New York state lawmakers are still trying to negotiate a budget deal, but are heading toward a late budget. The state Senate adjourned around 4 p.m. Friday, saying they would come back when there was something to vote on. There are tentative deals on increasing tuition aid to college students, approving a bond act to protect water infrastructure and allowing ride-hailing services like Uber and Lyft to operate outside of New York City.
Senate Deputy Majority Leader John DeFrancisco says the trouble is getting everyone to agree to all of the details at once.
“It’s like a game of whack-a-mole,” DeFrancisco said. “It’s the same issues we’ve been talking about for the last three weeks.”
Another outstanding issue: raising the age of when teens are treated as adults in state prisons from 16 to 18. Senators and Assemblymembers still have not agreed how to treat 16- and 17-year-olds charged with violent crimes.
Senator Patrick Gallivan, one of the leading Senators negotiating the bill, says even if Raise the Age does not end up in the state budget, he’s confident it will get done before the session ends in June.
