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Today, the State Legislature is passing a short-term budget extender, indicating a continued lack of consensus on a budget deal.  

The extender allows the state government to continue operations while buying time for the Governor and Legislature to reach an agreement on a number of outstanding issues. As we explained in depth here, these issues include bail reform, the Bills stadium, the gasoline tax, and an electric-powered building mandate.   

A budget agreement was due on April 1. Speaker Carl Heastie indicated that Hochul’s late addition of policy items complicated negotiations and delayed the process.  

The extender bill will fund the state government through Thursday, and a budget deal is expected by then. The BNP will keep you informed as budget negotiations unfold.