Every year at this time, Gov. Andrew Cuomo and the State Legislature wrestle with the state budget, facing an April 1 deadline to get it done. This year . . . more

Many of the most vulnerable people in our society are cared for by some of the strongest. Looking out for a child or adult with developmental disabilities can be trying . . . more

As budget talks wrapped in Albany last week, Assemblyman Todd Kaminsky, who’s running to fill Dean Skelos’s vacant seat, criticized Senate Republicans for not supporting ethics reform in the … more

At first blush, it may seem like the 2015-16 state budget doesn’t include much for Long Island. But thanks to Sen. Dean Skelos, Long Island will be getting about $1.1 billion for infrastructure in the coming year. more

Somehow, some way, in the next week, New York state will have a new budget. Almost all of the details will remain out of the public eye until the very last moment, and that’s probably a good thing. more

It’s been 24 years since I left state government, and the one thing that still holds true is that the legislative leaders make the biggest decisions, from the beginning of the session to its very end. more

Within a few days after you read this, New York state will have a new budget. It will mark the earliest budget passage in the past 30 years. more

On Jan. 14, the New York Times reported that “President Obama on Friday announced an aggressive campaign to shrink the size of the federal government, a proposal less notable for its goal — the fight against bloat that has been embraced by every modern-day president — than for the political challenge it poses to a hostile Congress.” more

By chance, I happened to notice that on Nov. 9, The Huffington Post reported that a potential Republican challenger to Gov. Andrew Cuomo, in a 2014 gubernatorial race, was defeated in his reelection bid for Erie County executive. more

My last column, “Stop playing games with the budget deficit” (Feb. 3) was written one week before New York State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli issued his analysis of Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s executive budget draft. The irrationality I outlined fell short of anticipating the following mea-culpa expressed in the comptroller’s analysis. “The SFY 2010-2011 enacted budget relied on $16.7 billion in non-recurring or temporary budget resources; and overly optimistic tax revenue projections, causing a dramatically worsened state structural deficit.” How dramatic? These tenuous entries constituted 30 percent of all the monies in the state’s operating fund. more