Budget Deal Comes Together in Albany, After Delay and Frustration
Sitting in the ceremonial Red Room of the Capitol, Governor Andrew Cuomo said he and lawmakers had come to agreement on an array of big-ticket items, including changes to the state’s system of workers’ compensation, a priority for Republicans, and to its juvenile justice system, a priority for his fellow Democrats; popular issues like expanding ride hailing to upstate New York; and an extension of the so-called millionaire’s tax, on which Mr. Cuomo had hinged much of his 2017 agenda.
Under the deal announced by the governor, beginning in October 2018, many 16- and 17-year-old offenders would be processed through family court rather than criminal court.Mr. Cuomo said that statewide school aid would increase by $1.1 billion, or 4.4 percent allowing for tuition-free education at state colleges, a larger boost than the governor had proposed but less than the Assembly had hoped for.
The deal also includes a renewal of a lapsed tax-abatement program that spurs affordable housing.