LEGISLATORS IN ALBANY ACCOMPLISH VERY LITTLE

ALBANY -- In April, Gov. George Pataki signed a law that allows dry
cleaners to donate clothes to charity that have been left for more
than six months.

The legislation was little noted at the time, but it could turn out to
be the single most significant thing the state Legislature
accomplishes during the 2004 session.

The session ends Tuesday, but lawmakers have yet to adopt a budget,
comply with a court mandate to increase school aid or pass any major
legislation.

"It's the least productive session in my memory," said Assemblyman
Bill Parment, an outspoken western New York Democrat.

Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, D-Manhattan, called it particularly
contentious and partisan. Both blamed each other.

It's not that lawmakers have done nothing.

They've voted on one-house bills and passed bills of local interest.
They've also authorized local sales-tax increases to help several
counties pay for growing Medicaid and pension costs.

Ironically, when the session began in January, many were optimistic
about the chances for an on-time budget, something that hasn't been
accomplished since 1984.

Now, the budget is more than 21/2 months late, and legislative leaders
have given up hope for a budget agreement by Tuesday.

But the leaders said they still have a shot at closing on other issues
before lawmakers go home. Issues within their grasp include reform of
the Rockefeller drug laws, modernization of the state's election
process and Timothy's Law, which would require health insurers to
provide better coverage for the mentally ill.

"There are a number of laws that are alive and well," Silver
said.

Apparently, legislative leaders are in general agreement about the
budget, which is likely to be very close to Pataki's $99.8 billion
proposal.

"They're very close on how much they're going to increase spending,
and right now it's miniscule," said Sen. John Bonacic, R-Mount Hope.
"We could close quickly."

The sticking point has been school financing, which Silver has
insisted be dealt with as part of the budget.

Last year, New York's highest court ruled that the state was not
adequately funding New York City schools. The court gave lawmakers
until July 30 of this year to come up with a solution.

Last week, the Assembly, controlled by New York City Democrats, voted
for a plan to boost state school subsidies by $6.1 billion in five
years. The Republican-controlled Senate approved a $4.7 billion plan.

Democrats and Republicans not only clashed about the amount to be
spent but on how that money would be distributed.

Barbara Bartolleti, legislative director of the League of Women Voters
of New York State, said more is at play than ideology and regionalism.
Animosity and mistrust among the leaders has grown so deep that they
are no longer able to work together, she said.

"When you can't talk to one another, you can't negotiate. And when you
don't negotiate, nothing gets done," she said.

That's particularly true when a complex issue, such as school aid, is
on the table, she said.

Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno, R-Brunswick, insists that Tuesday
isn't the beginning of vacation for the Legislature but merely the end
of the formal session.

"Does that mean that we are no longer senators? Does that mean they're
no longer Assembly people over there? No," he said. "We're going to
work every day, including weekends, until we resolve whatever issues
we can agree upon."

It may turn out that the Legislature does accomplish some things,
either in the final two days or in a special session later.

But both scenarios present a real danger, Assemblyman Parment
said.

Once the logjam is broken, lawmakers may face a package of bills with
little chance to review or debate them. That makes it easier for
nefarious legislation to slip by, he said.

"We're much more apt to see bad public policy enacted in a huge,
omnibus bill or what we've come to call the big ugly," he said.