State budget will miss April 1 deadline

ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) – This week on Empire State Weekly, legislators are expected to miss presenting a completed budget by the April 1 deadline. Governor Hochul indicated the process would continue into the start of the physical year to conclude the budget details.

Blair Horner, the Executive Director of the New York Public Interest Research Group, explained the budget process is largely secretive following the public presentation of the Governor's executive budget proposal and the One-House budgets as a rebuttal. Horner explained legislators are currently "hammering out the details behind closed doors" in the process of coming to a consensus on items for the budget. One item likely causing a delay is the proposed changes to bail reform. "Until everything gets done nothing can get done," explained Horner. He indicated debates couldn't move forward on smaller items if so-called "big ticket items" like bail reform don't finish.

Also, this week, as legal adult-use recreational marijuana sales get underway, state regulators are looking to get additional funding added to the state budget. Axel Bernabe, Senior Policy Director for the Office of Cannabis Management, explained they'd like to see the state support funding to help the legal market remain competitive with the illicit market. Bernabe said the state is set to "turbo charge" the rollout of new dispensaries, with over 100 new dispensary locations set to be announced on Monday, April 3.

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