State budget debate continues
The state budget is about five weeks late and there's no resolution in sight as legislators have wrapped up a three day session week and headed home. Now, some 100,000 public workers are looking at a mandatory furlough, but Wednesday, Governor Paterson offered an alternative to that idea which effectively places the ball in the state worker unions' court. Erin Billups has the details.
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ALBANY, N.Y. -- "Are you keeping your members here throughout the week? Senator, can you just answer the question?"
The answer: The legislature went home despite the Senate leader declaring last week they would stay five days as the Governor requested and work to reach a budget agreement.
"I'll be working on the budget,” said Sampson.
Lawmakers say if there's no deal to vote on there's no point in them staying in Albany. Still, legislative leaders insist there's progress in budget talks.
"I've been having very good conversations with the Governor,” said Sheldon Silver, (D) Assembly Speaker.
"We're getting closer, we're getting closer,” said Sampson.
But not close enough to stay and hammer out a deal. The Governor, who traditionally has not shied away from criticizing the legislature's inaction, declined to react to lawmakers' departure from the Capitol and seeming dismissal of his request to stay five days a week rather than three.
"I will probably have a response to that after I speak to the leaders and bring them all together in the beginning of next week,” said Paterson.
Next week, lawmakers will either pass the Governor's emergency spending bills that include furloughing state workers one day a week until the budget is passed, or turn it down, effectively shutting down government.
"We do not believe in closing state government,” said Silver.
Lawmakers say they will pass the furlough plan. The Governor meanwhile says they wouldn't have to go there if the public employee unions would simply make concessions.
"They have not contributed a dime to workforce reduction. We've asked them to take an added five days of lag period and that would end the discussion right now. Wouldn't it?,” said Paterson.
State workers though say the governor is negotiating with the media not with them, so come Monday, hundreds of state workers plan to rally outside the Capitol in protest of the planned furloughs.