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ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10)— Governor Kathy Hochul provided a budget update Thursday evening.
“We are not finished yet, you all know that, but I also think there has been a lot of good progress made,” said Hochul. “Everybody’s rolling up their sleeves ready to work through the weekend.”
The governor held a press conference just hours after the state legislature passed an April 8th extender. It allows state employees and the National Guard to continue to get paid.
Another extender to keep government operations going would have to be passed before Noon on Monday.
When Senate Deputy Leader, Michael Gianaris, was asked if lawmakers would be back in Albany on Sunday to pass another extender, he said, “Sunday or Monday. The extender runs though Monday, so one of those two days.”
One of the biggest issues in the state budget revolves around school aid.
Hochul proposed changing the formula that determines funding for districts. She said it is needs to be assessed since there have been population shifts. The state legislature, however, rejected her proposal. On Thursday, she shared where budget negotiations stand.
“By this time next year —-giving everyone the notice, the warning they all asked for, that there will be a different formula. And I’m just deciding with the leaders how that mechanism will work, but I think it’s gonna put us on a much better place.”
During session earlier in the day, Assembly Republican Ed Ra ,voiced some concerns about the budget being past due and the impact it can have on the budgets of school districts.
“We had the governor’s executive proposal that basically half of the districts in this state would lose foundation aid under. They have put together budgets. They have to put them out to the public, and we are a few weeks away from—school districts are required to distribute ballots to military residents by April 26th.”
Voters can go to the polls to approve school budgets on May 21st.
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