Times Union photo illustration.

State Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie talking to the media after Gov. Kathy Hochul presented her 2026 executive budget proposal at the Capitol on Jan. 21.

Like the blooming of the tulips in East Capitol Park, it happens every spring in downtown Albany: Leaders of the state Legislature grouse that New York's governor is improperly injecting non-fiscal policy into the negotiation of the state budget.

It's happening again this year, with Gov. Kathy Hochul attempting to shoehorn in tweaks to pre-trial discovery requirements placed on prosecutors and even language that would increase penalties on someone who wears a mask while harassing a member of a protected class. Her strategic motivation: As written in the state constitution and enhanced........

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