Putting Legislation In Budget Has Changed Lobbying Timetable, Landscape

The state Capitol in August is usually a sleepy place but after Labor Day the pace picks up as the Cuomo Administration begins piecing together outlines of the proposed state budget, which is unveiled in January and due by April 1.And lately, with more and more key policy items being included in the budget, the army of activists, lobbyists and others who petition the state have increasingly moved up their schedules and timetables in bids to get their items included in budget talks, rather than waiting for the rest of the session.