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ALBANY — Gov. Hochul and state lawmakers failed to strike a budget deal on New York’s overdue 2023 fiscal plan Wednesday, with critics slamming the “top secret” negotiation process as “appalling” and “undemocratic.”
Lawmakers are looking to add another $4 billion in additional spending to Hochul’s record $216 billion plan, but details on the final proposal remained elusive as sources speculated that negotiations could extend beyond Friday.
“This is extraordinarily bad, even by Albany standards,” said John Kaehny, executive director of the watchdog group Reinvent Albany. “This is a governor who said she was going to change the culture in Albany, but she made it worse, not better.”
After blowing past last Friday’s budget deadline, Hochul and the Democratic-controlled state Legislature on Monday passed a last-minute budget “extender” to fund payroll obligations through midnight Thursday.
But state Sen. Michael Gianaris, the powerful deputy Democratic majority leader, told reporters Tuesday that lawmakers actually have until Monday before payroll is disrupted.
The delay is due to legislators hashing out details of the controversial criminal justice policy as well as “a host of non-budget issues that were thrown into the mix.”
“Every one of them is complex and controversial, and people have passionate feelings about them and sorting through them and pulling them apart takes days for each one,” Gianaris said.
Lawmakers in the state Senate and Assembly were on track to meet privately to discuss outstanding issues Wednesday evening.
One measure still on the table is the controversial expansion of Kendra’s Law, which permits court-ordered Assisted Outpatient Treatment, or AOT, and community supervision in cases of serious mental illness. The amended provision could include the involuntary commitment of people with mental illness following a judge’s decision.
Lawmakers are also close to a deal on rolling back the state’s controversial bail reform laws, mulling changes such as making more hate and gun crimes bail eligible.
They’re deliberating a measure that would allow judges to consider an individual’s criminal history to determine whether they could cause harm to a person or group of people.
For the Buffalo Bills new stadium, Hochul’s $1.4 billion project will be funded with taxpayers covering $600 million and residents of Erie County, where it will be built, chipping in another $250 million. The teams’ billionaire owners — Florida residents Terry and Kim Pegula — will foot $550 million of the price tag.
Democrats are also hashing out a plan to bring casino gambling to New York City.
The plan would require the state Gaming Facility Location Board to issue a Request for Applications to open three new casinos – with two or possibly all three located within the five boroughs.
“You have the minimum cost of the license fee that will be at minimum, $500 to $750 million each,” said the Chair of the state Senate’s Racing, Gaming and Wagering Committee, Joe Addabbo (D-Queens).
“Tax rates are being discussed. We’ll set the parameters, but let the gaming commission determine the license fees and the bidding and determine the siting process.”
The final plan is expected to exclude provisions championed by Mayor Eric Adams such as the extension of mayoral control of New York City public schools as well as a revamped version of the expiring real estate development tax credit ‘421-a.’
Adams also dined with disgraced ex-Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Tuesday, as Hochul struggled to close a budget deal with fellow Democrats.
“Welcome to the total disarray and dysfunction of New York Democrats,” seethed New York Republican Party Chairman Nick Langworthy.
“Hochul can’t get a budget deal and the Legislature is running roughshod over her, but the fact that the Mayor is more interested in face time with the former governor than the current one shows you everything you need to know about how feckless and weak this governor and administration is.”
Patrick Orecki, director of New York State studies for the Citizens Budget Commission, slammed Democrats’ spending splurge as a “missed opportunity” for New York.
“It’s a missed opportunity, frankly, because we’ve never had the opportunity for meaningful savings. Rather than protecting ourselves from risk, we’re creating more risk and more likely to open up budget gaps,” he said.
“Future impacts are even greater than in the past because we raised taxes last year. The question is, how much are you imbalancing the financial plan? In 2026, the budget is just balanced, so you’re opening up budget gaps and either there will be cuts in three years or raising taxes.”
Measures still under consideration include:
- An extension of the pandemic-era “alcohol to-go” law
- Relief for high prices at the gas pump
- A plan to revamp the state’s embattled ethics agency, the Joint Commission on Public Ethics
- More spending for home care workers, childcare, distressed hospitals, SUNY and CUNY students and potentially a state-funded deal to provide insurance to undocumented New Yorkers
- Increased funding aimed at combating discrimination against Asian-Americans
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