Brian Kolb is the New York State Assembly minority leader, but he’s not part of the closed door budget negotiations underway in Albany.
Kolb, a Republican, says he doesn’t like the "three men in a room" process that decides which proposals make it into the final spending plan.
“The public isn't hearing specifically what the disputes really are. I think if the public had an opportunity to hear these things, the public would weigh in to their legislators and the governor to say, 'Hey, I like this position, I don't like this position.'”
Kolb said he believes some issues that are holding up the budget process include funding for education and affordable housing, major policy proposals that he doesn't believe should be included in the annual budget.
“Sometimes, some of these issues take a lot longer to negotiate and compromise with, and you shouldn't be holding up funding for our schools, and funding for our roads, and funding for local governments to keep property taxes down, because of some of these major, broader public policy issues that should be kept out of the budget.”
Another hold-up is a proposal to end the state's practice of prosecuting and incarcerating 16- and 17-year-old offenders as adults.
Under the governor's proposed stopgap budget, state lawmakers would not get paid for nearly two months.
Pay will resume, presumably including back pay, once a final budget is adopted.
