The final state budget will continue to be late through the weekend as priorities appear to be getting eclipsed.

Lawmakers Thursday approved a second budget extender to keep the government running through Monday. With no final budget agreement expected, a third extender lawmakers will need to pass an additional extender by noon Monday to ensure thousands of state employees get paid on time.

Typically, this wouldn't be an issue and lawmakers would return to Albany for Monday's scheduled legislative session day. Regions of the state will be in the path of a once-in-a-century total solar eclipse — viewable 90 minutes from Albany.

Lawmakers say Assemblymembers want to forgo session to have the option to travel and see the eclipse in areas of totality. The Assembly will return to session on Sunday to pass the third extender and is not expected to return again until Tuesday. 

Dates on budget extenders are set by the governor, who sources say is in agreement with the state Senate that lawmakers should be in Albany to work on the budget regardless of the eclipse. Gov. Kathy Hochul will be in Niagara Falls to observe the natural phenomenon. 

"I think in the Senate, we've made the decision that we will be voting on the extender on Monday," state Senator James Skoufis, D-Cornwall, said. "But many of us will probably be up here Sunday to avoid the horde of people traveling north and the traffic involved."

Skoufis added the next budget extender should stretch things out for another week. 

As for where budget negotiations stand, Hochul told reporters Thursday evening: "The end is near."

Housing and education funding remain among the most significant sticking points. 

"We are making good progress on a lot of areas," Hochul said. "I'm not going to tell you what they are, though. You'll find out soon, but areas I would say were "dead on arrival" last year, come back to life."

Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie said Thursday legislative leaders are in the "same neighborhood" when it comes to a housing. 

"I think there's been an evolution in people's attitudes," Hochul said on the issue. "I needed to take this year to get people used to the idea that there is a crisis and we have the power to do something about it. So, I feel really good about that."

There's been a lot of discussion about education funding with Hochul proposing to end the "save harmless" provision that requires the state to give school districts as much aid as they received the year before. The formula was created in 2008 based on 2000 U.S. Census Bureau data. 

"For years, people knew that we had a form that was outdated based on populations back in 2008," Hochul said. "No one had the guts to say 'The emperor has no clothes. There's something not working here.'"

The governor said changes to the state's foundation aid formula will not be in this year's budget, but is confident it will get done next year.

"We've talked about putting a process in place so by this time next year, giving everybody the notice and warning that they all asked for, that there will be a different formula," Hochul said. "I'm just deciding with the leaders how that mechanism will work, but I think it's going to be put us all in a much better place."

Spectrum News 1 reporters Kate Lisa and Bernadette Hogan contributed.