Assembly passes one‑week state‑operations extender to keep government funded through April 7
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Summary
The Assembly approved a one‑week budget extender to keep state government open through April 7, authorizing roughly $1.04 billion for health, unemployment, developmental‑disability programs and other state charges; the vote was 141‑0.
The New York State Assembly on Wednesday approved an emergency one‑week state‑operations extender to keep government services running through April 7, voting 141‑0.
Sponsor Mister Pretlow told the chamber the bill covers payroll and essential payments while lawmakers continue negotiating a full budget. "This covers one week until April 7," Pretlow said, laying out line items including roughly $616,400,000 for the Department of Health and $135,000,000 for unemployment insurance through the Department of Labor.
Supporters said the short vote prevented interruptions in pay for state employees and ensured continued payments to institutional providers. Mister Palmisano, who asked questions about timing, said he would support the measure while urging a faster, more transparent budget process in future years.
The extender allocates additional amounts for OPWDD programs ($10,100,000), veterans' housing (reported as $36,000 in the explanation), non‑personal services ($10,000,000) and general state charges ($22,500,000). Pretlow said the total appropriation for the period is roughly $1,040,000,000 and cautioned members that if a full budget is not enacted, the Legislature may need to pass another extender.
Clerk records show the vote recorded as Ayes 141, Nays 0. With the measure passed, lawmakers said they expect to return to take up further budget work by April 7.
What happens next: the extender keeps state contracts and payrolls funded for the week specified; negotiators continue work on a full‑year budget, and legislators warned the chamber could face another temporary measure if agreement is not reached before the new effective date.
