Gov. Hochul says lawmakers have reached "conceptual" agreement on $220 billion state budget
NEW YORK -- There was progress in Albany on Thursday.
Gov. Kathy Hochul announced that after a weeklong delay there is a conceptual agreement on a new state budget, CBS2's Marcia Kramer reported.
It is the governor's first budget and she was happy she could finally say that all the wrangling with state lawmakers had finally paid off.
"The long-awaited day has arrived," Hochul said.
And despite a one-week delay, the $220 billion budget is filled with a number of the things that were important to the governor. At the top of the list, given the concerns about public safety, was bail reform and changes to the law that will allow judges to hold on bail people charged with gun crimes, hate crimes, and repeat offenders.
"It's an important step for giving our local leaders the changes that are needed to make our communities, their communities as well, safer," Hochul said.
But there are lots of other things that are cause for celebration, including a $2.1 billion middle class tax cut affecting 6.1 million people, property tax rebates, and an answer for the those being stressed by rising gas prices.
"I have to put my card in again because I passed the $100 limit," one Melville resident recently told CBS2.
"Everything is going up but your salary," added Jesse Robledo of Oyster Bay.
The new budget is bringing relief at the pump in the form of a gas tax holiday that will last for six months, from June 1 until Dec. 31. Drivers will save 16 cents a gallon and $585 million dollars in total savings.
And there's more cause for celebration. Restaurants will have the right to sell cocktails and other alcoholic beverages with to-go orders, a move that was first allowed during the first 15 months of the pandemic.
The new deal will last for three years. Drinks must be sold in sealed containers and can only be sold with food, but no full bottles of wine or liquor can be sold.
"We want to continue bringing relief to those mom and pop small businesses and local restaurants," Hochul said. "They really bore the brunt of shutdowns and pandemic restrictions."
The governor and the Legislature also added $7 billion for child care.
"Through our investments we'll be able to open the door to child care for more than half of the young people in New York," Hochul said.
As the governor said, this is a conceptual agreement. There are still some things being worked out. Lawmakers hope to start passing some of the bills on Thursday night, but it's unclear how long it will take.