ALBANY- Poor us!

A Democratic state lawmaker in the highest paid chamber in the nation pitched a bill that would allow her and her colleagues to skirt paying their utility and internet bills as Albany struggles to reach a budget deal.

Assemblywoman Larinda Hooks (D-Queens) is pushing proposed legislation that would force energy companies to keep the lights on for legislators even if they don’t fork over their dough while they aren’t getting paid due to a late budget. 

“New York State employs over 130,000 individuals whose compensation depends on timely budget enactment,” a memo accompanying the bill said.

“When budget negotiations extend past the April 1 deadline, affected employees may be unable to meet utility payment obligations during the interruption period.”

But currently only elected officials in state government are being put upon because the legislature keeps passing temporary extenders that cut paychecks for the wider workforce.

Hooks’ woe-is-me request was swiftly panned as a “silly conversation” and “asinine,” by other legislators, who are the highest paid in the country at a cool $142,000 per year on top of extra money for travel to the state capital.

“We don’t need to pass laws to benefit ourselves because we do our, one of our most basic parts of our job, which is passing a budget,” Assembly Minority Leader Ed Ra (R-Nassau) told reporters Wednesday.

“It’s kind of a silly conversation to talk about having utility relief that’s only going to be for us.”

“I never try to explain asinine,” state Sen. Andrew Lanza (R-Staten Island) told The Post in the chamber’s lobby.

The “Automatic Utility Deferment Act,” which has only Hooks as a sponsor, would require utility providers to automatically suspend termination of service and waive late payments for state employees subject to a payroll freeze because of a late budget, according to the bill.

The proposed law is not expected to pass. 

Meanwhile, lawmakers approved the eighth stopgap measure to keep state workers paid on Wednesday while Democrats, who control all facets of state government, haggle over a full deal behind closed doors.

Many legislators passed the extender and then sprinted for the exits to head home for an early weekend.

“We’re way past timely and we’re getting close to just inexcusably late,” Lanza said.

Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie (D-Bronx) said Wednesday he thinks budget negotiations have nearly reached a conclusion.

“I think an end is in sight,” he said.

While details to numerous policy issues are still being hammered out, broad agreements on car insurance reform, climate laws and immigration are taking shape, Heastie said.

Political consultants said with both Gov. Kathy Hochul and every lawmaker up for re-election, everyone has their own interest at play.

Hochul wants to run on a message that will garner votes across the state while some senators and assembly members need to worry about primaries from the left.

“There are thorny issues that have to be dealt with. There are different factions in the Democratic Party — left, center and right,” said George Arzt, who is a former spokesperson for ex-Mayor Ed Koch.

He noted Hochul can wait out the legislature longer because she has a general election to worry about in November — and not a June primary. 

“There are Democrats who have June primaries who are going to want to go back to their districts and campaign for re-election,” Arzt said.

Former communications director to ex-Mayor Michael Bloomberg Bill Cunningham said with no GOP influence in budget talks, the dynamic in Albany has changed.

With Democratic infighting, protracted disagreement become more institutional.

“It’s the governor versus both houses of the legislature,” Cunningham said.