While upstate New York has been mesmerized by athletic, seismic and astronomical activity this week, there are some mundane (but important) financial issues that need to be discussed, namely New York’s annual spending plan, which was due on April 1.

A veteran of multiple state budget negotiations, attorney Shontell Smith, a partner at Tusk Strategies and former chief of staff to state Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart Cousins, discussed how the budget process works in Albany with Capital Tonight anchor Susan Arbetter.