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Ongoing Debates on Bail Reform and Affordable Housing Cause NY Legislators to Miss April 1 Budget Deadline

Ongoing Debates on Bail Reform and Affordable Housing Cause NY Legislators to Miss April 1 Budget Deadline

By Yehudit Garamise 

Disagreements on whether to continue to change 2020’s bail reform and how to better provide affordable housing in New York are the sticking points that caused the NY Legislature to miss its April 1 deadline to finalize the state’s massive $220 billion budget, Senate Minority Leader William Barclay (R) and Assemblyman John McDonald (D) explained.

“Once those two items are resolved, I, and many others feel the budget falls into place very quickly,” Assemblyman McDonald told News10 in Albany.

Education, health care, criminal justice, transportation, and all other operations and capital investments of the state are some of the other ways in which the state’s huge treasury of funds, which is collected from taxes, fees, the federal government, and other sources, is allocated.

While legislators continue to debate how best to distribute the state’s funds, state Sen. McDonald said he wants to incentive localities to increase housing opportunities for New Yorkers. 

“When we have more competition, tenants and new homeowners win,”  Senator McDonald said.

To buy two more weeks to work on their budget, NY legislators plan to pass an “extender” today that Gov. Hochul proposed in a bill that that would extend the budget deadline to April 10. 

“I have been negotiating in good faith with the legislature, but it is clear there is more work to be done before we reach an agreement,” said Gov. Hochul, who added that she wants to make New York more affordable, livable, and safe. 

"New Yorkers are concerned about public safety, the rising cost of housing, and ensuring high-quality schools for all our kids,” the governor said. “Any budget deal must make progress on these core issues to deliver a final budget that is responsive to the urgent needs of New Yorkers.” 

photo credit: Flickr

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