ALBANY – Gov. Kathy Hochul announced Thursday evening a state budget deal has been reached after nearly one month of delays.
“A conceptual agreement has been reached,” Hochul told reporters at a press conference at the Capitol.
The final spending deal will allow 14 more charter schools to open in New York City along with an increase in the minimum wage and a litany of progressive policy priorities.
Albany Democrats are expected to approve a final budget in the upcoming days.
That marks a reversal from earlier in the day when the governor and legislative leaders appeared to still have several issues to hash out.
Hochul held up a final deal weeks past an April 1 deadline after demanding changes to bail reform amid rising crime and an affordable housing plan intended to get 800,000 units built statewide over the next decade.
The governor abandoned her housing plans following fierce criticism from suburban lawmakers concerned about how her approach would have undermined local zoning control.
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She did succeed in convincing Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie (D-Bronx) and state Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins to agree to nix a state law for serious offenses requiring judges impose the “least restrictive” conditions to ensure criminal defendants show up in court.
But she fell short of getting them to back other changes that criminal defenders warned would have effectively allowed judges to jail anyone who they believe threatens public safety or might be accused of additional crimes if they are released before their trials.
Hochul argued days ago that New Yorkers would care about the latest budget in more than a decade as long as key provisions like bail changes made it into a final agreement.
“I said I’m going to get the right budget, so New Yorkers want me fighting for bail. They want me fighting for affordability. They want me fighting for ways to help lift up their family circumstances,” Hochul said Tuesday.
“I don’t think New Yorkers or anybody outside this room will be focused on the length of time. They’ll be looking at the quality of my blueprint for leading this state,” she added.
This is a developing story.
