State Budget Progress Remains Slow, but Deal Apparently Reached on Discovery Changes

It appears that a seventh extender will be needed to keep New York State's government running as the state budget for the new fiscal year is now three weeks late. However, a local state lawmaker has been told that a deal has been made on Governor Kathy Hochul's proposed discovery law changes, which has been one of the big roadblocks in negotiations. Senator George Borrello, who has been supportive of those changes, cited the results of a Siena College poll released Tuesday morning, which finds that a plurality of New Yorkers support her push...

George Borrello: most New Yorkers support discovery changes

Meanwhile, there are still disagreements over a number of other issues, including a new proposal by Hochul to lower the minimum age of state corrections officers from 21 to 18 following the firing of 2,000 corrections officers who participated in the 22-day prison strikes. The Sunset Bay Republican says that "last-minute" request by Hochul is a move he does not support...

George Borrello: Hochul is trying to cover herself

Borrello, who was a call-in guest on WDOE's "Viewpoint" program on Tuesday, adds that state lawmakers having to make repeated trips to Albany during this extended budget process is a "tremendous" cost to taxpayers. The 2025-2026 spending plan was due on April 1st.

Click here to listen to the entire "Viewpoint" interview featuring State Senator George Borrello.

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