April 1st deadline will pass with legislators on break
NEW YORK STATE --
State Senators were in session briefly on Monday to pass an emergency operations bill, but, like the State Assembly, are now on a week's break from Albany for the Passover-Easter Recess.
Thursday, April 1st, is when the state budget is due according to the state constitution, but it's a deadline that will be missed.
Syracuse-area democrat Bill Magnarelli says it's not a huge money problem, though he agrees it's a psychological one. 'People say...how come you can't get your job done?" the Syracuse Assemblyman says. 'Well, we're trying.'
We spoke with democratic State Senator Dave Valesky, who says the governor and legislators are still far apart on about $1.5 billion in cuts needed to make up the $9 billion dollar deficit.
Republican State Senator John DeFrancisco agrees on the amount of the deficit, but says the real issue is how the work is being done: he says open budget hearings have been a sham, and that the budget in the works does not address long-term issues to get the state out of ongoing money problems.
Both democrats and republicans have agreed--at least for now---that parks cuts will be restored, but that education and health cuts will have to be made. And all three we talked to say they expect to hear from constituents, especially in the coming week, on how they feel about the budget. Click here for contact information to your legislators.
