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Cuomo says 'parameters' of budget agreed upon

Karen DeWitt
/
WRVO News (file photo)
Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie said New York Assembly leaders are hopeful agreements on raising the minimum wage, paid family leave and financial aid to schools can be reached tonight.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo and legislative leaders say they hope to have final agreements on the state budget by Tuesday evening, and could possibly print bills Tuesday night, to begin voting on Thursday. But by Tuesday afternoon they were still working on reaching final agreements. 

Cuomo says he and legislative leaders have decided what issues will be included in the budget -- like minimum wage and paid family leave -- but he says key details are not yet finalized.

“The overall parameters are all worked,” said Cuomo, who said legislative leaders are working out the details with their majority party conferences.  

“In this case, the details are important,” the governor said.

The governor would not say whether upstate New York might not reach a $15 minimum wage, and whether the amount could be lower, closer to $13, or how long it might take for the minimum wage to be phased in.

Earlier, after emerging from a closed door meeting with Cuomo, Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie said the leaders are hopeful agreements on the minimum wage and paid family leave can be reached before midnight.

“I’d say we’re progressing, we want to look to print today,” Heastie said. “There’s just some final details that we have to nail down amongst ourselves and the governor.”

Senate Majority Leader John Flanagan also said aid to schools will increase.

“We are comfortable that we’re going to have a record raise in education, which should be a focal point in everything we do,” said Flanagan.

The governor says he also expects no tuition increase at state universities and colleges, but says lawmakers will not agree to give SUNY an extension of its powers to raise their own tuition if they need to.

But a spokeswoman for SUNY, says in a statement that SUNY still needs $73 million that it has requested in order to “stave off a tuition increase this fall.”

Karen DeWitt is Capitol Bureau Chief for New York State Public Radio, a network of 10 public radio stations in New York State. She has covered state government and politics for the network since 1990.