We write to you out of great concern for both the process and the results of this year’s state budget negotiations.

While we celebrate the wins on long-term campaigns for Foundation Aid and Public Financing of Elections, and the steps toward climate justice and mitigation, the broader consequences of this budget will further exacerbate the crises we face as a state. Worse, they are a direct result of the most dysfunctional budget negotiation process we have witnessed in over a decade.

New York’s budget negotiations are notoriously opaque and undemocratic. The unchallenged “three people in a room” dynamic expressly limits the role of the legislature and voters; the sweeping budgetary powers granted to the Executive via the Silver v. Pataki rulings ensures that major policy can be strong-armed to execution without meaningful public input or any real semblance of a legislative process, which is a cornerstone of a functioning democracy.

This year’s budget negotiations were among the least democratic we have ever seen. The Governor signaled weeks before the budget due date that she was willing to hold the process hostage over her policy priorities, including unnecessary, dangerous, and fear-stoked changes to our landmark bail reforms because Governor Hochul didn’t want any more bad press. We know you both fought to minimize the impacts of these changes behind closed doors, but the doors being closed is indeed a major part of the problem.

With Democratic supermajorities that you, your colleagues, and volunteer New Yorkers from across the state helped to maintain at the ballot box, it is completely unacceptable that we allow these budget dynamics to endure. This is why we are calling on you and your chambers to take meaningful steps to bring back a system of checks and balances into the budget process.

We call on you and your conference to prioritize the Budget Equity Act. This constitutional amendment would infuse budget negotiations with a more democratic process, giving rank-and-file legislators – and their constituents – a seat at the table that has long been held by billionaires supportive of the Governor (regardless of who that Governor may be). Every year we hear from elected officials who lament their lack of power in the budget. We believe that actions speak louder than words. It is time for the legislature to make sure the budget can no longer be held hostage to the whims of a Governor and their ultra-rich cronies. A first passage of the Budget Equity Act before the end of session is critical.

We deeply respect your leadership and recognize the roles you played in ensuring major policy advancements, particularly in the years following the State Senate’s return to Democratic control. Now, it’s time to turn your attention to the failings of the budget process and lead your chambers by showing the general public that you are committed to democracy first and foremost. Extend the legislative session and pass the Budget Equity Act now.