By WBFO News
Albany, NY – New York's budget is 80 days late and state lawmakers must act Monday on Governor David Paterson's latest extender bill.
The latest extender includes a $290 million tax increase on cigarettes and other tobacco products. The tax on a pack of cigarettes would increase on September 1st from $2.75 a pack to $4.35. There is also a proposal to tax cigarettes sold on Indian reservations to non-native Americans.
State government would shut down if the legislature fails to pass the extender.
The State Senate is also expected to take up a series of budget bills approved by the Assembly Friday. The bills would consolidate several public safety agencies into a single division and would replace the Empire Zone program with a smaller entity that would provide reduced benefits.