NEW YORK, NY March 17, 2009 —Governor Paterson says the State Senate is risking sending the MTA back into the bad old days of the late 70s by delaying any decision on how to finance its capital budget.

PATERSON: Unfortunately there seems to be belief that these types of issues can be deferred into some future activity. This is what's gotten Albany in trouble time and time again.

Paterson, who met with transit advocates to talk about the Senate's alternative funding plan, says he's willing to sit down with the leaders of the Senate to hammer out a compromise. He says the failure of reaching a deal on the MTA's funding needs will prevent lawmakers from moving on to address the state's $14 billion budget deficit. A new budget is due on April 1st.