Gov. David Paterson will address a joint session of the state Legislature at 3 p.m. today to urge them to pass a budget-cutting plan that he says is vital to the state’s fiscal health.

You can watch the speech live here.

But the governor appears to face an uphill battle in convincing lawmakers to go along with his plan to cut spending to schools and health care.

The Democratic governor has called a special session Tuesday with the hope of having lawmakers close the budget gap and pass legislation, including legalizing same-sex marriage and reforming the state’s pension system.

Senate Democrats, some of whom initially didn’t even want to attend today’s speech, put forth their own budget proposal in recent days. As Paterson said Friday, it includes no cuts to education and health programs and instead seeks new revenue and sweeps of money from other state agencies.

The Legislature and the governor are also in disagreement over the size of the current mid-year budget deficit. Paterson’s office puts it at $3.2 billion; Senate Democrats estimate it at $2.9 billion.
Paterson is hoping to use the address to rally lawmakers to his side. He has warned that state faces running out of money next month.

Paterson has stressed that he would not support a budget plan that did not include cuts in spending. He vowed to keep bringing lawmakers back to Albany until they agree.

“By Tuesday, either we’ll finish or we’ll know when we are going to come back again.” he said Friday. “And we’ll keep coming back until we get it done. I’m not going to put the people of the state of New York at risk of being hurt because any body of the Legislature doesn’t want to discharge its duties.”

Special-interest groups are rallying in Albany in advance of Paterson’s speech, warning that mid-year cuts to programs would limit services for the public.

But Republican leaders said the deficit can’t be curbed without spending cuts.

“The bottom line is if you do not cut the spending and the rate of growth, whether it’s Medicaid or other areas, it’s just postponing the inevitable,” Senate Minority Leader Dean Skelos, R-Nassau County, said on Talk 1300-AM in Albany this morning.