On the 10th time this year that the New York state Senate met to pass a budget extender, state Sen. Liz Krueger, typically tasked with explaining why the Senate is not ready to vote on budget bills, decided to try something new.

“I asked everyone if they got Monty Python references, and they said yes,” she recounted after session.

Republican state Sen. Tom O’Mara, ranking member on the Finance Committee, set the stage as he questioned Krueger on why budget bills weren’t yet before the Senate.

“In 'The Holy Grail,' there is a scene involving the Black Plague in Europe," Krueger replied. "They’re pushing around barrels and yelling ‘bring out your dead, bring out your dead,' and suddenly a body is thrown in and you hear the voice ‘not quite dead yet,” she said to laughter.

Even O’Mara could be heard laughing over an open microphone.

“I’m so glad everyone appreciated that,” Krueger said. “Because I really thought hard about saying that. It’s not quite done yet, despite some people’s linguistic interpretation that it is done, it’s not quite done yet.”

That "linguistic interpretation" would seem to be Gov. Kathy Hochul’s declaration of a "general agreement" on Monday. 

When will it be done? Probably next week, Krueger said. Why is it a month late and counting? Ask Hochul.

“The governor controls 90% of this budget process, so ask the person who controls 90% of it. Maybe she’ll tell you it’s done,” Krueger quipped to reporters before leaving for the long weekend.

Hochul was asked about the lack of budget bills Thursday while in New York City on a victory lap that has frustrated lawmakers, and blamed the holdup on their digestion of the finer details.

“Lots to finish up, the loose ends at the end, and they have to go to their conferences, we do our agreement but then they have to go to the Legislature, they’ll get it done” she said. “They’ll be voting very soon I’m sure.”

Hochul has attempted to draw the distinction that she is declaring her top priorities completed to her satisfaction even as conversations are still being pulled in a multitude of other directions.

Those close to the process say that while overall spending numbers are largely solidified, the Legislature is continuing to talk over the specifics. One key issue that remains unresolved is education spending.

State Sen. Shelley Mayer, who heads the Senate’s Education Committee, told Spectrum News 1 that final discussions around Foundation Aid have still not taken place, but the Senate is continuing to push for a more robust reform of the Foundation Aid formula’s poverty metrics than what Hochul proposed, and more money overall.

“We hope that we move closer to the Senate and Assembly’s position to reflect what schools are actually incurring in terms of inflationary costs and burdens,” she said.

Another conversation that persists is what to do about the state’s unemployment insurance debt.

Hochul on Monday said the state would not pay off $6.2 billion worth of COVID-era federal unemployment debt in this budget, but would instead cover interest payments. Lawmakers have renewed a push in the days since to potentially relocate money destined for the state’s reserves over concerns that the debt is a burden on businesses which will be exacerbated if economic conditions worsen.

“We’re very concerned because of the actions going on with the federal government that there is going to be a recession,” said Assemblyman John McDonald. “The problem is the unemployment benefit will never improve unless we pay off our unemployment debt, so we’re trying to find a creative way to pay off the debt, mostly to protect the people we are fearful are going to be come unemployed in the future.”

Another topic of conversation has been a push by Hochul to make it so that she can adjust state spending if tax revenues drop without bringing the Legislature back to Albany, but the Legislature would have to approve and if they don’t, propose their own alternative plan.

Republicans were quick to assail the request as an unwanted backslide toward the era of former Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s COVID-19 era emergency powers.

“We’ve been through this rodeo before with our former governor. I think everyone in this room probably remembers giving unilateral authority to former Gov. Cuomo during COVID,” said state Sen. Pam Helming on the Senate floor.

State Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins indicated to Capital Tonight’s Susan Arbetter that she wasn’t concerned by the request because of the potential economic headwinds and the fact that the power would not be unilateral, but rather would directly engage the Legislature.

“Anything $2 billion or over, the governor is asking for the power to make adjustments, and we have 10 days to look at that,” Stewart-Cousins said of the Legislature. “Right now, we don’t know what’s happening with tariffs and we have seen the economic rollercoaster that we’re experiencing as the President makes decisions on a day-to-day basis, which does impact our revenues because we have Wall Street here."

The current extender funds state government through Wednesday with voting on budget bills not expected until at least Monday.