New York state Meeting Speaker Carl Heastie informed reporters Thursday afternoon that state funds negotiations are “type of at a standstill” and reiterated his frustration with the quantity of coverage that will get included within the state’s spending plan yearly.
“Issues are type of, type of at a standstill. We’re going to move this debt service invoice and the members will go dwelling, do work of their districts and we’ll choose it again up subsequent week,” Heastie mentioned.
The funds is due subsequent Tuesday, April 1. Members received’t be in Albany on Monday, as it’s Eid al-Fitr, the pageant marking the top of Ramadan.
The large coverage objects mentioned this 12 months are Gov. Kathy Hochul’s desired modifications to the state’s 2020 discovery legal guidelines and involuntary dedication, in addition to statewide requirements for a cellphone ban in colleges, however Heastie mentioned he’s gotten no language from the governor’s employees but.
“I don’t like doing coverage within the funds as a result of governors like to make use of the leverage of Silver versus Pataki to throw all type of coverage within the funds,” Heastie mentioned, referencing former state Meeting Speaker Sheldon Silver and former Gov. George Pataki’s funds battles. “And like I mentioned, you may most likely knock out numbers in only a matter of hours however it’s coverage that all the time bogs down funds negotiations.”
One coverage merchandise Heastie mentioned he want to see a part of the funds is paying off New York’s $6 billion in excellent unemployment insurance coverage debt from the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly given the state of affairs, he says, occurring in Washington.
“If the federal authorities goes to proceed to do what they’re doing with this Republican administration, I can solely assume we’re going to a begin to see individuals making use of for unemployment and it’s simply one other burden on our already exhausted unemployment system,” Heastie mentioned.
That Republican agenda in Congress that might convey varied authorities cuts has made this 12 months’s state funds course of extra tedious, as state Senate Majority Chief Andrea Stewart-Cousins additionally alluded to on Wednesday.
Heastie mentioned “we’re by no means going to have the ability to backfill federal cuts” and when requested how the environment on Capitol Hill impacts the state’s spending plan, he mentioned, “earlier than you all say ‘I’m gonna ask Speaker Heastie,’ are you able to please ask the seven Republican members of Congress what are they doing in gentle of realizing thee cuts are coming?”
A spokesperson for Hochul launched a press release later Wednesday, saying “Gov. Hochul continues to face agency on her key priorities as she negotiates in good religion with the Senate and Meeting to move a funds that makes New York safer and extra inexpensive.”
