Senate Finance Committee advances two budget implementation bills despite minority protests over timing

The New York State Senate Standing Committee on Finance on May 7 moved two bills that implement components of the 2025-26 state fiscal year budget onto the Senate floor, while several minority members registered objections about the timing and transparency of the process.

Committee Chair Liz Krueger opened the meeting and asked staff to read the first bill. "Good morning. It is May 7. This is the senate standing committee on finance. I'm Liz Krueger, finance chair," she said as the committee began discussion.

The first bill read into the record, S3005C, "enacts into law major components of legislation necessary to implement the state public protection and general government budget for the 2025-26 state fiscal year," according to the bill text read aloud at the hearing. The committee later considered S3008C, described in the record as implementing "major components of legislation necessary to implement the state transportation, economic development, and conservation budget for the 2025-26 state fiscal year."

Why it matters: Both bills are implementing measures tied to the next fiscal year and, if advanced and adopted by the full Senate, would put budgeted programs and spending plans into law. Several senators urged more time for review before votes, saying members and the public had insufficient access to supporting documents.

Minority objections and procedural concerns

Multiple minority senators said they would register votes of "AWR" (abstain with reservation) or "no" to signal discontent with the process. One senator told the committee they had received the bills too late to review them and cited missing answers on the overall spending plan. Another said the public also lacked access because bill materials were not available on legislative systems until very late. In remarks during the meeting, Chair Liz Krueger characterized the governor's use of a message of necessity as the vehicle for advancing bills quickly: "It's a message of necessity from the governor, and I'm pretty sure we're bringing these bills to the floor, and we have the votes to do so."

Several senators urged using an extender to preserve the legislature's usual three-day review period rather than proceeding under messages of necessity. One member argued the committee's fiduciary duty is to the public and said rushing the process failed that duty.

Motions and committee action

For S3005C, the bill was moved in committee (mover and seconder recorded in the hearing). Committee members spoke for the record about their votes before the committee proceeded. For S3008C, the motion was moved and seconded on the record; the chair called for the ayes and there was an affirmative voice vote. The committee chair said at the close of the meeting that the committee "has the votes to bring both of these bills to the floor" and that the committee would reconvene later to take further action.

What was not in the record

The transcript does not include a full roll-call tally with named yea/no votes for either bill. Multiple individual senators stated they would cast "AWR" or "no" on the voting sheet, but the record provided at the hearing did not show a complete numerical tally for each motion in the committee minutes available in this transcript.

Next steps

Committee Chair Krueger said the committee is expected to return to consider further budget bills later the same day. Several senators noted that additional budget bills remain to be introduced and debated; members repeatedly urged more time for public and committee review.

Votes at a glance

- S3005C: Motion to advance (implementing public protection and general government budget components) — moved in committee; outcome: advanced toward floor consideration (committee motion carried; specific roll-call not recorded in transcript). Mover/second: recorded on the hearing record. Notes: several senators registered "AWR" or "no" on the voting sheet and raised objections about timing and document availability.

- S3008C: Motion to advance (implementing transportation, economic development and conservation budget components) — moved and seconded in committee; outcome: advanced toward floor consideration (committee voice vote; specific roll-call not recorded in transcript). Mover: Senator Guinardes; seconder: Senator Comrie (as stated in the hearing record). Notes: same procedural objections raised by minority senators.

The committee adjourned with a note that further Finance Committee meetings were expected the same day to continue consideration of budget-related legislation.