Karen Dewitt

The Speaker of the State Assembly says a portion of New York’s gun control laws, set to take effect April 15th, may be post poned while talks continue on how to amend the provision.

Even though state lawmakers announced a budget agreement Wednesday, they spent the day Thursday trying to pin down details and print the bills in time to be through over the weekend.

The Speaker of the State Assembly says a portion of New York’s gun control laws, set to take effect April 15th, may be postponed while talks continue on how to amend the provision.

Governor Cuomo and legislative leaders agreed to a framework for a new state budget Wednesday evening,  but say they are still working out many of the details .

Governor Cuomo says he and the legislative leaders have reached an accord on many of the budget issues, and hope to be finished passing everything by Sunday.

“I’m pleased to announce  this evening that we have a budget agreement in concept,” said Cuomo, who said bills would  begin printing immediately.

Lawmakers originally planned to be passing bills by now, ready to wrap up the state budget and leave on a three week break beginning on Thursday.
 
But, instead of an agreement early in the week, each day lawmakers have found themselves discussing new issues , some of them totally unrelated to the spending plan. Most recently, talks have turned to whether to decriminalize public possession of marijuana in New York City, and walking back a provision of the recently enacted gun control laws.

The New York State budget is crawling to a conclusion, as legislative leaders and Governor Cuomo continue closed door meetings to try to strike a final deal.

New York State lawmakers are close to agreeing on a new state spending plan that would include a deal to raise taxes on the wealthy, and raise the minimum wage.  They failed to seal a pact Monday night, but say they will be back Tuesday morning to try again.

Senate Co-Leaders Dean Skelos and Jeff Klein , after a closed door leaders meeting, say they are hopeful that up to $700 million dollars in tax cuts for business and the middle class could be in the state budget.

As New York State budget talks reach their final days, and perhaps even hours,  a group of Hispanic lawmakers is pushing for the inclusion of the Dream Act in the budget, It would offer college aid to children of undocumented immigrants who were born in the country.

One of the areas of disagreement in the state budget centers on funding for services for New York’s developmentally disabled people.