After originally signaling they would work through the night to wrap up a number of major legislative issues, state lawmakers abruptly adjourned late Thursday after a final deal couldn’t be reached to provide mandate relief to local governments.
Negotiations had continued throughout the day on the final piece of a massive, all-encompassing bill that would cap property taxes at 2 percent, ease mandated costs on local governments and schools and establish new rent-control laws for New York City and its suburbs.
But Senate Republican Leader Dean Skelos, R-Nassau County, spoke to his house at 11 p.m., saying that a final agreement with Gov. Andrew Cuomo and the Assembly on how to address the burgeoning mandate costs was still elusive, ensuring the Legislature would return to the Capitol today.
“The reason why we are adjourning is that there are still negotiations going on … on mandate relief,” Skelos said from the Senate floor.
