State Budget

Hochul won't rule out nonpublic school regs rollback in budget

BY Kate Lisa New York State

As a budget deal nears completion, Gov. Kathy Hochul on Friday would not rule out including changes in the final spending plan to weaken education standards for nonpublic schools in exchange for political gain.

State Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie has led a push to amend state Education Department guidelines for religious and non-public schools as a political bargaining chip — especially amid the contentious New York City's mayoral election.

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State budget deal still elusive as school aid talks complicate final stretch

BY Jack Arpey New York State

After days of anticipation that a state budget deal would be announced by the end of the week, Gov. Kathy Hochul paid a visit to the third floor press hall, one floor up from the executive chamber, to tell reporters that it was not to be.

“I just wanted to let you all know that you can go home tonight, you all look a little tired,” she joked.

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GOP state Assemblyman Josh Jensen shares a look at the state budget process from the minority perspective

BY Susan Arbetter New York State

Monroe County Republican state Assemblyman Josh Jensen is the vice chair of the Minority Joint Conference Committee and the ranking minority member on the Assembly Committee on Health.

He spoke with Capital Tonight’s Susan Arbetter about the minority’s role in the state budget process, as well as why funding early intervention is so important to him.

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As a state budget deal looms, face mask proposal continues to complicate talks

BY Jack Arpey New York State

With the state budget 24 days late, state lawmakers were back in Albany Wednesday to pass yet another budget extender to fund state government through Tuesday. The hope remains that a handshake deal is within reach Friday with remote conferencing over the weekend — ideally setting the stage for voting on a budget package next week.

State Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins and Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie met with Gov. Kathy Hochul for just under an hour Thursday afternoon. Stewart-Cousins exited the elevator back to her third floor office to a wall of reporters with one question: Do we have a handshake deal?

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N.Y. state Sen. Zellnor Myrie on federal community grant cuts: 'Now is not the time to cower'

BY Susan Arbetter New York State

Democrats in New York are condemning a decision by the U.S. Justice Department to cancel hundreds of grants to community organizations, including those that fund crime-victim advocacy and gun-violence prevention.

According to The Washington Post, the millions of dollars in grants also support nonviolent youthful offenders, mental health resources for local police, efforts to avert opioid-related deaths and hate crimes.

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State lawmakers: Late New York budget makes talks a family affair

BY Kate Lisa New York State

Just like it takes a village to raise a child, state lawmakers said getting a proposed $252 billion spending plan over the finish line requires extensive support from their families that often goes unnoticed.

The state budget, now 23 days, is testing lawmakers' ability to balance work and family as most schools across the state held spring break over the last two weeks — forcing several policymakers to bring their children to Albany as spending negotiations continue.

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State Sen. Gianaris: Next week ‘sounds like a really good week’ to pass a budget

BY Jack Arpey New York State

State lawmakers bought themselves another two days to pass a state budget, now 22 days late. They passed an extender to bridge the funding gap for state services and payroll from Wednesday when the current extender expires, through Thursday.

Deputy Senate Majority Leader Mike Gianaris told reporters the most likely scenario at this point seems to be a budget deal later this week with voting on budget bills spilling into early next week.

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State lawmakers split on Hochul's proposal to reduce minimum age of correction officers to 18

BY Kate Lisa New York State

New York state lawmakers are divided on Gov. Kathy Hochul's budget proposal to let 18-year-olds work as correction officers in state prisons to ease the ongoing staffing shortage.

Hochul is pushing to lower the minimum age of correction officers down from 21 after firing about 2,000 officers who participated in last month's illegal wildcat strike — fueling tensions in prisons that were already battling a shortage of 2,000 officers.

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Hochul downplays mask ban pitch as state Sen. Skoufis says it could be reduced to 'penalty enhancer'

BY Jack Arpey New York State

Gov. Kathy Hochul says there is light at the end of the state budget tunnel, which could include a watering down or tabling of her push for legislation related to the wearing of face masks in the commission of a crime.

“Certainly, Monday and Tuesday will be important days for us,” she said while hosting an Easter egg roll at the New York State Executive Mansion on Saturday.

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New York lawmakers: Nonpublic school standard debate unsettled

BY Kate Lisa New York State

Multiple New York lawmakers said Friday a last-minute budget debate remains unsettled to amend state Education Department standards for religious and non-public schools in the budget, now 18 days late.

With a conceptual deal on discovery about done, leaders are expected to revisit the debate to make it easier for nonpublic schools to satisfy state Education Department guidelines to teach a curriculum that's substantially equivalent to public districts.

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New York state budget may be turning for home

BY Jack Arpey New York State

State lawmakers are heading home for a long Easter weekend still with no budget, but some progress.

With changes to the state’s discovery laws, or how evidence is shared between the prosecution and the defense, largely wrapped up, focus is shifting to the remaining budget items.

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New York's early intervention providers are hoping for promised 5% increase for reimbursement rates

BY Susan Arbetter New York State

If you have a child with a learning disability, a hearing issue or a speech impediment, he or she may need what’s called “early intervention." These are evaluations and therapeutic help for young children who may have developmental delays and/or disabilities.

The Agencies for Children’s Therapy Services, or ACTS, is an association of 40 early intervention agencies which provide services both in-home and in community settings. Each year, they serve over 30,000 infants, toddlers and preschoolers across New York state.

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Heastie: 'Discovery's done' as New York leaders make state budget 'progress'

BY Kate Lisa New York State

New York state Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie said Wednesday night that state leaders have reached a deal on discovery reform, which has held up budget talks for over two weeks, and made significant progress on other policy items in the spending plan.

After a roughly one-hour leaders meeting with Gov. Kathy Hochul on Wednesday evening, Heastie told Spectrum News 1 the meeting went well.

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‘I feel a little bit jealous': Former Gov. Paterson praises Heastie as Pataki praises Hochul on state budget maneuvers

BY Jack Arpey New York State

As the announcement of a deal to make changes to New York’s discovery laws pushed relentlessly by Gov. Kathy Hochul appeared imminent Wednesday, state Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie is getting a share of the credit for an unconventional maneuver.

Hochul, who has been adamant that she won’t sign a budget that doesn’t include a discovery solution that is up to her standards, acknowledged the assist Wednesday.

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'Forced treatment is not the answer': After discovery battle, mental health debate expected to take state budget stage

BY Kate Lisa New York State

With a compromise on discovery changes in reach, New York state leaders are expected to return their attention to Gov. Kathy Hochul's controversial proposal to expand forced psychiatric treatment for New Yorkers with severe mental health conditions.

Religious leaders from around the state rallied in the Capitol on Tuesday opposing the governor's plan to change involuntary commitment criteria — a stance most Democrats in the Legislature have taken since Hochul announced her policy agenda in January.

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N.Y. Assembly Speaker Heastie makes deal with DAs on discovery law changes; Hochul says not so fast

BY Jack Arpey New York State

New York state Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie announced Tuesday that he has come to a compromise with the five New York district attorneys on changes to the state’s discovery laws. Gov. Kathy Hochul has yet to give the plan her OK as the state budget remains in limbo.

Discovery is the process of evidence exchange between the prosecution and the defense, and Hochul has said that loopholes in 2019 reforms have led to cases being dismissed on technicalities when trivial items are not turned over within the timetable required.

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Survivors of domestic violence push Hochul’s agenda on discovery law changes

BY Susan Arbetter New York State

New York state Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie announced a framework compromise between the state’s district attorneys and legislative leadership regarding the state’s discovery laws.

Discovery is the formal process of exchanging information about witnesses and evidence between the prosecution and the defense in a case that they’ll present at a trial. It’s been amended multiple times since it overhauled in 2019.

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Speaker Heastie: N.Y. Assembly Democrats 'OK in moving forward' on discovery law compromise

BY Susan Arbetter New York State

New York state Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie, one of the “three people in a room” who hammer out the contours of a state budget, announced Tuesday that progress was being made on one of the stickier issues holding up the spending plan: Discovery.

He told Capital Tonight that over the last four days, he and his staff, working with the five New York City district attorneys, came up with a framework of a deal on the issue that he presented to his conference Tuesday.

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New York state, federal officials clash on budget strategies

BY Kate Lisa New York State

As they negotiate separate spending packages, New York state and federal officials are pointing the finger at each other — clashing over their opposing budget strategies.

Gov. Kathy Hochul on Monday said the threats of drastic federal cuts and the instability of the market, spurred by President Donald Trump's ongoing trade war, is not pushing her to finish the state budget, now over two weeks late, any sooner.

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As state budget battle wears on, school districts work in hypotheticals

BY Jack Arpey New York State

Gov. Kathy Hochul told New Yorkers Monday that a budget deal will come “in the near future” as she continued to double down on making sure her proposed changes to the state’s discovery laws, or how evidence is shared with the defense, make the final package.

For now, she said the back and forth is mostly inside baseball.

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Hochul says she’ll continue to ‘keep up the fight’ for the state’s budget

BY Deanna Garcia New York City

With New York’s state budget being almost two weeks past due, Gov. Kathy Hochul said she’ll continue “to keep up the fight” for New Yorkers.

“Everyone knows what I’m standing for, and I’m not wavering on my belief that we need to make some significant reforms so we can say that this budgeting process is over,” she told NY1 political anchor Errol Louis on “Inside City Hall” Monday.

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State budget at a standstill as economic uncertainty continues

BY Bernadette Hogan New York City
UPDATED 10:30 AM ET Apr. 10, 2025

Gov. Kathy Hochul and state lawmakers are at a standstill over how to spend upwards of $252 billion in a state budget that’s already over a week late.

The negotiations continue amid economic uncertainty over tariffs, and federal cuts aimed at city and state programs.

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Violent NYC incidents fuel involuntary commitment budget debate

BY Kate Lisa New York State

Top Democrats continue to hash out budget language to expand forced treatment for people suffering from severe mental health issues after two unprovoked, violent attacks in New York City this week injected new life into the debate.

Republican state Sen. Stephen Chan represents the part of Brooklyn where a schizophrenic man attacked four young children with a meat cleaver earlier this week.

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Lawmakers react to Assembly speaker's shot at Hochul's budget power as frustration grows over slow talks

BY Jack Arpey New York State

With the mood at the state Capitol souring by the day, Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie threw a curveball: A bill which would make it so that lawmakers don’t have their paychecks withheld for a late budget— if the governor inserts policy proposals into her pitch.

In an interview with Capital Tonight’s Susan Arbetter, Heastie explained the move.

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Heastie: 'We are not trying to go to war with Gov. Hochul'

BY Susan Arbetter Albany

As first reported by WNYC’s Gothamist, New York Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie is proposing legislation that will continue paychecks to lawmakers if the budget is late and if the governor includes unrelated policy items in the spending plan.

The proposal comes as the legislature and the governor appear to be stalled on a variety of policy issues in budget talks.

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N.Y. budget 'stuck' as pols debate discovery compromise

BY Kate Lisa Albany

New York budget negotiations are "stuck," state leaders said Tuesday, as they debate criminal justice reforms and Gov. Kathy Hochul's proposed changes to discovery laws.

Top Democrats are divided to compromise on the evidence sharing changes the governor wants after pressure from district attorneys from across the state.

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Fiscal watchdogs call late state budget a blessing in disguise after stock market crash

BY Bernadette Hogan New York City

A late state budget could be a blessing in disguise. As of April 1, Gov. Kathy Hochul didn’t know about President Donald Trump’s tariff plan and the stock market’s impending decline.

“People are worried about Social Security, they’re worried about pensions, they’re worried about their stock crashing!” Andrea Stewart-Cousins, the Democratic State Senate Majority Leader in Albany, said Tuesday.

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City DAs make the case for Hochul's way on discovery as she continues to inject new policy into late budget talks

BY Jack Arpey New York State

Two prominent downstate district attorneys showed up at the state Capitol bright and early Monday to make the case for Gov. Kathy Hochul's proposed discovery reforms, as Hochul decided to throw a few curveballs into negotiating a budget that will be a week late at the strike of midnight Tuesday.

An extender was passed to bridge the funding gap to Wednesday.

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New York lawmakers pass another state budget extender nearly a week past deadline

BY Spectrum News Staff New York State
UPDATED 1:14 PM ET Apr. 07, 2025

Another state budget extender was passed Monday by the New York state Legislature and signed by Gov. Kathy Hochul to keep the government running through Wednesday and ensure state employees are paid on time.

New York lawmakers returned to the state Capitol in Albany on Monday as state budget negotiations continue, now nearly a week past the deadline.

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New York nursing homes push to raise Medicaid reimbursement rates as many facilities struggle financially

BY Shalon Stevens Syracuse

Medicaid reimbursement rates are being brought up again as state leaders negotiate the budget. Some nursing homes are again pushing to raise rates, saying they can't maintain operations, but others argue current funds need to be managed better.

“In here is better than wonderful. It’s like a family,” said Lucretia Campbell, who was a patient at Waterville Residential Care Center about a year ago for rehabilitation.

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State, City Hall divided over child care voucher funding fight

BY Bernadette Hogan New York City

Child care funding is one of the many issues still on the negotiation table after Gov. Kathy Hochul and state lawmakers failed to hit their April 1 budget deadline.

Legislators raised the alarm over a funding fight between City Hall and Hochul’s office that could jeopardize a voucher program used by tens of thousands of poor families in the five boroughs.

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Easing New York nonpublic school standards still on budget table

BY Kate Lisa New York State

State leaders continue to consider a backroom budget proposal to make it easier for nonpublic schools to satisfy state Education Department guidelines to teach a curriculum that is substantially equivalent to public districts.

Multiple lawmakers Thursday said the proposal remains on the table as negotiations persist with no end in sight.

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Preparing for the pain of possible mid-year budget cuts in New York

BY Susan Arbetter Albany

Albany is moving through the familiar choreography of creating an annual state spending plan while it’s quite possible that whatever the leaders come up with will be blown to bits later in the year by federal cuts.

Republicans in Washington are looking to cut fraud, streamline government and make the 2017 tax cuts permanent before they expire at the end of the year. To do that, they will need to pass deep cuts to the federal budget, including to Medicaid, education and transportation.

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'We'll take as long as it takes'; N.Y. budget director says discovery changes take time

BY Jack Arpey Albany

On the eve of the state budget deadline, a deal remains well out of reach.

New York state Budget Director Blake Washington acknowledged to reporters Monday that the debate over changes to the state’s discovery laws has Gov. Kathy Hochul doubling down. When asked if discovery is an area where the governor was not interested in compromise, Washington answered in the affirmative.

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Gov. Hochul tries to undo 2019 discovery law, stalls budget talks

BY Bernadette Hogan New York City

Gov. Kathy Hochul’s attempt to amend the Democratic-led state Legislature’s recent changes to the criminal justice system are yet again at the forefront of state budget negotiations.

This time, Hochul wants to change the way prosecutors hand over evidence to the defense, what’s known as discovery laws.

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N.Y. Assembly speaker: State budget talks 'kind of at a standstill' with members heading home

BY Luke Parsnow and Kate Lisa New York State

New York state Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie told reporters Thursday afternoon that state budget negotiations are “kind of at a standstill” and reiterated his frustration with the amount of policy that gets included in the state’s spending plan every year.

“Things are kind of, kind of at a standstill. We’re going to pass this debt service bill and the members will go home, do work in their districts and we’ll pick it back up next week,” Heastie said.

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Gov. Hochul likely to win cellphone ban in state budget

BY Bernadette Hogan New York City

Although it’s looking like Gov. Kathy Hochul and legislative leaders won’t make their April 1 budget deadline, they appear to be in agreement on a big-ticket item for the governor: an all-day ban on cellphones in schools, known as “bell-to-bell.”

“The majority of the members are more comfortable with a bell-to-bell approach, they really are,” state Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins, a Westchester Democrat, said.

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As state budget talks progress, child care advocates plead New York to address shortage of assistance funds

BY Jack Arpey New York State

Less than a week out from the April 1 state budget deadline, there appears to be significant movement on at least one of Gov. Kathy Hochul’s top demands: a bell-to-bell cell phone ban in schools.

State Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins updated reporters on the progress of negotiations Wednesday, a process she described as “at the end of the middle” but “tedious” as a result of uncertainty over federal funding. Stewart-Cousins indicated that making the April 1 deadline appears unlikely, but those close to the process have suggested it does not appear the delay will push past mid April.

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N.Y. state Senate majority leader: Budget process tedious due to GOP agenda in Congress

BY Luke Parsnow New York State

New York state Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins, using her Albany lingo, told reporters Wednesday afternoon that state budget negotiations have reached “the end of the middle” but that talks remains impacted by President Donald Trump’s agenda in Washington that could bring various government cuts.

“The process is tedious because what we see on the horizon coming from our Republican colleagues in Washington,” Stewart-Cousins said.

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NYSUT pushes bell-to-bell cellphone ban for school students

BY Susan Arbetter New York State

It looks like Gov. Kathy Hochul’s proposed bell-to-bell cellphone ban has some critics among lawmakers and school administrators.

Last week, Capital Tonight spoke with New York’s Superintendents’ Association and School Boards Association about why they are pushing for less stringent rules around cellphones.

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Hochul has no plans to cut state spending, seeks cellphone ban, mental health changes

BY Bernadette Hogan New York City

With the annual April 1 state budget deadline looming, Gov. Kathy Hochul says she’s warning New Yorkers about possible federal funding cuts to major services, including Medicaid programs and school lunches.

Meanwhile, a group of Albany Democrats want her to fight back by refusing to send regularly scheduled state tax dollars to the White House.

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New York state budget talks: Where things stand at the end of week one

BY Jack Arpey New York State

Gov. Kathy Hochul and state legislative leaders are wrapping up their first week of budget talks. By all accounts, discussions remain at a surface level, and headed in the right direction despite a curveball from the governor: a late push for some sort of restriction on wearing masks in public. A previous law went by the wayside amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Jack O’Donnell, strategist and founder of O’Donnell & Associates, told Spectrum News 1 that even with the push for a mask policy, things still appear to be relatively tame.

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New York progressive group pushes Hochul to raise taxes in advance of federal cuts

BY Susan Arbetter New York State

There was significant outrage among both moderate and left-wing Democrats over U.S. Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer’s decision last week to vote to advance the Republican continuing resolution without asking for anything in return.

At the same time, Gov. Kathy Hochul and legislative leaders are currently negotiating a state budget without explicitly addressing the probability of big federal budget cuts coming down the pike.

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Hochul worried impact of dismantling U.S. Education Department would have on school meals

BY Luke Parsnow New York State

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said Thursday she is worried about the impact of President Donald Trump’s executive order calling for the shutdown of the U.S. Department of Education.

The governor was at Eagle Point Elementary School in Albany, a place she said relies heavily on the federal government for subsidizing school lunches. According to Hochul, Albany County gets $6 million from the federal government for student school breakfasts and lunches and elimination of the Education Department could jeopardize that.

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New York school administrators seek cellphone policy flexibility

BY Susan Arbetter New York State

Gov. Kathy Hochul has proposed a bell-to-bell ban on cellphones in schools in her executive budget, along with a $13.5 million appropriation to implement the ban.

While the proposal has the support of the teachers’ unions, there are a couple of other ideas floating around that aren’t as stringent as the governor’s that are gaining traction.

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Gov. Hochul and housing chairs at odds over rental assistance in budget

BY Kate Lisa New York State

Lawmakers expect a fairly peaceful budget process this year, but Gov. Kathy Hochul and legislative leaders are at odds over how much rental assistance to put in the annual spending plan as they look to reverse the state's ongoing shortage of affordable housing.

The governor isn't backing $250 million the Senate and Assembly proposed in each one-house budget to create a Housing Access Voucher Program and remains focused on building up a lacking housing supply instead.

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No policy in the budget: How New York legislative leaders differ as budget negotiations begin

BY Jack Arpey New York State

The "mothership" landed in Albany on Monday — the traditional kickoff of the budget negotiation process. Known more formally as the General Budget Conference Committee, the meeting has been billed in recent years as an exercise in transparency, but in reality the rest of the process outside of that 20 minutes of formality will take place almost entirely behind closed doors.

“Now that the [one-house budgets] have been passed, we’re ready to go to work,” state Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie told reporters. “At some point, we’ll walk out holding hands.”

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Attorney Michael Rebell weighs in on Foundation Aid changes in one-house budgets

BY Susan Arbetter New York State

The Rockefeller Institute delivered its suggested overhaul of New York state's school funding formula in December. Since then, neither Gov. Kathy Hochul nor the two legislative houses have adopted more than a few of the think tank’s 32 recommendations.

According to attorney Michael Rebell, executive director of the Center for Educational Equity at Teachers College, Columbia, the few data points that have been updated in the executive and one-house budgets have harmed districts that serve the most vulnerable students.

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400 New York mayors, local officials ask for more funding to small governments in state budget

BY Luke Parsnow New York State

Nearly 400 mayors and local officials from across New York sent a letter to New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and state legislative leaders asking the state to continue increasing funding for small governments as state budget negotiations take place in Albany, the New York state Conference of Mayors and Municipal Officials (NYCOM) announced late last week.

Known as AIM, or aid and incentives for municipalities, cities and towns received a $50 million boost in unrestricted funding in last year’s budget following an aggressive campaign from local leaders, the first increase in 15 years. These state funds are used by small governments to pay for things like supplies and wages for police officers and firefighters.

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Extra funds not expected in New York budget to implement Clean Slate Law

BY Kate Lisa New York State

The heads of state agencies charged with sealing about 5 million criminal records did not ask New York lawmakers to target additional funding in the upcoming budget to complete the task, and maintain they have the required resources to get it done by the mandated deadline.

A policy known as the Clean Slate Law makes 5 million criminal records in the state eligible to be sealed by Nov. 16, 2027.

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Tariffs, taxes and checks: Hochul gears up to negotiate with Trump and the state Legislature

BY Jack Arpey New York State

Both houses of the New York state Legislature on Thursday voted to adopt their one-house budget proposals, their rebuttals to Gov. Kathy Hochul’s executive budget pitch that will fuel the negotiation process as Hochul and legislative leaders work to come up with a deal by April 1.

Democratic leaders have aggressively pushed an “affordability” agenda this year in the wake of November’s election in which they were widely seen as being out of touch with voters.

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Budget watchdog group breaks down New York Legislature's one-house budget plans

BY Tim Williams and Camille DeLongis New York State

This week, the New York legislative houses released their budget proposals in the next stage of the state budgeting process.

Nathan Gusdorf, executive director of the Fiscal Policy Institute, joined Capital Tonight on Wednesday to help make sense of the proposals and what they mean for the state’s fiscal future.

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On education in the state budget, where does Hochul differ from the Legislature?

BY Jack Arpey New York State

While not reminiscent of the battle over Foundation Aid that took place at this time last year, with the release of one-house budgets Tuesday, there is daylight when it comes to education policy and funding between Gov. Kathy Hochul’s proposal and that of legislative leaders.

When it comes to a cell phone ban in schools, Hochul is gearing up to push her bell-to-bell proposal across the finish line when the state budget is due April 1, with the backing of the powerful New York State United Teachers union and other education groups.

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New York lawmakers include correction to overtime tax credit for farmers in budget proposals

BY Emily Kenny, Report for America corps member Central NY

New York lawmakers have included a correction to the overtime tax credit in the budget proposals, which previously excluded some farms from receiving the credit, industry advocates said Wednesday.

Prior to the correction, the law, which mandates farmers pay overtime to workers after a decreasing number of hours, didn’t allow farms that operate through a management company or payroll company to receive the tax credit meant to help offset the increased costs.

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Gov. Kathy Hochul faces pushback over rebate checks, school cellphone ban

BY Bernadette Hogan New York City

Two of Gov. Kathy Hochul’s big proposals — a cellphone ban in schools and tax rebate checks for New Yorkers — may not survive state budget negotiations, which have now begun in earnest ahead of the April 1 deadline.

“What a radical concept, the thought that students should be paying attention to their teachers!” Hochul said on Tuesday in Albany, building off her successful crusade against social media targeting minors.

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Striking officers' demands unaddressed in one-house budgets as Hochul bars fired officers from state jobs

BY Jack Arpey New York State

With New York state on Monday declaring the illegal corrections officer strike over, lawmakers are still reacting as the state budget process moves into a phase many on the picket lines had hoped to use to their advantage.

While always highly unlikely, a top-line demand of those on strike was a legislative repeal or significant revision of the HALT Act, which limits solitary confinement and replaces elements of it with rehabilitative programming.

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United Way pushes for increased funding for 211 New York

BY Susan Arbetter New York State

One of the most urgent campaigns of this state budget cycle is one to end child poverty in New York state.

A diverse group of organizations sharing that mission converged on the state Capitol earlier this week urging lawmakers to help improve long-term outcomes for children and families from households experiencing economic hardship.

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New York Democrats to push Hochul to hasten environmental spending

BY Kate Lisa New York State

Democratic lawmakers are expected to push Gov. Kathy Hochul to spend the extra $1 billion in her executive budget to address climate change a few years faster than the governor proposed.

Hochul's budget commits an extra billion dollars for sustainable energy projects and other programs to reduce emissions to keep up with requirements mandated under the 2019 Climate Act.

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One-house budget proposals not expected to delay N.Y. Medicaid home care changes

BY Kate Lisa Albany

Several state lawmakers said Wednesday they do not expect either the Senate or Assembly's counter budget offer to Gov. Kathy Hochul's spending plan will amend a controversial change to a $9 billion Medicaid home care program that takes effect April 1.

More than 150,000 disabled and elderly people who use the Consumer Directed Personal Assistance Program need to be registered with new management company Public Partnerships LLC with just over three weeks to go.

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N.Y. Assemblyman Phil Palmesano pushes for increased funding for state road maintenance program

BY Susan Arbetter New York State

Eighty-seven percent of roads in New York are owned and maintained by the state, which means you probably drove on at least one such road on your way home from work today.

But funding for repairs and maintenance of those roads hasn’t been increased in three years. This budget cycle, there have been calls by lawmakers from both parties to increase funding for the Consolidated Local Street and Highway Improvement Program, or CHiPs.

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New York Assemblyman Ed Ra discusses prison strikes, state budget

BY Susan Arbetter New York State

The New York state budget is due in a month. While we’ve seen a barrage of news coming out of Washington, D.C., as well as ongoing wildcat strikes among New York correction officers, the state Legislature has been quietly working behind the scenes on the annual state spending plan.

Both houses held revenue consensus meetings last week. It appears that the one-house budgets, which are being released on Monday, will call for spending that is between $500 million and $800 million more than Gov. Kathy Hochul had planned on.

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New York advocates push animal crime bills as part of state budget

BY Susan Arbetter New York State

The state Legislature is considering three animal-related bills as part of the state budget due on April 1.

The New York State Animal Protection Federation (NYSAPF) is asking the governor and the Legislature to create a $2.5 million New York State Animal Crimes Fund to help shelters pay for the costs associated with taking in abused animals.

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Higher education leaders make budget case to New York state lawmakers

BY Ryan Whalen Buffalo

ALBANY, N.Y. -- The State University of New York system says the outlook is bright.

Chancellor John King told legislators at a joint budget hearing on higher education Tuesday SUNY has seen system-wide enrollment increases in back-to-back years for the first time in 15 years with record setting investment from the state.

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LGBTQ+ groups press legislative leaders for more health funding in New York budget

BY Kate Lisa New York State

Political groups that advocate for LGBTQ+ people are pushing Gov. Kathy Hochul and legislative leaders to include millions of more dollars in the budget for health care programs that serve the community — especially for transgender youth.

Stonewall Democratic Club of New York City, NYC Pride and Power and Lambda Independent Democrats of Brooklyn sent a letter to Hochul, state Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins and state Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie asking for more in the budget for transgender people who cannot access health care and funding for HIV/AIDS housing, prevention and treatment.

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N.Y. lawmakers not sold on Hochul's child care panel, will push ahead with workforce funding in budget talks

BY Jack Arpey New York State

New York lawmakers learned more about one of Gov. Kathy Hochul’s budget proposals that many have viewed skeptically as an effort to stall a universal child care plan: a New York Coalition for Childcare. The body would be made up of business leaders, labor unions, tax and revenue experts, and child care providers.

Critics question the need for the panel when the state’s Child Care Availability Task Force already made recommendations, and a roadmap to universal child care exists.

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State budget proposal would help older adults waiting for in-home services

BY Mark Goshgarian New York State

In her proposed executive budget for fiscal year 2026, Gov. Kathy Hochul has allocated $45 million, through the state Office for the Aging, for in-home and community-based services to meet the needs of older adults.

"This is the best budget I've ever seen for older adults. It takes a look at all those services that are needed, how much they cost annually they to provide in certain counties," said Greg Olsen, director of the state Office for the Aging.

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New York budget director responds to questions on Hochul’s executive budget proposal

BY Susan Arbetter New York State

Gov. Kathy Hochul’s $252 billion executive budget proposal includes plenty of good news for families, including a middle-class tax cut, an inflation rebate check and a tripling of the child tax credit.

But the proposed spending plan is enormous, fueled in part by an 8% increase in revenue that some budget watchdogs say is not sustainable.

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Environmentalists respond to Hochul's delay of a portion of the state's carbon-pricing system

BY Susan Arbetter New York State

Gov. Kathy Hochul is feeling the heat from environmentalists angry at what they claim is her decision to delay a “Cap-and-Invest” program.

At the same time, the interim head of the Department of Environmental Conservation denied that there was any delay. But changes to the program outlined in the governor’s executive budget prompted three environmental justice advocates to resign from the state’s Climate Justice Working Group, saying in a letter that they believe the governor is backpedaling on her climate commitment.

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State health commissioner praises plan to bring free meals to schools

BY Erica Brosnan New York City

New York state’s health commissioner on Thursday praised Gov. Kathy Hochul’s plan to provide free meals to students across the state as beneficial to both children’s health and families’ wallets.

“We all need food, and kids need food. And you know, this means everybody gets food. So one, you're not going to see this stink anymore about who's getting the free breakfast or the free lunch—everybody gets it now, and it saves everybody money, $165 a month,” Commissioner James McDonald said during an interview on “Mornings On 1.”

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Hochul warns congressional GOP to help clear $252B state budget without federal funding cuts

BY Bernadette Hogan New York City

Gov. Kathy Hochul released the details behind her $252 billion state budget proposal for the next fiscal year complete, with tax cuts for the middle class, new spending for cops on the subway and increases for the state’s mammoth Medicaid program.

While her top budget official warned potential financial decisions out of Washington, D.C. could negatively affect the state, Hochul had her own message for New York’s Republicans now in power.

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Gov. Kathy Hochul to propose $252 billion state budget

BY Bernadette Hogan New York City
UPDATED 12:00 PM ET Jan. 21, 2025

Gov. Kathy Hochul is expected to announce Tuesday a budget that increases state spending by nearly $10 billion, offers tax cuts and backs a slate of affordability measures.

The fiscal year 2026-2027 state budget proposal is projected to grow to $252 billion in combined state and federal funding if approved by Hochul and the state Legislature.

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N.Y. Assembly majority leader looking to expand aid to local governments, amend marijuana law

BY Susan Arbetter New York State

There were a few issues that Gov. Kathy Hochul didn’t mention during Tuesday’s State of the State address that are of interest to a variety of New Yorkers. Two such issues are the MRTA, the marijuana law, which has created a legal quagmire for some farmers and retailers. The other is AIM (aid and incentives for municipalities) aid, which is the direct financial support that municipalities receive from the state every year.

Last year, AIM was increased by $50 million for the first time in 15 years. While a good start, state Assembly Majority Leader Crystal Peoples-Stokes, a booster of cities like Buffalo, told Capital Tonight that it’s not enough.

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Hochul: Universal school meals would feed 2.7 million students, save $165 monthly per child on groceries

BY Luke Parsnow New York State

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul is proposing funding universal school meals in the next state budget as part of her State of the State executive agenda that she estimates will feed more than 2.7 million students, she announced Friday.

The governor's office said this program will help save families an estimated $165 on groceries per child each month. And if students currently buy meals at school every day, the state says it will save parents $2,000 per child a year, as well as address food insecurity among children and create more opportunities for students to succeed.

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Sources: Hochul expected to announce support for funding universal school meals in next budget

BY Luke Parsnow and Kate Lisa New York State

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul will announce in the coming days her support to fund universal school meals in the next state budget as part of her State of the State executive agenda, sources told Spectrum News on Wednesday.

It is estimated to cost about $250 million for universal coverage for all school districts in the state. Currently, about $145 million of the state's $237 billion budget funds free school meals in low-income districts.

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New York state Education Commissioner Betty Rosa discusses new education pathways

BY Susan Arbetter New York State

In 2019, the New York State Board of Regents under Chancellor Betty Rosa created a Blue Ribbon Commission (BRC) to travel around the state and collect information from stakeholders regarding the attributes and skills that students need to get them ready to graduate from high school, whether they choose to go to college, a trade school or participate in the economy in another way.

Fast forward to 2024 – the state has now determined that there should be multiple pathways to graduation, and that a Regents diploma isn’t, and shouldn’t be, the only option for students.

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Trifecta of change confronts New York state educators in 2025

BY Susan Arbetter New York State

“We have more students who are coming to school who are not potty-trained.”

Marie Wiles was blunt about the increasingly basic needs of her pupils. She has served as superintendent of the Guilderland Central Schools, a suburb of Albany, for 14 years.

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Rockefeller Institute President Robert Megna comments on efforts to update Foundation Aid formula

BY Susan Arbetter New York State

The primary school funding formula for public schools in New York is getting a reboot.

The Foundation Aid formula, which has been the vehicle by which lawmakers direct money to school districts based on need, has been the blueprint for education advocates since 2007. But the formula is 17 years old and requires new inputs and updated data to accurately reflect district need.

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New York agencies warned to keep funding requests flat ahead of next year's budget

BY Luke Parsnow New York State

The New York state Division of Budget sent a letter to state agencies on Tuesday warning them to keep their funding requests flat ahead of the FY25-26 budget that New York lawmakers will have to pass in April of next year.

“While there is a growing consensus that the national economy is proceeding toward a ‘soft landing,’ New York’s status as the world’s financial capital makes it susceptible to a multitude of economic, geopolitical, and market risks,” the letter to agency commissioners from state Budget Director Blake Washington, reads. “A thorough consideration of state commitments will allow the state to be better positioned to meet planned out-year spending growth, and in the event of an economic downturn, will lessen the need for potential reduction in critical services at a time when New Yorkers would otherwise be in most need of our support. To accomplish this, agency budget requests for State Fiscal Year SFY 2026 should not exceed the total SFY 2025 Enacted Budget agency funding levels, excluding one-time investments."

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Review, update of Holocaust curriculum included in new state budget

BY Brianne Roesser City of Buffalo

The 2024-25 New York state budget features $500,000 allocated for the review and update of Holocaust curricula in schools, Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie and Assemblymember Nily Rozic announced.

This comes roughly two years after legislation was passed requiring the state Department of Education to examine whether the Holocaust is being properly taught in schools. That survey showed all school districts that were required to include Holocaust education in its curriculum did so. The 2022 review also showed most districts taught students about the Holocaust in social studies and English Language Arts (ELA) classes, not through specialized courses or events.

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New York Working Families Party co-director weighs in on state budget’s pros and cons

BY Susan Arbetter New York State

The New York state budget from a progressive perspective is a mixed bag, according to one of the co-directors of the influential Working Families Party.

In a conversation with Capital Tonight, New York Working Families Party Co-Director Jasmine Gripper lauded the full funding of campaign finance reform which helps boost small campaign donors, as well as the restoration of education aid.

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AARP: New York state budget leaves out 18,000 people who are languishing on wait lists

BY Susan Arbetter New York State

People aged 65 and over are the fastest-growing segment of New York state’s population, but according to AARP, the nation's largest organization dedicated to empowering older Americans, you wouldn’t know it from this year’s enacted New York state budget.

“Older adults were, for the most part, left out of the budget,” Beth Finkel, AARP’s New York state director, told Capital Tonight.

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NYC landlords unhappy with state budget

BY Susan Arbetter New York State

Landlords of rent-stabilized apartments in New York City are saying this year’s budget was a lost opportunity.

Jay Martin, executive director of CHIP-NYC, the Community Housing Improvement Program, which represents the owners of New York City’s 400,000 rent-stabilized rental properties, told Capital Tonight’s Susan Arbetter that the math doesn’t add up.

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Tenant advocates, upstate landlords give New York budget housing provisions a lukewarm reception

BY Susan Arbetter New York State

On the surface, the housing deal in the enacted state budget includes many of the provisions that activists had fought for, including elements of the Good Cause Eviction bill and union wages for construction workers.

It also includes a new tax incentive for New York City developers and incentives to convert unused office space into affordable housing.

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A look at what’s inside the New York state budget

BY Spectrum News Staff New York City

Over the weekend, state legislators passed a $237 billion budget. As usual, the big story isn’t the budget itself—it’s all of the policy decisions that were rolled into it, sometimes as a result of last-minute negotiations. NY1 anchor Pat Kiernan breaks down some of the highlights.

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At the State Capitol: A late budget, an apparent cyberattack and another budget extender

BY Jack Arpey New York State

The New York state Legislature still hasn't voted on a state budget, despite Gov. Kathy Hochul announcing the "framework" of a conceptual agreement on Monday.

The governor has acknowledged that details still need to be ironed out, but it is still not clear when the budget process will be wrapped up. State senators meanwhile told reporters as they left conference for the day that they plan to pass another budget extender Thursday possibly bumping the budget deadline to next week.

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Hochul discusses public safety measures, school funding in state budget deal with Spectrum News 1

BY Luke Parsnow and Marisa Jacques New York State

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said the state’s residents want to see a state budget “that delivers for them” and says there is a lot in the conceptual agreement reached Monday between her and legislative leaders that those residents can be proud of.

The governor sat down with Capital Tonight on Tuesday to discuss some of the parameters of that agreement that includes public safety measures, record funding in education and a housing plan.

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