Lawmakers not due back until Monday
As negotiations to close a $3.2 billion state budget shortfall continue, the Senate and Assembly have left town until Monday. Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, D-Manhattan, has scheduled session Monday afternoon, although members are on alert that they could be called back earlier with 12 hours notice.
Senate Majority Leader John Sampson, D-Brooklyn, set the next session for 10 a.m. Monday.
“We fully expect that a three-way agreement will be reached by Monday morning,” said Travis Proulx, a spokesman for Senate Democrats.
Senate Republicans, who hold 30 of the chamber’s 62 seats, held a news conference this afternoon to present a compromise plan for closing the budget gap by $3.15 billion.
“Rather than continuing to try to reach an agreement, the Democrats have gone home,” Senate Minority Leader Dean Skelos, R-Nassau County, said at a news conference.
Silver blamed the lack of progress on the Senate GOP.
“The major holdup is Senator Skelos refuses to participate, refuses to provide one Republican vote,” Silver said.
Skelos said that is not true.
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