Close To A Deal—But Albany Can’t Get Its Story Straight

If you’re looking for a state budget update, there’s good news and bad news.

The good news: According to Gov. Kathy Hochul, an agreement has been reached with legislative leaders on key budget priorities.

The bad news: According to Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie and other Democrat leaders, an agreement has not been reached with legislative leaders on key budget priorities.

It’s bad enough that New York now has its latest state budget in 15 years, but having state leaders publicly contradict one another over whether a deal even exists only adds to the embarrassment.

By all accounts, our governor has jumped the gun on her victory announcement this Thursday. But the contradictory statements provided a perfect snapshot of Albany’s persevering dysfunction. Most New Yorkers who follow state government know nearly every major decision ultimately boils down to three people in a room: the governor, the Assembly speaker and the Senate Majority leader. So, it was especially telling that while a premature deal was being announced, two of the three key decision-makers were not even in the room.

There are 213 legislators in the Senate and Assembly combined, all elected to represent communities across this state. Yet, consequential decisions affecting millions of New Yorkers are negotiated behind closed doors by a number of leaders you can count on one hand. This week’s confusion exposed just how flawed and opaque the entire budget process has become.

Many of the biggest outstanding issues remain unresolved. School aid, a proposed pied-à-terre tax, pension changes, modifications to the state’s climate laws and even the final spending number itself are all reportedly still subject to change. During Thursday’s presentation, the governor cited a budget total of $268 billion. If accurate, that would represent a staggering $14 billion increase over last year’s already bloated budget. And lawmakers still have not seen the final language on many of these proposals.

Albany’s inability to meet deadlines is nothing new, but that does not mean it should be accepted as status quo. If there is no appetite to reform the budget process through constitutional changes, there are still practical steps that could improve transparency and efficiency. More frequent conference committees, public budget target tables and greater collaboration between the two houses and both sides of the aisle could help lawmakers and the public better understand where negotiations stand in real time.

What does appear to be true is that negotiations are getting closer to a final deal, and that is certainly good news. But if progress was already being made, there was no reason to overstate or misrepresent where things stood. We still have hundreds of bills to consider before the legislative session concludes, so I hope the budget can finally be passed swiftly and without any more false starts.

If you have any questions or comments on this or any other state issue, or if you would like to be added to my mailing list or receive my newsletter, please contact my office. My office can be reached by mail at 19 Canalview Mall, Fulton, NY 13069 and by email at [email protected]. You may also find me, Assemblyman Will Barclay, on Facebook or X at @WillABarclay.

Print this entry