How state budget talks work, 4 years after COVID-19 nursing homes directive

Plus, some Capitol history in This Week in New York History.

Good afternoon — it’s Monday, and Medal of Honor Day.

MONDAY, MARCH 25, 2024

TODAY’S CAPCON:

• The room where it happens: how do state budget negotiations work?

• Republicans rally four years after COVID-19 nursing homes directive

• This Week in New York History

🔨 Is Tomorrow a Session Day? Yes.

☁️ Tonight’s Weather: Albany: Mostly clear, mid-20s. New York City: Clouds, high 30s (National Weather Service)

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Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins (Will Waldon/Times Union)

🕒 State budget deadline looms, talks ongoing

⏰ It’s the start of a new week, and it could be a big one: Gov. Kathy HOCHUL and the state Legislature have set this Thursday as their goal for a state budget deal.

That means if they want to have budget bills on the floor, and don’t want to use a message of necessity, that legislation has to be introduced by midnight today.

• If you’re not familiar, new legislation in New York has to “age” for three days.

• But the governor can bypass that by issuing a “message of necessity.”

But we’re not expecting a state budget deal this evening.

• That makes it unlikely that any of the related bills would pop tonight.

There’s a strategy here, and it has a few different layers. 🧅

If Hochul and lawmakers strike a deal on the state budget, the Legislature will want to vote on it as soon as possible. 

• The budget is a marathon task for lawmakers and their staff, who are usually eager to head home after it’s done.

• But a long gap between a deal and a vote also gives opponents more time to poke holes in the spending plan.

• And as we told you Friday, a lot of people depend on the state budget.

The first reason is the biggest motivator for a lot of lawmakers. It hasn’t been uncommon for parts of the budget to pass in the middle of the night. 😴

There have been times in which some members have pushed back on a deal after it’s announced, but that usually doesn’t change things.

There’s a reason for that — and it has to do with how negotiations happen between Hochul, Assembly Speaker Carl E. HEASTIE, and Senate Majority Leader Andrea STEWART-COUSINS. 

Let me take you into that world for a moment and tell you about the rooms where it happens. 🎶