Select New York lawmakers will be back in Albany starting this week to begin the long process of crafting a new state budget.
Several committees have scheduled hearings in the next few weeks to examine spending on agricultural programs, the courts, environmental protection and libraries. They're expected to review how much is already being spent, and whether those investments should be increased, decreased or altered in the next state spending plan.
First up is the Assembly Committee on Agriculture, which meets Tuesday in Albany. On Friday, the Assembly judiciary committee meets, with further hearings scheduled by other committees in the following weeks.
The legislative session doesn't get underway until January, and lawmakers hope to approve a new spending plan by April 1, the start of the state's fiscal year.
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