After months of negotiations and five separate deadline extensions, Gov. Kathy Hochul says New York state has reached a “
conceptual agreement” on the tentative budget deal.
Hochul announced the agreement late Thursday night. Although the plan has yet to be finalized, major features expected include changes to bail reform, the MTA and an increase to the minimum wage.
The agreement removes the least restrictive standard to bail reform, leaving judges the discretion to decide whether a defendant is deemed dangerous to the community.
The budget would provide $40 million to public defenders to help low-income New York residents and a pay increase to pro bono attorneys for the first time in two decades.
The MTA would receive $1.1 billion in funding, increasing contributions to their Access-A-Ride service and receive a $400 million yearly plan to manage operations.
The budget would also increase minimum wage to $16 in New York City, Long Island and Westchester County.
Some features were also dropped from the budget, including Hochul’s plan to force local communities to build 800,000 new homes over the next decade.
Officials say budget bills are being printed and from there lawmakers will put it to a vote, which could begin as early as next week.