Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
Here’s where Gov. Hochul and lawmakers still don’t agree on NY state budget
By
Jon Campbell
Published Apr 15, 2025
Modified Apr 15, 2025
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
Darren McGee/ Office of Governor Kathy Hochul
By
Jon Campbell
Published Apr 15, 2025
Modified Apr 15, 2025
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
An ongoing stalemate between New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and state lawmakers is showing little sign of receding as state budget negotiations stretch into a third week past the due date.
Hochul and top Democrats in the Legislature have made no significant progress in recent days on the issues holding up a final budget deal — several of which have little to do with the actual dollars and cents of the expected $250 billion spending plan.
On Monday, Hochul pleaded with lawmakers to budge on changes to the state’s criminal discovery laws, which have emerged as the greatest sticking point in the ongoing budget negotiations.
Speaking at a press conference in Manhattan, the Democratic governor reiterated that New Yorkers don’t care whether the budget — due before the April 1 start of the state fiscal year — is on time. She said she won’t agree to a deal that doesn’t include her policy priorities, including the discovery law changes.
“There's a lot of stress out there,” Hochul said. “And I'll tell you, one of the stressors on everyday New Yorkers right now is not the date that the budget's going to be done. I guarantee that.”
Lawmakers are expected to pass a fifth short-term budget extender Tuesday to ensure the state payroll goes out on time.
Here’s a rundown of the biggest budget issues that are — or aren’t — holding up a final deal:
The sticking points
Discovery laws: In criminal cases, “discovery” refers to the requirement that prosecutors and defense attorneys exchange evidence before a trial begins.
In 2019, then-Gov. Andrew Cuomo and state lawmakers updated the discovery laws to ensure prosecutors share evidence earlier in the process, so defendants can use it to assess whether they want to take a plea deal or proceed to trial.
But Hochul and district attorneys — particularly those in New York City — say the reforms have led to an increase in dismissals. Painting it as an issue of public safety, the governor is now insisting on changes to let prosecutors decide not to turn over evidence that isn’t deemed relevant to their case.
Defense attorneys and some legislative Democrats fear such changes would effectively roll back the 2019 reforms and swing the pendulum too far in favor of prosecutors.
Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie, a Bronx Democrat, and Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins, a Yonkers Democrat, have said the discovery issue has been the biggest obstacle to a final budget deal.
After this story was published, Heastie announced a "framework" deal on discovery reform.
Masked harassment: In March, Hochul surprised state lawmakers when she told them she wants to crack down on people who wear masks while committing crimes — which wasn’t in her initial state budget plan in January.
The governor has thrown her support behind a “masked harassment” bill, which would create a specific type of crime for someone who wears a mask “for the primary purpose of menacing or threatening violence against another person or placing another person or group of persons in reasonable fear for their physical safety.”
If approved, prosecutors pursuing other harassment cases could bring higher charges if the suspect was wearing a mask.
Hochul first signaled she wanted to crack down on masks during protests over the Israel-Hamas war last year, though she never backed a specific proposal until last month. Stewart-Cousins and Heastie say lawmakers are split on the measure — and that negotiations over the issue have taken a back seat amid the ongoing stalemate over the discovery law.
Room for agreement
Involuntary commitment: Hochul and New York City Mayor Eric Adams have been pushing for changes to the state’s system of involuntary commitment.
They want to make it easier for authorities to force someone into mental health treatment against their will if they’re deemed a danger to themselves or others. Hochul and Adams argue the move would help bolster public safety across the state — and particularly in the subways.
Some mental health advocates and civil rights attorneys have pushed back, arguing that changing the laws could be a catchall used to remove homeless people from the streets regardless of their true mental state.
Hochul and lawmakers do seem to be nearing a deal on the issue, according to Heastie and Hochul’s budget director, Blake Washington.
Speaking to reporters last week, Washington said the sides are still discussing the creation of a state entity that could assist local governments with navigating the involuntary commitment system.
Hiring prison guards: Though they don’t appear to be as hung up on them as on issues like discovery, lawmakers have also grown frustrated with some of Hochul’s late additions to the budget talks, such as measures to make it easier for the state to hire corrections officers.
The change was spurred by the wildcat strike that hamstrung the state’s prison system for weeks and called attention to a shortage of guards – which worsened when the state fired 2,000 of them for declining to return to work.
Among other things, Hochul wants to lower the minimum age to become a corrections officer to 18, down from the current 21.
Electing the lieutenant governor: The governor has been feuding with Lt. Gov. Antonio Delgado, a Democrat who publicly broke with Hochul in February. Now, Hochul wants to change the way the state elects lieutenant governors.
Hochul wants to have governor and lieutenant governor candidates run as a ticket in the primary elections every four years. Under current law, the candidates run in separate primaries only to be joined as a ticket for the general election — which allows for the potentially awkward possibility of candidates from opposing campaigns being in something of a forced marriage come November. Hochul appointed Delgado in 2022 after former Lt. Gov. Brian Benjamin stepped down amid a corruption scandal.
Gov. Kathy Hochul announces her appointment of then-Rep. Antonio Delgado for lieutenant governor on May 3, 2022.
Mike Groll/Office of Governor Kathy Hochul
Rare harmony
Bell-to-bell smartphone ban: Whenever it comes, the final budget deal is expected to include a wide-ranging ban on smartphone use during the school day.
According to Heastie, Hochul and legislative leaders have reached consensus on a so-called bell-to-bell ban — where students will be prohibited from using their internet-enabled mobile devices from opening bell to closing bell. That was a big priority for Hochul, who stood her ground even as school administrators pushed for more flexibility.
The final deal is expected to include some leeway for students who act as caregivers, while schools will have to have a policy where parents or guardians can reach their kids during the day.
MTA funding: Hochul and lawmakers are zeroing in on a plan to hike an existing payroll tax on some businesses within New York City, Long Island and part of the Hudson Valley to help pay for the MTA’s next construction plan.
Under a tentative framework, businesses with the highest payrolls would see a hike in what’s known as the payroll mobility tax, which is used to fund the MTA. Those on the lower end of the payroll scale would see the tax reduced or potentially even eliminated, according to Blake Washington, the governor’s budget director.
On Thursday, Washington said the amount of the tax hike and the payroll thresholds haven’t been settled yet. But the changes will apply to the entire MTA region — not just New York City, as had been previously floated in the closed-door negotiations.
This story has been updated with new information.
Tagged
Kathy Hochul
new york state
Politics
Jon Campbell
Jon Campbell covers the New York State Capitol for WNYC and Gothamist. Prior to that, he covered the Capitol for more than a decade for the USA TODAY Network. He has twice earned the Walter T. Brown Memorial Award, an honor given annually by the Legislative Correspondents Association alumni for outstanding state government coverage. Jon grew up in the Buffalo area and graduated from the University at Albany. Got a tip? Email Jon at [email protected] or Signal at JonCampbellNY.90.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
Bronx community hosts vigil for boy killed in e-bike fire
Zion Maine died Wednesday after a lithium-ion battery ignited, killing him and injuring four members of his family.
By
Carol Chen
Published Oct 29, 2026 at 9:22 p.m. ET
8 people charged in $7M SNAP benefit fraud scheme
The scam impacted thousands of people, according to the Manhattan district attorney’s office.
By
Giulia Heyward
News
8 people charged in $7M SNAP benefit fraud scheme
The scam impacted thousands of people, according to the Manhattan district attorney’s office.
By
Giulia Heyward
California man was shot by a NJ detective in Moonachie, officials say
By
Kaya Laterman
The NYPD is confiscating e-bikes along a clogged East Village street
By
Willow Higgins
New Yorkers enrolled in SNAP will get more money for fresh produce next year
By
Giulia Heyward
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .