New York’s budget process is notoriously opaque.
In a 2015 analysis by the Center for Public Integrity, New York ranked dead last among all states for accountability and transparency in its budget process.
The state budget process still runs through the governor, the Senate majority leader and the Assembly speaker, negotiating behind closed doors. Rank-and-file legislators are largely spectators, and the bills themselves often appear hours before the vote. New York Focus wrote the explainer for anyone who wants to follow it anyway.
Read the full explainer: How the New York State Budget Works — New York Focus, April 15, 2026.
The reforms we are asking for: legislation and action.
