S9055

The New York State Senate accepted a Rules Committee report on S9055, sponsored by Sen. Krueger, an appropriations bill for the support of government. The measure was reported directly to third reading without amendment. The committee report was accepted by voice vote with no opposition recorded. The bill will proceed to third reading consideration.

The New York State Senate passed its fifth budget extender in 14 days on Monday, extending government funding through April 18th as negotiations between the Senate, Assembly, and Governor continue over a $235-240 billion spending plan. The 59-0 vote came amid sharp criticism from both majority and minority senators over the impact of the delayed budget on school districts facing statutory deadlines. School districts must distribute military ballots by April 26th and finalize budgets by April 23rd, yet lack the state funding information needed to plan responsibly. Multiple senators reported that school districts in their regions have already begun laying off teachers and cutting programs based on the Governor's original budget proposal, which included cuts to half the state's school districts. Sen. Krueger, the budget chair, defended the delay as necessary to secure better education funding outcomes than the Governor proposed, expressing confidence that negotiations are nearing completion. However, Sens. Helming, Weik, Stec, and Rhoads indicated this would be their last vote for an extender, with Rhoads criticizing the "broken" and "dysfunctional" budget process and the lack of minority party participation in conference committees. The debate revealed significant frustration with the opacity of three-way negotiations and the real-world consequences of the delay on school employees and students. Gov. Hochul announced a 4:45 p.m. press conference on the budget, surprising Senate leadership who were unaware of the announcement.