May.
“In previous years, we’ve heard from our constituents, from our local communities, from our local municipalities, our schools that, you know, we really do need an on-time budget, especially for our schools,” Manktelow said.
Jensen said the longer a budget negotiation takes, the more time it takes away from other issues people care about.
“I think we should be here,” Jensen said. “We should be debating the budget in true bipartisan negotiations, not just three people in a room who all share the same party, but having Democrats and Republicans together, because that’s what makes up our state.”
Governor Hochul’s proposed fiscal year 2027 executive budget totals more than $260 billion, with most of it going toward the Department of Health and the State Education Department.
Manktelow said lawmakers will be at the Capitol next Tuesday voting on the budget bill or another deadline extension. He believes there will be another extension.
For Related Stories: New York State budget Assemblyman Josh Jensen