By Karen DeWitt, New York Public Radio Capital Bureau Chief

The New York State Assembly is coming back to Albany next Tuesday for an afternoon conference, and possibly a special session. Governor Andrew Cuomo has been seeking help from the legislature to close the growing budget deficit.

Assemblymembers have been told by Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver to come back to the Capitol for a 3 pm conference on Tuesday. They will go into session afterward if there’s anything at that time to vote on.

Governor Cuomo said earlier this week that “there is a need” for a special legislative session to address a $350 million dollar budget gap in the current fiscal year, and a growing $3.5 billion dollar gap for next year.

Among the items Cuomo is seeking is an overhaul of the state’s tax code, with could result in higher taxes on the wealthy, along with tax incentives to help spur job creation. Other steps could include budget cuts or one time revenue raisers. Another option, Cuomo says, is that he could ask the legislature for authority to make the decisions on specific budget cuts.

A Senate source on the Democratic side said they was confident they would be back as well. However, Senate Republicans say they have not scheduled anything for next week at this time.

With Colby Hamilton