S10060

The New York State Senate accepted a Rules Committee report on Senate Print 10060, an act making appropriations for the support of government sponsored by Senator Serrano. The bill was ordered to report direct to third reading. The Rules Committee report was accepted by voice vote with no opposition.

The New York State Senate passed a seventh budget extender on April 27, extending government operations through April 30 with a 56-1 vote. Senate Print 10060, sponsored by Sen. Serrano, provides $15.2 billion in funding, including $2.5 billion in new spending, to cover payroll, Medicaid, the WIC program, employment insurance benefits, and veterans' services. Only Sen. Weik voted against the measure. The extender comes as budget negotiations remain stalled on major policy issues. During floor debate, Sen. O'Mara criticized the lack of public transparency regarding outstanding budget matters, including potential tax increases such as a pied-à-terre tax on second homes, auto insurance reforms, and environmental and regulatory streamlining measures. Sen. Serrano, the bill sponsor, declined to provide details on unresolved policy issues, stating the extender is a clean bill focused solely on keeping state government operational. Serrano said discussions are ongoing and expressed confidence that outstanding issues would be resolved in coming days, though he acknowledged no final agreements have been reached on the remaining nine budget bills or the overall budget size of approximately $260 billion.