A fourth state budget extension was approved and signed, but a final agreement was not found Friday.
While the wheels are turning and progress is being made, an extension is needed to keep the state funded until a final deal can move through the legislative process.
Blair Horner, executive director of the civil rights group NYPIRG, said: spectrum news 1 Even after 11 days and four extensions, this is far from the most recent budget Albany has seen.
“We as New Yorkers can always hope that Albany follows the rules,” he said. “That's not the case this year, so we'll see what happens.”
He said extenders are a traditional means of keeping employees on payroll and essentials running while negotiations continue.
“This is essentially an extension of the previous fiscal year's spending, and that's how we keep the government running,” he said.
Lawmakers responsible for passing the budget have not received compensation as part of the extension. Horner said that's by design.
“Basically forcing Congress to take budget deadlines more seriously was part of the budget reform process several years ago,” he said. “As far as I know, it had no effect.”
Assemblymember Alex Boaz argued that not getting paid, even if the budget is delayed, sends a message to the public about the broader goals of the legislative effort.
“There are personal costs to budget deferrals, so this shows voters that we are indeed doing it for the right reasons,” he said.
He hopes the delay will be worth it in the end.
“We want to get the budget right. No one wants it to last long, but it feels very collegial to do it,” he said. “We all work for New Yorkers.”
The Republican minority slammed the budget delays.
Assemblyman Ed La said the public has been negatively impacted by the debate in Albany.
“Knowing the state of foundation aid, even if a school district passes a budget next week, they have less than a week of time because they have to release that budget to the public,” he said.
As for not getting paid until a budget is passed, he acknowledged that's part of the process, but the main source of dissatisfaction among Republicans is how Democrats handle the process.
“We have one party in control of the government, and passing a budget is one of the most fundamental things we need to do every session,” he said. “Last year we went into May and this year we went into the second week of April. So I think our members are frustrated with the process.”
