New York Capital Brief:

New York Budget Cuts on the Horizon

For several months, Governor Cuomo has been vigorously urging Congress to pass a federal stimulus package that includes aid to states hit hard by COVID-19. Just this week, the Governor penned a letter to New York’s congressional delegation, saying the HEALS Act, which is currently being negotiated, is critical to the economic future of New York. Governor Cuomo said that New York is at the end of its rope and will be forced to make billions of dollars in cuts to the State budget if federal funding does not come through in the next two weeks.

Legislature Pushes for More Power over Budget Process

A group of New York State legislators is pushing to hold session to vote on the Budget Equity Act (S8198A Biaggi/A9100 Gottfried), a bill that would provide a constitutional amendment to give the legislature more control over the States’ budget process, before the August 3 deadline – a goal they’re unlikely to meet.

The bill would amend the State’s constitution to give the legislature more power in the budget process and enable them to add, delete, and modify non-budgetary legislation included in the budget.

COVID Update

On June 25th, Governor Cuomo, along with CT Governor Lamont and NJ Governor Murphy, implemented a tri-state travel advisory which requires anyone who is returning from a “restricted state” to quarantine for 14 days. This week, three additional states were added to the list, as well as Washington D.C. and Puerto Rico.