Deposits delayed, but checks in the mail

Lawmakers return to OK budget extender

ALBANY — The state comptroller’s office is reassuring state workers that their paychecks will be delivered on time this week amid a holdup on the state budget, allaying some fears from some who on Monday said their direct deposits had been delayed.

Payday for state workers is technically Wednesday, though banks can post direct deposits at different times before then, said Jennifer Freeman, director of communications for the comptroller’s office.

Last week’s budget extender meant the agency had sent payroll files on time and as usual, and all workers should expect to see their normal paychecks by midweek.

Local banks — including the Broadview Federal Credit Union — vary slightly in when they post direct deposit to users’ accounts, meaning some state workers received paychecks that were apparently delayed after anticipating a boosted bank account earlier on Monday.

State senators returned briefly on Monday to pass another budget extender that will keep the lights on and state workers paid until Thursday, the next deadline set by the office of state Comptroller Thomas Dinapoli.

The Capitol was largely deserted on Monday, with lawmakers in no apparent rush to get the state’s final spending plan together during a brief appearance in Albany. The void was also attributable to many lawmakers, and state workers, taking time off to view the solar eclipse.

But Democrats are optimistic that a final deal on some of the major policy issues — housing, education and health care spending — is imminent.

“(Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-cousins) has a way of describing things as, ‘We are close to the middle, we are the beginning of the beginning,’ ” said state Sen. Liz Krueger, a Manhattan Democrat, in response to questions by Senate Republicans on the delayed budget. “I think if she was on the floor now, she might say we are towards the end, heading towards the end.”

Krueger said it is “very likely” lawmakers will pass another budget extender late this week to continue funding other government operations.

Will Waldron/times Union State employees should expect to be paid according to their regular schedule this week after lawmakers passed a budget extender to fund the payroll through April 8, according to the state comptroller's office.