Budget talks to stretch into next week, Senate leader says. And should Dolly Parton call Hochul?
Plus, Republicans pitch an end to squatters rights and On The Bill looks at a study of studies.
Good afternoon — it’s Wednesday, and Budget Eve, sort of.
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 27, 2024
TODAY’S CAPCON:
Budget talks are expected to stretch into next week, Senate leader says
Where key budget issues stand, including housing wage talks
Should Dolly Parton call Gov. Kathy HOCHUL?
Republicans pitch an end to squatters rights
On The Bill: legislation to examine state studies
🔨 Is Tomorrow a Session Day? Yes.
☁️ Tonight’s Weather: Albany: Chance of rain, low 40s. New York City: Rain, high 40s (National Weather Service)
💵 Budget talks will stretch into next week, extender planned, Senate leader says
💰 If you were still hoping for a deal on the state budget this week, I have bad news for you.
Senate Majority Leader Andrea STEWART-COUSINS told reporters Wednesday that the Legislature is planning to pass a budget extender ahead of next Tuesday.
That means she’s not expecting a budget deal this week or over the weekend.
Why next Tuesday? Because, as we told you Friday, that’s the first deadline for the state comptroller’s office to process paychecks for state workers.
Lawmakers have until 12 p.m. on Tuesday to approve new spending, or those paychecks could be late.
If they had a budget deal, they could just pass that to avoid the problem.
But they’re not expecting that, so an extender of the current year’s budget will allow workers to get paid on time.
“We’re in the middle of the middle,” Stewart-Cousins said.
Members from both chambers are expected to head home for the weekend while negotiations continue to the extent they can around Easter Sunday. 🐰🥚
Stewart-Cousins also gave us an update on where things stand on a few top issues being discussed in budget talks, including housing and state funding for schools.
⚒️ Housing: Negotiations on housing could hit a roadblock, but Stewart-Cousins said she’s hoping to avoid that over the next week.
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