ALBANY -- Lawmakers and Gov. David Paterson, all trying to put a month of scandal behind them, are finding out just how hard the fiscal times are.

Closed-door negotiations to pass a state budget due by midnight Monday night fell dangerously behind on Sunday.

Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno said he, Paterson and Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver hadn't agreed on any major issues of spending or revenue. Silver and Paterson had declined comment.

That means there's still debate over a so-called millionaire's tax to raise more revenue from New York's wealthiest, while a property tax relief fund and the college Tuition Assistance Program may face smaller increases in funding.

Passing a difficult budget on time despite an historically tumultuous month in New York state government was seen as a prize that would draw Democrats and Republicans together. They sought to craft a budget that would deal with a severe economic downturn and put behind them the scandal in which Democratic Gov. Eliot Spitzer — who proposed the budget in January — resigned from office two weeks ago after he was implicated in a prostitution ring.

Paterson, a well-respected and well-liked lieutenant governor and former senator, had hoped to end the rancor of the Spitzer regime and usher in bipartisan cooperation. A timely budget was to be the test case.

The Legislature and Gov. Eliot Spitzer missed an on-time budget by hours last year, after a budget was passed on time the previous two years. Before that, the budget was late 20 straight years.

A late budget creates a problem for lawmakers. They all face re-election in the fall by a constituency that has considered a timely budget to be a minimal job requirement.

"These are very, very difficult, challenging, distressing times," said Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno on Sunday, after a closed door meeting with Paterson and other legislative leaders. "The choices that have to be made are very, very hard choices."

"I'm still hopeful we get it done on time, that's midnight tomorrow," Bruno said Sunday. "The problem is, revenue is declining. Every day there is some new information that revenue is declining."

Still in the mix Sunday were major but controversial revenue sources of temporarily increasing the income tax for those making $1 million or more, a doubling of the cigarette tax to $3 per pack worth $200 million to $500 million, requiring Internet giants such as Amazon.com to collect state sales tax worth $47 million to the state, closing corporate "loopholes" for millions of dollars more in tax revenue, and myriad other increases to user fees and narrow taxes.

"We're not agreeing to increasing any broad-based taxes," Bruno said.