Still no state budget just yet, even though it’s more than three weeks late, but local state lawmakers have been told not to wander too far away from the capitol as a deal could be done soon. Rockland State Senator Bill Weber says some controversial policy issues have been the holdup, but with those swept aside, negotiations could more easily reach a solution…
96th District Assemblyman Ken Zebrowski predicts a final budget could come by the end of this week…
The budget was due April first. Five temporary budgets have been passed since then to keep the government operating.
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A bill to put the name of the original Hudson River span on the new bridge has sunk, even though it had bi-partisan support. 97th District Assemblyman John McGowan says the bill that would officially put the “Tappan Zee” name onto the bridge officially died yesterday as Democrats on the Transportation Committee voted to hold the bill. The New York Post reported Committee Chair Assemblyman William Magnarelli of Syracuse suggested they balked at spending millions of dollars on new signage, money that could be spent better elsewhere. Last year, an effort was made to put the Tappan Zee name on the bridge by former Assemblyman Mike Lawler, but the bill was left un-signed by Governor Kathy Hochul. The bridge was named by former Governor Andrew Cuomo in 2017 after his father, former Governor Mario Cuomo. The original bridge bore the name of Governor Malcolm Wilson, but was always referred to as the Tappan Zee Bridge. Area lawmakers have vowed not to let the issue die, and promised to take it up again after the budget gets passed.
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A fight is looming in Washington over the debt ceiling. The White House yesterday called a House-led GOP proposal to pair a debt limit increase with government spending cuts, “reckless,” with the President vowing to veto the measure if it got that far. 17th District representative, Congressman Mike Lawler, a Republican, told WRCR yesterday that Democrats need to sit and negotiate with House leadership…
The proposed GOP legislation would cap annual government funding at fiscal 2022 levels, which Democrats say could lead to deep cuts in popular programs. A vote could come today.
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A local Hudson River environmental activist who was inspired to get involved when she attended a Pete Seeger concert as a teenager is stepping down from her role at Hudson River Sloop Clearwater next month. Manna Jo Greene joined the Clearwater Board of Directors in 1998 and stepped into her current role as Environmental Action Director two years later. Among the last topics she tackled during her tenure was the recent Holtec situation with Indian Point, and the Clean Water Act’s 50th anniversary…
Greene has been a regional leader for decades on the effort to close Indian Point to ensure the decommissioning is as safe as possible. Her last day will be May 31st.