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Hochul Announces Budget Framework, Lawmakers Say No Final Deal

The fight now shifts to drafting nine bills that will lock in the dollars and the fine print.

Overview

  • Gov. Kathy Hochul rolled out on Thursday a $268 billion outline, but Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie said there is no budget deal and warned even the top-line figure could change.
  • The plan centers on affordability with $1 billion in energy rebate checks, new utility safeguards, and major help for New York City that includes $1.5 billion in direct aid and a large child care expansion.
  • Auto insurance rules would change by banning ZIP codes and credit scores in pricing, ending no‑approval “flex rating,” narrowing who can seek pain‑and‑suffering damages, and capping excess insurer profits.
  • Climate policy would slip to a later timetable by moving a key rulemaking deadline to 2028, and some housing projects would face a faster path by skipping lengthy environmental reviews under a 51‑year‑old law.
  • Immigration measures would block local police from helping with civil ICE cases and bar jail space rentals to the agency, drawing threats of stepped‑up federal enforcement from Trump administration officials.