New York State Budget

A quirk in the newly enacted minimum wage increase could mean that in upstate New York by the early 2020s,   fast food workers could  be paid significantly more than other low wage jobs, like being a home healthcare worker or a cashier in a grocery store.

The new state budget has been in place for nearly a week, but little attention has been paid to many of the items that are in it. A government reform group says that’s by design.

New York's newly signed spending plan increases education aid by nearly $1.5 billion and increases Foundation Aid by a record $627 million.

State lawmakers in Albany went down to the wire on meeting the state budget deadline Thursday. A phased-in minimum wage hike and paid family leave are among the highlights of the $150 billion spending plan.

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo says the minimum wage increase now under discussion with the legislature will include a pause after three years, to reassess the health of the state’s economy. 

 Governor Cuomo and Legislative leaders said they hoped to have final agreements on the state budget by evening, and could possibly print bills Tuesday night, to begin voting on Thursday. But by late Tuesday afternoon they were still working on reaching final agreements.  

Senate Republicans say their version of the state budget will include a 9 year phase of tax cuts that would eventually total a 25 percent reduction for middle class taxpayers.

  Governor Cuomo says he’ll increase funding to environmental projects as well as state parks, in his 2016 budget. The news was applauded by environmentalists, as well as some business leaders.

New York’s 2015-2016 budget includes a $1.6 billion increase in education aid over last year. WAMC’s Allison Dunne tells us about how a few Hudson Valley school districts will benefit.

  The New York legislature completed an almost on-time budget, around 3 a.m. on the first day of the state’s fiscal year. One of the final pieces to come together was an ethics reform package, which will provide greater disclosure of lawmaker’s outside income. But critics say it does not go far enough.

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo and lawmakers finalized deals on education and ethics and passed the budget by the deadline.

Legislators began passing the final budget bills in the late afternoon, with only a few hours left until the deadline.

The final sticking points of the spending plan, resolved Tuesday, include a new teacher evaluation plan and changes to teacher tenure.

  Governor Andrew Cuomo began the budget season with an ambitious agenda than included a wide array of items that he tied to the budget, including raising the minimum wage, the Dream Act, and reforming the state’s grand jury process. In the end, the governor was forced to retrench on nearly every measure.

Cuomo spent a week in January rolling out his ambitious budget agenda, which contained plans for a new criminal justice system for teens who commit serious crimes, and a major upstate economic development program.  

The state Assembly, Senate and Governor Andrew Cuomo continue to work on sticking points in the state budget, as yet another item has now been dropped from the spending plan, raising the state’s minimum wage.

Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos emerged hopeful from a closed door meeting with Republican Senators. The Senate and Governor Cuomo have been at odds over ethics reform, including requiring financial disclosure of Senators’ law clients in their outside jobs as private attorneys.

The leader of the New York State Senate says raising the minimum wage is now out of the state budget, setting up a potential conflict with the state assembly as the budget deadline draws near.

Add the minimum wage to a growing list of items that have been dropped from the state budget.

Senate Republican Majority Leader Dean Skelos, who’s been against Governor Cuomo’s proposal to further increase the minimum wage to $11.50 downstate and $10.50 upstate, says the proposal won’t be part of the final state spending plan. And he questions

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo and the legislature are considering a  commission to design a new teacher evaluation plan, in order to break an impasse over the state budget. But even some lawmakers admit that the compromise is just kicking the can down the road.

Cuomo has demanded that education policy changes be passed along with the state budget, or he’ll hold up school aid increases.

With just over a week until the state budget is due, there’s pressure to drop a number of unrelated items in Governor Andrew Cuomo’s state spending plan.

Cuomo has tied ethics reform and education policy changes to the budget, and threatened to hold up the spending plan if the legislature does not agree.  

  The state budget could end up in court under some scenarios, as state lawmakers are discussing possible legal action against Governor Cuomo’s budget, and his proposal to link a number of unrelated items, like ethics reform and education changes, to the spending plan.

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo is taking credit for the state budget’s turn around from huge gaps to healthy surpluses, but a watchdog group says Cuomo is relying on future funds that have not yet materialized.

Cuomo often lists his achievements as governor when he gives speeches, and he likes to recount how he turned the state’s finances around, as in his Inaugural address earlier this year.

“We turned a $10 billion dollar deficit into a $5 billion dollar surplus,” Cuomo said on January 1st.

Members of Rebuild NY Now, a broad-based coalition seeking to raise awareness about the state’s infrastructure needs, spoke at the Albany County Office Building Tuesday.

Local elected officials, members of organized labor, local Chambers of Commerce and representatives of private businesses gathered to bring attention to New York's crumbling highways and aging bridges, in efforts to underline their cause: convince the state to use its $5 billion budget surplus from recent settlements against overseas banks to fund infrastructure projects.

    Governor Andrew Cuomo has repeatedly threatened to hold up the state budget over ethics reform and other issues, like education policy. Now, a poll finds that voters would rather that the budget be on time. The spending plan is due March 31st and lawmakers return to Albany Wednesday to begin several weeks of negotiations.

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo delivered his joint State of the State and budget message, proposing a $141.6 billion spending plan that in part sets up a show down with teachers and education advocates.

The governor wants 100 more charter schools and an overhaul of teacher evaluations, which he says are “baloney,” because virtually all teachers are rated as adequate.

“98 percent of the teachers rated effective,” Cuomo said. “Who are we kidding, my friends?”

The New York State Legislature convened last week for its six-month session. Area lawmakers have varying hopes and expectations for 2015.

Another session is under way, but off to a slow start resulting from Governor Andrew Cuomo's decision to move the State of the State address back two weeks following the death of his father, former Governor Mario Cuomo.

  When Governor Andrew Cuomo gives his budget address on Wednesday, the state will begin the year with a $5 billion dollar surplus, a big change after years of budget deficits.

When Cuomo first came into office, the state was facing a $10 billion budget gap. Now, in 2015 the state has a $5 billion surplus, the largest since the 1940s.  The money is a one time windfall from various bank settlements, over charges of improprieties during the financial crisis.

  Lawmakers returning to Albany in January are expected to focus on financial matters such as how to spend New York's $5 billion bank settlements windfall.  

The Assembly is controlled by downstate Democrats, while upstate and Long Island Republicans dominate the Senate.

Ongoing stalemates are likely to continue on social issues such as abortion rights, campaign finance reform and raising the minimum wage.

A Group lobbying to 'Rebuild NY Now' with state windfall funds brought its campaign to Albany Monday.  Rebuild NY Now is a coalition with a mission: to raise public awareness about the issues impacting New York State's infrastructure, with its eye on $5 billion - described as "unexpected cash" - a “windfall” of revenue from recent settlements against overseas banks to pay for infrastructure upgrades.

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo and legislative leaders are touting the virtues of the newly enacted state budget, but the spending plan has its share of critics.

Lawmakers hurried to complete work on the state budget before the midnight deadline, but the spending plan is not without some controversy.