The one sour note was the decision of both chambers to continue to operate under their old rules -- the same rules that have produced the opaque, unrepresentative body we know too well. Just minutes before the Governor's State of the State, both chambers adopted the same operating rules they used last year. For now.
In the Assembly, just before the vote, Majority Leader Canestrari stated that the Assembly was adopting its old rules with the understanding that reform was an ongoing process and, leaving New Yorkers with some hope, anyway, that they might return to reforming the rules later in the session (as they did in February 2005).
Of more interest to us at the Brennan Center was the action in the Senate -- where the new/old rules were adopted only through January 15. On the 16th, the Senate must adopt new rules again. This should provide reform minded Senators with an opportunity to introduce new and better operating rules for the rest of the session. Who knows, there may be fireworks.
They only authorized the rules for 15 days??? What on earth could have possessed them to do that? In the federal system, the Senate and House adopt their rules at the beginning of each Congress for the entire term of that Congress. I have never once heard of them adopting rules for a shorter period, much less for only 15 days.
Maybe there is a reasonable explanation for this oddity. But maybe it has more to do with Joseph Bruno's escalating legal problems, and the instability that situation brings to the Senate.
If Bruno is forced to step down, there is going to be reform bloodbath, and everything will be on the table for debate, including the autocratic Senate rules. But I can't believe that Bruno, if he were going to step down, would step down in just 15 days. So could this be a quiet power play by reform minded Republican Senators hoping to stage a coup on January 16?
Republican Senator Balboni is joining the Spitzer administration, and Republican Senator Bonacic refused to endorse the scandal ridden Bruno. Accordingly, Bruno's majority is razor thin, and it wouldn't take much to take him down.
Could it be that Bonacic and a small band of allies plan to present Bruno with new reform legislative rules on January 16? And could it be that they plan to tell Bruno to accept those rules or he's out at majority leader?
This is all speculation, of course, and I welcome the input of TAP readers who may have a better idea of what's going on here. But whatever the case may be, perhaps we can get some kind of blogswarm going to stop the Senate from renewing its authoritarian legislative rules on January 16. |
