Budget bills begin to move, what's in the first three

Plus, we have a CapCon Q&A with Sen. Andrew Gounardes on social media regulation.

Good afternoon — it’s Thursday, and National High Five Day.

THURSDAY, APRIL 18, 2024

TODAY’S CAPCON:

• Three budget bills were introduced Wednesday night. Here’s what’s in them

• The Legislature began to pass them Thursday, with more expected Friday

• CapCon Q&A with Sen. Andrew GOUNARDES on social media regulation

☁️ Tonight’s Weather: Albany: Chance of drizzle, low 40s New York City: Drizzle and clouds, high 40s (National Weather Service)

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The Legislature began to pass budget bills Thursday. (Dan Clark/Times Union)

💸 Budget bills begin to pass, more expected Friday

💰 First three of nine budget bills introduced Wednesday night, votes begin in Legislature

It was a happy — dare I say jovial — morning at the state Capitol as members of the state Assembly and Senate began to take up the first set of budget bills expected to be approved by week’s end.

If you’re someone who likes to read through those bills, click below:

• TED: Transportation, Economic Development, and Environmental Conservation (A8808C/S8303C)

• PPGG: Public Protection and General Government (A8805C/S8305C)

• Revenue: The Revenue Bill (A8809B/S8309B)

I’ll go through the major items in each of them in a moment, but first a quick update on timing.

• Lawmakers approved a sixth budget extender Thursday, which funds the government through Friday.

• The Assembly approved the Public Protection and General Government bill early Thursday afternoon, and has moved to the Transportation, Economic Development and Environmental Conservation as of this newsletter.