With no agreement in place for New York, legislators passed a budget extender yesterday, which will fund all government operations through May 31. Besides keeping the state government open, it will also increase salaries for the state’s 120,000 direct care professionals, award $16.4 billion to infrastructure, economic development, and environmental projects, and invest $2.5 billion in clean water initiatives. All of those items were part of Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s budget proposal. State Senator Fred Akshar voted in favor of the budget extender, saying that a final agreement has been held up by downstate Democrats over a single issue – the “Raise the Age” proposal. The issue on whether or not to consider suspects in crimes under the age of 18 as juveniles has split legislators along party lines. Republicans agree with the proposal, but only if the charges aren’t for violent crimes. Democrats favor a total change to the criminal justice system. Negotiations continue today.
