While lawmakers struggle with the best way to piece together this year's budget, one state leader has a few suggestions on how to make sure the state doesn't find itself in this same position in the future. Comptroller Tom DiNapoli rolled out a plan to tackle more than a handful of recurring problems that have left the state with multi-billion dollar budget gaps. Capital Tonight's Kaitlyn Ross has more on the plan and how the state legislature is reacting to it.

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Predicting a $30 billion deficit for New York State four years from now, State Comptroller Tom DiNapoli says now is the time to fix it.

"I think everyone agrees that this needs to be a year of transformation in State Government," said DiNapoli.

Outlining proposed reforms for the state budget process, the Comptroller says the government needs to be more transparent, stop relying on one-shot revenue sources and start looking ahead.

"You end up in constant crisis mode now. You need a budget in place that's based on real numbers that will hold together for an entire year," DiNapoli said.

And actually further out than that. The Comptroller's proposal would force the Governor to put forth a three year budget forecast and for the legislature and the governor to agree on all aspects of the current budget by March 1st, a date that's come and gone this year, with no consensus on the horizon.

"We can debate about money, but we cannot debate on what the state can afford to spend," said DiNapoli.

This proposal would take the fight right out of it. If the governor and the legislature could not agree on a budget forecast by the deadline, the Comptroller would provide one and that number would be binding. It's a tool the Governor says he'd like to see.

"One individual, one leader can make a decision that can keep the state from going bankrupt is very important," said Governor David Paterson.

Though Paterson's not sold on that leader being the Comptroller.

"Certainly if we could citify protections so an executive or comptroller, or anybody else could take charge in moments of fiscal crisis, we could avoid some of the problems that the other states had not only with their fiscal woes, but that they couldn't vest in one person the leadership to stop these types of emergencies from taking place," Paterson said.

On that point, Comptroller DiNapoli agrees with the Governor. While New York is certainly in a dire situation, we're not in as bad shape as some other states across the country and both men agree now is the time for action. And DiNapoli says many of his reforms could be put in place to be effective for this year's budget process.