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The New York State Senate passed a sixth budget extender on April 22, extending state spending authority through Monday, April 27, as negotiations on the full fiscal year budget continue. The measure, sponsored by Sen. Serrano, includes $12.7 billion in total spending with $69 million in new appropriations covering essential services including general state charges, Metropolitan Transportation Authority payments, Department of Health programs such as WIC and EPIC, Department of Labor payments, and veterans services. The vote was 57-1, with only Sen. Weik voting in opposition. The extender comes as the state remains 22 days past the April 1 constitutional deadline for budget passage—the fifth consecutive year the budget has been late. Sen. O'Mara criticized the repeated extensions, warning that school districts cannot finalize their own budgets without knowing state aid allocations and expressing frustration that major policy disagreements remain unresolved. These sticking points include modifications to the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (CLCPA), auto insurance reform, the State Environmental Quality Review (SEQR) process, and tax increases. Sen. Serrano indicated that negotiations are ongoing and moving in the right direction, but emphasized the importance of crafting a comprehensive budget addressing economic development, parks funding, arts and culture, and other priorities rather than rushing to meet artificial deadlines.