When he’s done initialing all 6,900 vetoes of additional legislative spending, Gov. David Paterson will consider giving the same treatment to the two-way revenue bill. (He would have to either accept the entire package or veto it in full; he cannot use his line-item power here).

At a rate of four vetoes a minute, an administration source estimates it will take Paterson 28.75 hours to finish. He’ll likely set a record.

Overrides are unlikely, as the Senate GOP is refusing to lend support to the 32-member Democratic conference.

It’s a tough choice for the GOP, which will forgo increasing school aid and providing property tax relief – two crucial election-year issues – if it bucks overrides.

“I’m done talking to legislative leaders,” Paterson told the AP. “I am doing the vetoes. As far as I am concerned, this budget process is over.”

Paterson joins fellow governors in Washington, DC today to lobby for more FMAP funding. (No link).

Lawmakers may not have been paid during the budget battle, but they did receive some $1.2 million worth of per diems.

Senate Democratic Conference Leader John Sampson met briefly with the governor yesterday and is trying to restart three-way talks.

Some have discussed continuing to try to negotiation the SUNY tuition plan after the July 4th weekend, and then finish the budget, Jimmy Vielkind and Rick Karlin report.

The governor and legislative leaders have agreed on a plan to tax hedge fund managers from out of state more in taxes.

AG Andrew Cuomo again weighed in from afar on the budget mess and lambasted lawmakers for failing to accomplish their goals.

EJ McMahon thinks Paterson set a “helpful” example for his successor of how to wield extender power to break budget logjams.

Some Central New Yorkers are looking at Paterson with renewed appreciation.

Might this be Paterson’s finest hour?

Erik Engquist says Paterson won the budget war by wielding his veto power, but also provided lawmakers with cover for unpopular spending cuts in an election year.

Albany’s long-debated permit parking plan awaits action by the governor after passing both houses of the Legislature.

No major tenant-backed bills have passed in the Senate this year, despite the fact that it is now under Democratic control.

The Assembly passed a midwife reform bill.

The NYC Council is weighing hearings on Mayor Bloomberg’s hiring practices following a NYT article that found most of his top aides are white men.

The Council officially signed off on Bloomberg’s $63.1 billion budget.

The Times calls the NYC budget process the “height of fiscal responsibility compared with Albany,” and suggests the state should have mirrored that process long ago.

Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand mistook the Rev. Michael Faulkner for a Democrat.

NYC Councilman Ydanis Rodriguez denied allegations he assaulted a female staffer.

A modified version of the plan to turn the iconic Domino Sugar refinery into a residential development won critical Council support after Bloomberg urged Brooklyn Democratic Chairman Vito Lopez to come around.

AG hopeful Eric Dinallo will take a day off the campaign trail tomorrow to testify in front of the Federal Inquiry Commission on Wall Street reform.

Longshot gubernatorial candidate Joel Tyner is hiking to Albany from Westchester to push for a millionaire’s tax.

Assemblyman Richard Brodsky is not pushing his controversial “presumed consent” organ donation bill this session due in part to concerns raised by religious groups.

US Supreme Court nominee Elena Kagan was grilled over her banning of military recruiters at Harvard.

Kagan’s brother, Marc, was once an assistant to former TWU President Roger Toussaint.

Sen. Chuck Schumer insisted senators know “plenty” about Kagan, even though she has never been a judge and so hasn’t rendered any decisions.

A Long Island school district is suing to block the MTA payroll tax.

The Senate passed a bill that would prevent the MTA from laying off more token booth clerks or running the trains without conductors.

A penchant for popcorn landed a former administrative law judge in hot water with the COIB.

Three groups have bid for the Aqueduct racino contract. Delaware North is not among them.

Elizabeth Edwards speaks.

SUNY appointed interim presidents in Binghamton and New Paltz.

The JFK bomb plot trial is finally getting underway.

Assemblywoman RoAnn Destito will seek re-election.

Goodbye Larry King. Talk has already begun about who should replace him.

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