NEW YORK MINUTE: Immigration advocates will rally today at City Hall for legislation granting municipal voting privileges to non-citizens. The 2022 law was ruled unconstitutional, and today is the deadline to appeal. LatinoJustice, a nonprofit, has filed a notice of appeal, which GOP Rep. Nicole Malliotakis called a “slap in the face” to New Yorkers. — Emily Ngo BUDGET BONANZA: New York’s state budget is entering crunch time this week as state lawmakers and Gov. Kathy Hochul race against the clock to get an on-time deal for the spending plan that will clock in at more than $233 billion. The new fiscal year starts April 1, but few in Albany expect a deal to be reached by the governor’s stated goal of March 28 in order to accommodate for Good Friday and Easter on March 31. Consider: Lawmakers and Hochul must still hash out a revenue plan, with a tax on managed-care organizations under consideration (more on that below) and must hammer out specifics on a range of issues like overhauling how schools are funded, cracking down on retail theft and a long-sought plan for housing. Mechanically, each of these issues will likely have to be discussed in closed-door conferences in painstaking detail. It will take some time. Here’s where lawmakers are on some of the key issues: — Housing hamstring: What could significantly hold up a budget agreement is the complex fight over housing policy in the talks. Hochul wants $500 million worth of incentives for local governments to encourage home building. Democratic lawmakers want protections for tenants, and Hochul has indicated she could support such measures in some form. But the governor may have some significant leverage. One Democratic legislator, granted anonymity because of the sensitivity of the complicated negotiations, said colleagues believe they can’t depart Albany for the year without a housing package in place. All 213 seats are up for election this year, and many Democrats are contending with primaries in June. Lawmakers are also publicly dismissing any idea, at least for now, of kicking the big decisions on housing to later in the session, which is scheduled to end June 6. “Eventually we will come to some deal,” Assembly Housing Chair Linda Rosenthal told Playbook. “If we get to a point where everyone feels like they have something, we will do it.” — What the City Council wants: Members of the New York City Council today will formally release their own state budget requests, part of a final push to get top Democrats’ goals over the finish line. The priorities, first shared exclusively with Playbook, include expanded support for students who need further help following learning loss due to pandemic-induced interruptions. The members also want greater support for mental health interventions. The agenda also backs Hochul’s plan to spend $2.4 billion for migrant-related resources as well as housing vouchers for needy renters. “New York City is an economic engine for our state, and strong investments from the state budget are essential to ensure our city is affordable and healthy,” Speaker Adrienne Adams said in a statement. — Medicaid timing: As lawmakers and Hochul weigh the merits of a tax on managed care organizations, some Democrats are dismissing the potential downsides. The tax requires federal approval, and the health-care plans would be reimbursed for the money. It would generate $4 billion a year for three years. But it also has the potential of creating budget gaps once it expires. Assembly Health Committee Chair Amy Paulin was confident some of the money could be set aside and handled well enough to avoid major gaps in the future. “It’s a lot of potential money that would come into the state that wouldn’t otherwise,” she said. “So, let’s try for the revenue.” — Nick Reisman HAPPY MONDAY: Got news? Send it our way: Jeff Coltin, Emily Ngo and Nick Reisman.
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