Senate advances eleventh "extender" to keep state government operating as budget talks continue

The New York State Senate on May 8 took up an eleventh “extender” to keep state government operating until May 14 as lawmakers signaled they remained in the final stages of budget negotiations.

Senator Serrano, the bill’s sponsor, told the chamber the extender "does appropriate $2,900,000,000" to cover payroll and other operating costs and said negotiators were "in the final stretch" but that a full set of budget bills and final language were not yet ready for a vote. Senator O’Mara pressed the sponsor for a timeline and for clarity on major outstanding policy issues, including implementation of the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (CLCPA), auto-insurance changes and proposed utility-bill relief.

Senator Merrell raised concerns about timing and transparency, saying the Legislature remained "six weeks late" on the budget and asking why joint conference committees had not been scheduled to allocate roughly $385,000,000 in table targets he said were still unresolved. Merrell and others also questioned why some proposals reportedly discussed — including a $1 billion package of utility-bill relief mentioned on the floor — were not yet finalized in bill language.

The extender was returned to the noncontroversial calendar by consent and the chamber read the final section and called the roll. The clerk announced the results and the bill was recorded as passed on the floor.

What happens next: The extender keeps state operations funded while negotiators work on the remaining policy items. Senators said they expected more clarity in the coming days and that final budget bills would be filed and brought to the floor once agreement on language and math was achieved.