ALBANY, N.Y. -- Lawmakers have less than two weeks to come to an agreement and pass a state budget that includes addressing a $4.4 billion deficit.

"In this case, we know we have to tighten our belts. We know we have to have priorities," said state Sen. Jim Tedisco, R-Glenville.

Senate Republicans this year approved their own blueprint for the budget that removes the one billion dollars in tax and fee increases Gov. Andrew Cuomo has proposed in his $168 billion spending plan, signaling a key fight in the days to come in Albany.

"The governor has put more of what I call of the governmental malpractice and more of the medicine that's caused the concerns and the problems that we have right now," Glenville said.

Assembly Democrats, meanwhile, have their own tax plan that would hike taxes on the rich to spend more money on education and affordable housing. The tax hike would impact the wealthiest New Yorkers who earn more than $5 million.

"In order to pay for things in this year's budget, I think it would be very difficult to say no revenues when the governor's budget is built on revenues," said Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie, D-Bronx.

Democrats are also pushing Republicans to include new gun control measures in the budget, but GOP lawmakers for now are focusing on school safety provisions such as money for metal detectors and armed resource officers in the wake of the mass shooting at a Florida high school.

"What are we doing with school resource officers? What are we doing to make sure we have adequate information and protections? What kind of communication exists between government and school districts and things like that?" asked Senate Majority Leader John Flanagan, R-Smithtown.

The budget could include reforms to the state's sexual harassment laws. The budget is typically negotiated by the governor, the Assembly speaker and Senate majority leader, all of whom happen to be men. It's unclear if Senate Minority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins, the only woman legislative leader, would be included in the talks. 

"No, I haven’t gotten any sense from the governor’s office that I’ll be included and, again, we continue to push for a package that really assures everyone being safe here in the workplace and workplaces frankly all over," said Stewart-Cousins, D-Yonkers.

Sources on Thursday said Cuomo and the legislative leaders met to discuss the budget, gathering at the more-private governor's mansion instead of the capitol.