NEW YORK, NY April 07, 2008 —Today is the deadline for the state legislature to approve Mayor Michael Bloomberg's congestion pricing plan and still qualify for a $350 million federal grant.

Lawmakers were not called up to Albany to discuss the issue over the weekend, meaning that it's unlikely a deal is in the works.

Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, who doomed one of the mayor's other initiatives in 2005 - the West Side stadium - this time, insists the decision is up to his members.

Some Democratic assemblymen expect Silver to call a vote on congestion pricing today anyway, even if it will fail, in order to prove that he's not blocking Bloomberg's priorities again.