The New York State Assembly on Tuesday advanced and passed Assembly Bill 8015, an appropriations “extender” that provides $12.1 billion to fund state operations and selected programs through April 24, 2025.

The bill passed by voice vote, with the clerk announcing “Ayes, 131, noes, 0.” The measure, which the clerk said carries the governor’s message from Kathy Hochul, takes effect immediately.

The extender offers temporary funding for school district payments, unemployment insurance, WIC (Women, Infants and Children), services overseen by the Office for People With Developmental Disabilities (OPWDD), veterans housing programs, Metropolitan Transportation Authority support and other general state charges. Chairperson Pretlow told members the bill covers operations only through Thursday, April 24, 2025, and is intended to carry agencies forward while negotiations on the full budget continue. “As we enter another week of negotiations, this bill would ensure funding for state operations and other programs through Thursday, 04/24/2025,” Pretlow said.

Pretlow and other members described the extender as larger than the previous short-term measure: the bill’s total appropriation is $12.1 billion, an increase of $2.5 billion over the prior extender. Pretlow said roughly $2.4 billion of that increase is to cover a school-aid payment tied to last year’s enacted budget; he said that component is the “lion’s share” of the growth in the extender.

Opposition members used the floor debate to criticize the legislature’s repeated use of temporary extenders rather than adopting a full budget. One member, identified in the transcript as Mr. Taig, said residents and school districts care that a budget be passed on time and expressed frustration that the legislature had not finished its work. “People do care whether a budget’s passed on time,” Taig said. He said he would vote for the extender to protect state employees and beneficiaries but urged the majority to complete a full budget.

Members noted the session has produced several extenders this year; Pretlow said this was the seventh of a possible 104 extenders being tracked internally and that the Assembly has averaged roughly two extenders per week. Pretlow and other members said policy negotiations remain unresolved and that fiscal negotiations had not yet been concluded; Pretlow said the fiscal side had not been part of the talks so far.

The assembly also adopted a slate of resolutions “without objection,” but the clerk did not specify the resolutions’ text on the floor. The speaker announced a majority conference immediately following adjournment and moved that the Assembly stand adjourned until the next legislative day.

Votes at a glance

- Assembly Bill 8015, An act making appropriations for the support of government: Passed (Ayes 131, Noes 0). Motion advanced by Miss People Stokes; clerk announced the vote. The bill takes effect immediately.
- Multiple resolutions: Adopted without objection; specific resolution identifiers and texts were not read on the floor and therefore are not specified in the transcript.

Why it matters

The extender keeps state government operating for a limited window but does not resolve outstanding budgetary policy disputes. Legislators and school districts said the temporary measure creates continued uncertainty for local budgets and voting timelines for school district propositions and budgets.

What was not resolved

Lawmakers said broader fiscal numbers and many policy items remain under negotiation. Pretlow indicated the fiscal breakdown of a final budget had not been settled and that additional extenders were expected later in the week because this measure expires April 24.

Sources and attribution

Quotes and attributions in this story come from remarks on the Assembly floor as captured in the public transcript: Mister Pretlow; Miss People Stokes (mover of the calendar advance); and Mr. Taig (floor critic of delays). The clerk recorded the vote and read the bill’s last section stating the action takes effect immediately.