Both houses of the legislature passed the state budget yesterday in marathon sessions that lasted late into the night. It is the fourth on-time budget in a row for New York State, but advocates say it leaves much to be desired. Legislators representing the city lament the lack of tuition funding for undocumented immigrants, the absence of approval for additional cameras to clock speeding drivers and the lack of a comprehensive public campaign financing system. Good government advocates are upset that Gov. Andrew Cuomo quietly announced on a conference call on Saturday that he would shutter his Moreland Commission on Public Corruption if the legislature passed tweaks to the state's ethics laws and a trial campaign finance system that only applies to the comptroller race - a deal which was indeed struck. Cuomo will sign the budget at a press conference this morning. The Assembly is scheduled to be in session while the senate won't return until April 23.
The latest from Gotham Gazette
David King looks at what the Albany budget deal means for New York City
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