WGXC-90.7 FM
Legislators extend budget deadline to April 10
Nick Reisman reports at New York State of Politics that New York legislators on April 3 approved a stopgap budget measure that will temporarily fund New York's government while they continue to negotiate the state budget, which was due on April 1. Now, Gov. Kathy Hochul and the leaders of the state Senate and Assembly have until April 10 to agree on a new budget. Negotiations over bail reform are the main holdup on finalizing the budget, according to Democrats in Albany. In 2019 they passed a law allowing many people arrested, who are considered innocent by the courts, to go without bail, but Republicans have deemed the Democrats who passed the measure soft on crime. So some Democrats want to weaken the 2019 law, while progressive Democrats want the law to remain in place. Affordable housing, taxes, and negotiations over the state's minimum wage are also still to be set in the budget talks. Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins said, "We are disappointed that all parties couldn’t come together to pass a final budget in a timely manner." Read more about this story at New York State of Politics.