State budget deal not expected this week

And a new bill would pause state support for new nuclear energy.

Good afternoon — It’s Monday and Pineapple Upside Down Cake Day.

In today’s CapCon:

• A top member of the state Assembly said Monday that lawmakers should amend the state constitution to rebalance the state budget process.

• Lawmakers don’t expect to reach a deal on the state budget this week but there’s been movement in recent days.

• State support for nuclear energy would be put on pause under a new bill from state Senate Energy Chair Kevin Parker.

• The U.S. Supreme Court has declined to hear a case on former Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo’s handling of nursing homes during the coronavirus pandemic.

• Republicans in the state Legislature unveiled a bill Monday in response to the state’s rejection of public matching funds for Bruce Blakeman.

• Hundreds of nonprofits barred from making contributions have donated to candidates, party groups and PACs over the last decade.

• At the Capitol: Tuesday, April 21

Names in today’s CapCon: George Pataki, Kathy Hochul, Carl E. Heastie, J. Gary Pretlow, Michael Gianaris, Andrew M. Cuomo, Bruce Blakeman, Robert G. Ortt, Edward P. Ra, Kevin Parker

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Today’s Capitol Confidential is sponsored by VNS Health

Legislators: New York’s MLTC rate system is underfunding plans caring for residents with the most complex care needs — including older adults and people living with disabilities who rely on support at home — and the state must act now. Without intervention this year, impact will deepen. Plans serving high-acuity populations — including VNS Health, the state’s only statewide 5-star MLTC plan — are already operating at the limits of what the system can support. Learn more.

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The New York Assembly (Lori Van Buren/Times Union)

🗣️ Pretlow says lawmakers should amend state constitution to rebalance state budget dynamics

Democrats in the state Assembly have long bemoaned the lack of power that legislators have in the budget process.

That’s the result of a decision handed down by the state’s highest court more than two decades ago in litigation between then-Gov. George E. Pataki and Democrats in the state Assembly.