NY Lawmakers Seek to Restore School Aid in Budget Showdown
(Bloomberg) — New York lawmakers, unwilling to approve a budget plan proposed by Governor David Paterson, prepared an alternative that cuts less aid to schools and universities and authorizes spending to avoid a government shutdown.
The plan drew criticism from the governor’s office. A statement by Paterson’s spokesman, Morgan Hook, said it lacked revenue proposals to close the state’s $9.2 billion deficit. The governor called for a special legislative session today to take up budget issues, including the need to prepare for a $1 billion revenue loss if the U.S. Congress doesn’t approve more Medicaid health-care funding.
