There are four days left for state lawmakers to reach final agreements on a range of top-tier issues that range from the cost of housing to criminal justice.
But deals may be ultimately elusive over the next week as lawmakers seek to wrap up the legislative session for the year on June 8.
"At the end of every session, something’s always left on the plate," Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie said Wednesday. "And that’s why you have a following session."
Democratic lawmakers hope to coalesce around an agreement to seal criminal records, a long-sought criminal justice law change that would come after a budget that made changes sought by Gov. Kathy Hochul to New York's bail laws.
Lawmakers are also expected to put the finishing touches on a revised expansion of New York's wrongful death statute after Hochul vetoed a version of it earlier this year.
But additional end-of-session measures that cropped up in May are seeing little oxygen in June. A proposal to sell wine in grocery stores is not expected to be taken up.
And Hochul's expansive push on housing policy is finding few takers after it faltered in the state budget, approved in May a month late. Democrats still consider the session a success, which was largely dominated the $229 billion budget negotiations.
The budget will increase New York's minimum wage and tie it to inflation while also expanding a child tax credit. Lawmakers and Hochul also agreed to record-setting increase in direct aid to schools.
But Hochul’s housing agenda, including allowing the state to override local zoning for qualified projects and setting targets for communities to expand housing, may need more time, Heastie said.
"I think when you want to do transformational change, I think there really needs to be time for a collective buy-in and I’m really not sure that was able to happen with the housing program," he said.
The state budget this year included more aid for tenants. But Senate Housing Committee Chairman Brian Kavanagh says a wider-range of issues addressing homelessness and housing costs are needed.
"We’re trying to address all of those concerns as best we can in the close of the session," he said. "Obviously, there will be more to do next year and well into the future. But I think there’s a lot of interest in moving forward."
Republican lawmakers, including Sen. George Borrello, are faulting the legislative session for not doing enough to address broader concerns reflected back in voter polls like crime and the cost of living.
"People of New York state want to be safer and they want New York to be more affordable," he said. "Ultimately, people feel this is not a safe state and it’s not an affordable state."
And as lawmakers close out the session, Republican Assembly Minority Leader Will Barclay expects smaller-bore measures important for legislators' home communities will be addressed.
"The good news is I think we’re passing a lot of local bills and more run-of-the-mill type stuff," Barclay said. "I’m optimistic that we can end sometime next week."