NYS Budget Update 

On Thursday, the Legislature passed a tenth budget extender (A.8115/S.7707) allowing for emergency appropriations through Wednesday, May 7. Assembly Ways and Means Chair Gary Pretlow indicated this should be the last budget extender before a final budget is passed. Senate Finance Chair Liz Krueger reiterated that she really hopes budget bills are printed and ready to be voted on by Monday of next week or shortly then after, but could not confirm for certain.

Despite Governor Hochul’s announcement on Monday that a general budget agreement had been reached, a handful of issues still need to be ironed out including school aid, several housing issues, the question of whether the State’s unemployment insurance debt owed to the federal government will be paid off, and DOCCS reform. The DOCCS reforms being negotiated include expanding early releases based on merit time and lowering the age a correctional officer can work from 21 to 18 to address the shortage of workers after the weekslong strikes. Additionally, the Governor is now seeking the authority to cut up to $2 billion in state spending without legislative approval to be able to respond swiftly to emergency situations like increased costs caused by tariffs and federal cuts to state aid.

NYC Mayoral Race Update

Major endorsements have recently been announced in the NYC mayoral race. Significantly, New York City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams picked up an endorsement from NYS Attorney General Tish James and NYC’s largest public employees union, District Council 37 (an affiliate of AFSCME and AFL-CIO), whose members and retirees include over 200,000 individuals. This is an important pick up for the Speaker who entered the race late and is not polling as well as others in the field. Additionally, of the 51 members serving in the City Council, 10 have endorsed Speaker Adams.

Most other major players in the labor space, including 32BJ SEIU, have endorsed former Governor Andrew Cuomo who leads in polling. Most recently, Cuomo landed an endorsement from 1199SEIU, which is NYC’s largest healthcare union, despite the union previously calling for his resignation in 2021. Assemblymember Zohran Mamdani, second behind Cuomo in polling, has pulled in notable endorsements from the New York Working Families Party and the NYC Democratic Socialists of America. Mayor Eric Adams, who is now running on the an independent line, currently has no major endorsements.

You may review a comprehensive list of endorsements for NYC mayor here from City & State.