NEW YORK -- New York is set to rely on an influx of federal funds and higher-than-expected tax revenues to balance a $220 billion, one-year state budget, which went into law Saturday.
The sale of to-go cocktails became legal once Gov. Kathy Hochul signed budget legislation Saturday.
Disagreements over policy issues held up passage of the spending plan over a week past an April 1 deadline. The budget has often served over the decades as a vehicle for passing major policy legislation, and elected officials are using this year's to tackle issues expected to resonate with voters during an election year.
The budget boosts pay for health care and home care workers, shaves 16 cents off the cost of a gallon of gas through December and helps New Yorkers with unpaid rent and utility bills.
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Some Democrats voted against parts of the spending plan, in part for cracking down on people with repeated low-level offenses. Those lawmakers also called for more spending on home care workers rather than spending an eventual $850 million supporting a new $1.4 billion stadium for the Buffalo Bills, which is owned by billionaires Terry and Kim Pegula.
Here's a look at what's in the budget.
Homeowners can expect tax relief: New York will spend $2.2 billion in one-time property tax rebates for low- and middle-income homeowners. That rebate would arrive this fall, when the Democratic governor is set to appear on the ballot.
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