Lawmakers in Albany on Thursday approved their 12th state budget extender of the season, and Gov. Kathy Hochul signed it into law to keep state operations funded through Monday, May 18. The stopgap measure keeps payroll, Medicaid and other core services flowing while negotiators continue to hash out a final spending plan after missing the April 1 budget deadline.
What the extender does
The short bill authorizes emergency appropriations to cover state operations through May 18, according to Spectrum News. Assembly bill language for earlier extenders shows lawmakers have been leaning on these short-term appropriations to cover payroll and benefits while negotiations drag on. Assembly records note that recent extenders have included authority for payroll, unemployment insurance and other fixed costs.
What's in the tentative deal
Gov. Hochul has said there is a “general agreement” on a roughly $268 billion budget framework that would tuck in changes to the state’s climate law, auto-insurance reforms, alterations to environmental review rules and an immigrant-protections package, according to NY State of Politics. Lawmakers still have to lock in dollar amounts and legal language before any votes can happen, and some members have openly questioned whether the remaining details can be printed quickly enough.
Lawmakers and critics react
Some Republicans and fiscal conservatives slammed the timing, arguing the governor is signaling city bailouts before a final state budget is nailed down. Assembly Minority Leader Ed Ra said “the people of this state deserve more than chaos and delays; they deserve a government that plans responsibly and delivers,” and his office criticized what it described as a priority of a $4 billion bailout for New York City, as reported by Spectrum News.
What's next in Albany
Votes on the full spending package are not expected until at least next week as leaders work to print and vet the dozens of pages of budget language, per NY State of Politics. The Legislature is scheduled to leave Albany for the year on June 4, tightening the timetable for lawmakers to pass the nine-plus bills that make up the enacted budget, according to the Assembly's session calendar.
The string of short extenders has left school districts and local governments guessing about when aid will land and forced municipal planners to work without final numbers. If the broad framework holds, leaders will still face a sprint to draft, print and pass a full package that will shape taxes, schools and services for the year ahead.
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