Politics & Government

Early State Budget Unlikely as Several Bills Still Under Discussion: Report

State legislators said that six of the 10 bills in the budget still required work.

Despite an announcement in the state Senate last week on an agreement, an early budget appears unlikely as details on a number of bills still need to be worked out, NY 1 reported.

On Wednesday, leaders in the legislative body announced that they had reached a budget agreement. But as of Sunday, many of the bills were still under discussion.

The state Assembly is not expected back in the capital until Thursday. The state budget deadline is April 1, so some lawmakers said they believed an early budget was not likely.

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State Sen. Michael Gianaris, D-Astoria, told NY 1 that as many as four of the 10 bills in the budget were passed. However, the six remaining bills include several of the most controversial items.

State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli said much of the negotiating in the budget process has so far taken place behind closed doors.

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“I think the biggest challenge is that many important decisions are being made, some of them are not directly related to the budget are being rolled into the process,” he told NY 1. “And I do think we should put a bigger priority on transparency so the public knows what’s going on.”

The few details of the budget that have been made public include a multi-year minimum wage increase that will go up to $9 by January 2016 as well as tax cuts for middle-class families and business owners.


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