With the budget still far from finalized, Senate Democrats are already proposing ways to change the process. They're introducing reform measures they say will provide for long-term financial planning, stricter accounting and higher standards of accountability. Senate Republicans say it's premature and accusing Democrats of ignoring budget reforms already on the books. Capital Tonight's Kaitlyn Ross has more.

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Citing budget reforms that were passed in 2007, DeFransisco says the Democrats should follow the laws already in the books before writing new ones.

"How could anybody with a straight face talk about a new series of reform when the reforms that were passed in 2007 are being totally, unequivocally and completely ignored?" DeFrancisco asked.

According to those reforms, the legislature is required to hold open conference committees about the budget before it's passed. So far, there haven't been any meetings, but Democrats say their plan would change all that.

"We would take a giant step towards a logical, transparent budget process for the long term because we need to fix this budget process now," said Senator Liz Krueger.

Their new reforms lay out a seven point plan for the budget process. Under the new procedure, the legislature and governor would be required to have:

• 2 year budget


• Use GAAP Principals


• Create a performance Commission


• Create Non-Partisan Legislative Budget Office


• Shift fiscal year to June 1st


• Annual Tax Expenditure Report


• Sunset tax breaks after 5 years

"If we had had these changes on the books for the past several decades, we wouldn't be in the mess we're in," Krueger said.

And while she acknowledges the reforms passed in 2007 haven't been followed, she says it's because they weren't enough.

"What we did in 2007 isn't working because it wasn't enough and it didn't deal with these fundamental changes," said Krueger.

But before anything changes, Republican leadership wants to see something done about the fiscal crisis we're in right now.

"The first thing we have to do is get this budget going, and then quite frankly, find out which one of these Speaker Silver would go along with because quite frankly he never went along with the reforms when we passed them," said Senate Minority Leader Dean Skelos.

A spokesman for the Assembly says Democrats say if they can get support in the Assembly, these seven bills could be passed individually or even incorporated in to this year's budget.