ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) – New York Democrats, who control the state Senate and Assembly, will release this year's budget, potentially putting them in a fight with Gov. Cathy Hochul's office over education funding and income taxes.
The spending plan marks the start of state budget negotiations, a process that will take place behind closed doors between the governor, the Senate majority leader and the Assembly speaker ahead of the April 1 budget deadline.
Hochul said he believes the budget will be passed on time this year, avoiding the kind of intra-party squabbles that delayed it last year as he debated with lawmakers over housing projects and changes to bail laws. It seems like he wants to avoid it.
“Everything we need is on the table right now,” said Hochul, a Democrat.
Mr. Hochul released his budget proposal in January, urging lawmakers to spend $2.4 billion on new programs to address the city's influx of immigrants and combat retail theft, both in New York. This is a sensitive political issue for the Democratic Party ahead of the controversial parliamentary elections in the United States.
The Assembly and Senate support the governor's plan for immigration spending, including short-term shelter services, legal aid and health care.
But both chambers rejected the governor's proposal to increase criminal penalties for assaulting retail employees.
Senate Deputy Majority Leader Michael Gianaris, a Democrat, said at a news conference that increasing penalties for assaulting retail workers is “not a particularly fiscal issue” and should be discussed separately from the budget.
Another potential point of contention between Hochul and leading lawmakers is the governor's plan to adjust how the state provides education funding to local governments.
Hochul's proposal has been criticized because it would take state funds out of some school districts, but the governor has argued that the money would be better directed to schools that need the extra money. In response, Democrats in the House and Senate are instead calling for a look at how states' funding formulas can be improved.
Democratic lawmakers also want to raise personal income taxes for people earning more than $5 million. Hochul has said he doesn't want to negotiate publicly, but when asked about his plans on Tuesday, he told reporters: “Raising income taxes is not a start for me.”
The budget will now be developed through the legislative process and ultimately through closed-door consultations, with many details likely to change before a deal is finalized in the coming weeks. Or, as Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins told reporters on Tuesday, “We are nearing the end of the beginning.”