S10166

Senate Print 10166, an act making appropriations for the support of government sponsored by Sen. Serrano, was reported by the Committee on Rules and accepted by the Senate for direct advancement to third reading. The bill was approved via voice vote with no recorded opposition.

The New York State Senate passed its ninth budget extender of the session on March 10, with a vote of 57-1, as lawmakers continued negotiations on the state's delayed fiscal year budget. Senate Print 10166, sponsored by Sen. Serrano, appropriates approximately $3.1 billion in additional spending authority to continue state government operations, bringing total extender spending to nearly $20 billion for the month-long delay past the April 1 budget deadline. The extender funds critical services including payroll, SUNY pensions, WIC payments, Department of Labor operations, transportation, and Department of Veterans' Services. Sen. Serrano confirmed that joint budget conference committees have established a $380 million table target for discretionary spending, similar to prior years' allocations. However, major policy disputes remain unresolved, including auto insurance reforms, SEQR streamlining, New York for All proposals, and CLCPA changes. Sen. O'Mara criticized the extended delay as poor governance, noting the lack of transparency regarding final budget spending levels—expected to fall between the Governor's $262 billion proposal and the Assembly's $272 billion proposal—and expressing concern that final bills will arrive with messages of necessity that bypass the constitutionally required three-day review period. Only one of the ten required budget bills has been enacted to date.