Tuesday Headlines: Deadline Shmeadline Edition
New York is on pace to pass a state budget more than a month late in consecutive years after lawmakers passed a 7th budget extender yesterday that funds the state government through April 30.
Assembly Ways and Means Chair Gary Pretlow (D-Bronx) told his colleagues on the floor that an agreement would have to wait for May at the earliest, with deliberations over policy, including Gov. Hochul’s auto insurance scam, still preventing any talk over purely fiscal matters, like funding for upstate transit or a fare-free bus pilot in New York City.
“Once we’re finished with the policy items, then we have to start negotiating the dollars in those budgets,” Pretlow said. “That’s going to take at least another week.”
Hochul did reportedly budge on auto insurance last week, offering to drop the portion of the proposal focused on joint and several liability (eliminating the legal possibility of a party less than 50 percent liable for a crash paying more than its share of the award) in return for the state Legislature adopting the rest of her plan, which would limit the legal rights of crash victims.
However, negotiations are not over as concerns over affordability and legal rights remain.
More news:
- Pothole politics have some currency in western New York. (The Buffalo News)
- Republican Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman stopped in Clinton County as he campaigns for governor. (NCPR)
- New York Democrats are taking their anti-Blakeman tour statewide. (State of Politics)
- A local fair promoted Anthony Constantino’s congressional campaign, which was likely illegal. (The Times Union)
- A Republican state police veteran is challenging Rep. Paul Tonko. (The Times Union)
- A failed e-bike deal led to an assault with a baseball bat in Endicott. (The Binghamton Press & Sun Bulletin)
- The state Department of Transportation is dragging its feet on a crosswalk in Cold Spring. (Highlands Current)
- Kingston Mayor Sean Noble got roped into Hochul’s car insurance narrative. (Mid-Hudson News)
- City & State ran through New York City’s high-profile congressional primaries.
- New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani and Council Speaker Julie Menin are keeping their powder dry on the city’s budget as they wait for action from Albany. (Politico New York)
- Audio shows state Senate Judiciary Chair Luis Sepúlveda (D-Bronx) having a “totally irresponsible” spat with a housing court judge. (Hell Gate)
- Negotiations between LIRR unions and the MTA are on hold. (Newsday)
- The City looked at the MTA’s anger over “billboard lawyers” — whose billboards cover the subways and buses.
- Look out, bus fare evaders. (NYDN)
- So much for transparency at Amtrak’s Penn Station project. (Trains)
Read More:
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