Good afternoon — It’s Monday and Twilight Zone Day.
In today’s CapCon:
We have an update on when the nine remaining bills that make up the state budget might make it to the floors of the state Senate and Assembly.
Gov. Kathy Hochul explained why she announced a “general agreement” on the state budget but also blamed its delay on how the process is handled.
Another energy mandate would be added to the state’s stack under a newly introduced bill by a top lawmaker in the state Senate.
Psilocybin for medical use would be legalized under a bill newly amended to be tailored more narrowly toward specific conditions and scenarios.
The top-lobbied bill last year that Hochul ended up vetoing is on the move once again in the state Assembly. It’s about health data privacy.
Certain kratom products would be banned for sale outright under a newly amended bill.
Both chambers are moving a surveillance pricing bill being pushed by Attorney General Letitia James.
At the Capitol: Full committee agendas for Tuesday, May 12
Names in today’s CapCon: Kathy Hochul, Carl E. Heastie, J. Gary Pretlow, Phil Palmesano, Michael Gianaris, Andrea Stewart-Cousins, Letitia James, Peter Harckham, Michelle Hinchey, Amy Paulin, Linda B. Rosenthal, Phil Steck, Michalle Solages, Thomas P. DiNapoli
(Lori Van Buren/Times Union)
🙋Lawmakers don’t expect to vote on the state budget this week
Democrats in the state Legislature last week were quick to deny a claim from Gov. Kathy Hochul that a deal on this year’s state budget had been struck.
Hochul had announced a “general agreement” on the state budget on Thursday and outlined several areas on which she said lawmakers were aligned. Moments later, Assembly Speaker Carl E. Heastie said: “There’s no deal.”
Lawmakers in both chambers were then sent home for the weekend and returned Monday.
There are nine bills that still need to be passed by the state Legislature for the entirety of the state budget to be approved. None of those nine bills were introduced over the weekend.
Lawmakers instead on Monday introduced and passed an 11th budget extender with about $2.9 billion in spending. It runs through Thursday, May 14, meaning we shouldn’t expect to see lawmakers vote on any budget bills before then.
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