Karen DeWitt

State lawmakers have abandoned the idea of completing a state budget one week ahead of schedule, legislators were due home in their districts late Thursday without agreement on a new spending plan.

Senate Republicans are claiming victory in a too close to call special election in Brooklyn. A win by the GOP candidate could spell another blow to minority party Democrats in the Senate. The beleaguered minority party are now charging that the Senate GOP has been using house rules to further stifle them.

Governor Cuomo and lawmakers are deliberating behind the scenes on their remaining disagreements over the state budget,  as unions and others expressed doubts  about a recently approved pension reform plan.

Governor Cuomo and legislative leaders have relatively few remaining differences in this year’s budget, though ironing out all of the details will likely now prevent passage of the spending plan until later next week.

The state legislature, meeting for the first time since deals were struck on pension reform and new district lines, tried to focus on their new task, agreeing on a budget.  But they found that the old issues continue to have repercussions, as a major union suspended all endorsements and contributions over the pension vote.

The week began with Governor Andrew Cuomo signing into law a bill to expand the state’s DNA data base.

Cuomo says the law will make the state “safer”.

WXXI News Director Julie Philipp talks with Capitol Bureau Correspondent Karen DeWitt about the latest political deals in Albany and the impact on the rest of the state.

Click on the video box below to watch the interview which first aired on WXXI's Need to Know Rochester on Friday, March 16, 2012.

Three candidates will be on the ballot in the Republican primary race for the US Senate seat now held by Kirsten Gillibrand.  New York City Attorney Wendy Long received the most votes, with around 47%, followed by Congressman Bob Turner and Nassau County Comptroller George Maragos, who both received just over the 25% required to avoid seeking petitions.  

Former Governor George Pataki was the keynote speaker at the GOP convention in Rochester. Pataki gave a fiery speech against President Barack Obama, and says this year’s election is a fight for the very “soul” of the nation.

The normally laid back former governor gave a red meat speech aimed at energizing delegates. Pataki says

the health care act that opponents call Obamacare is the worst law he’s seen in his lifetime. Pataki says the President has deeply divided the county and  driven up the national  debt by billions of dollars.

An overnight session in the state legislature where pension reform and other items were approved has left public worker unions, and even some lawmakers, fuming. Meanwhile Governor Cuomo says it had be done that way.

The pension reform bill was first released at 3 am Thursday morning. It was on the members desk at 5 am, and passed into law shortly before 7:30.

The New York Senate and Assembly were passing new district lines, as Governor Cuomo and legislative leaders announced agreement on a number of other unrelated issues, including expansion of the state’s DNA data base, pension reform, and an amendment to allow more gambling in New York.  

After months of hearings, debate, and closely guarded private negotiations, the state Senate and Assembly task force on restricting, known as LATFOR, finally moved to adopt new district lines and send them to floor for a vote.

The legislature is poised to pass a redistricting package that includes a constitutional amendment to change the process in the future, but, in an interview with public radio, Governor Cuomo says the current proposal is still not good enough, and language in an accompanying statute will be key to his support of any deal.