ALBANY — A few hundred million dollars and a handful of policy fights were all that separated Gov. Cuomo from an on-time budget yesterday as legislative leaders passed competing plans to close a projected $10 billion budget gap.
Despite their differences, lawmakers eager to avoid a public confrontation with the popular new governor stressed the level of agreement at the Capitol needed to craft a budget deal.
“I believe we really will get a budget on time,” said Senate Finance Committee Chairman John DeFrancisco (R-Syracuse). “The budget that the Senate is passing isn’t a heck of a lot different than the governor’s budget. I don’t think we’re going to be that far away from the other house, either.”
Whether to extend an income-tax surcharge on the wealthy remained the most significant sticking point as Speaker Sheldon Silver’s Assembly Democrats approved a resolution to restore education aid and other programs with $706 million raised from New York’s wealthiest taxpayers.
The 2-year-old surcharge — already opposed by Cuomo — was declared dead on arrival by Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos (R-LI), who said continuing it would send an anti-jobs message to business.
“We will not support it,” Skelos said. “We’re going to change that tone and I’m delighted to actually partner with the governor and say no taxes.”
The Senate leader said it made no difference that the Assembly’s latest proposal would last only one year and impact only those taxpayers who made more than $1 million a year, unlike the current tax that taps individuals above $200,000.
As lawmakers sparred over tax hikes in Albany, the governor recharged his batteries for the upcoming budget fight with a day trip to the Adirondacks, where administration officials said his three daughters skied.
The governor was photographed by the Adirondack Daily Enterprise pumping gas in Saranac Lake, a favorite spot of Cuomo’s celebrity-chef girlfriend, Sandra Lee.
Cuomo has threatened to force a government-shutdown vote if lawmakers fail to approve a plan to close the budget gap by the state constitutional deadline of April 1.
Sticking points remain: The Senate stripped out key provisions of Cuomo’s $2.3 billion Medicaid-redesign plan and pulled out $500,000 in competitive-grant programs for schools.
The Assembly nixed his proposed $250,000 cap on medical-malpractice awards for pain and suffering and rejected his call for two-year spending caps on education and health care.
The Assembly proposal would restore $204 million of Cuomo’s proposed $580 million New York City education-aid cut. The Senate proposal would restore $157 million.