New York State does not have a new State Budget as of Friday morning, the official deadline. After failing to reach agreement on amending the controversial bail reform law, Governor Hochul and legislative leaders decided to take a long weekend while their staffs continue to negotiate.
They’ll return Monday and hope to at least begin passing some of the necessary budget bills.
The holdup is over whether to give judges more discretion to impose bail on suspects in gun crimes or repeat offenses when the new law says they should be released on appearance tickets. Supporters of the reform says it keeps many non-violent offenders out of jail who couldn’t afford to pay bail until trial. Critics say it allows repeat offenders a quick pass back to the streets to commit more crimes.