Karen DeWitt

New York state lawmakers ended their session over the weekend, leaving a number of issues on the table. Final negotiations on several major issues were derailed after Governor Kathy Hochul made a surprise decision to halt planned congestion pricing in Manhattan, less than a month before it was scheduled to begin.

Under current law, petitioning for primaries is due to begin on Tuesday, and the boundaries of the state’s 26 congressional districts need to be in place by then.

Democrats who lead the Assembly have a limited agenda, but advocates are holding out hope for more action on bills already approved by the state Senate.

The governor says there is sufficient agreement with the Legislature on major items to announce the preliminary accord.

Advocates rallied at the State Capitol for a measure that would cut the use of packaging materials in half by 2033. They also back expanding New York's bottle bill.

Earlier this week, a state panel approved an ambitious plan to combat climate change that aims to obtain carbon neutrality by 2050.

The measure, which would increase the current base pay of $110,000 a year, could be voted on as early as Thursday.

Gov. Kathy Hochul on Monday announced new affordable housing projects in Brooklyn and said she hopes to step up construction of low-cost housing to the rest of the state beginning next year.

Governor Kathy Hochul wants to build a lot of affordable housing, but she says there are barriers to that unless developers are offered tax breaks.

While many Democrats are in favor of the idea, some Republicans say any special session should address the state’s controversial bail reform laws, too.