Coming up on that special session

Legality (4.00 / 1)

I still wonder about the legality of anything they do

Notice item #1 on the Governor's proclamation for today: the confirmation of various people to various positions.

It is unquestionably constitutional for the Senate alone to meet to do this. Even Sen. Klein made that point and the original 1821 floor debate when the "or the Senate only" amendment was introduced demonstrated that...

But yeah, everything else is a constitutional limbo and frankly, because the extraordinary sessions are "different" than the regular, the bills passed w/o the Assembly in the same extraordinary session are useless.

But at least item #1 gets them in and in constitutionally to the chamber to act...

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by: cynicalflyer @ Thu Jun 25, 2009 at 12:31:39 PM CDT

Look who's (not) talking (4.00 / 1)

Where is Sheldon Silver in all this?  If the Assembly has to reconvene in order to re-pass all the legislation they passed before, then when will that happen?

Is Governor Paterson even talking to the Speaker about this possibility?  Is Speaker Silver talking to the Assembly members, alerting them not to make plans for, say, Monday and/or Tuesday?

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by: Dan Jacoby @ Thu Jun 25, 2009 at 13:12:11 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

Why Are You Blaming Assembly (0.00 / 0)

You just don't get it Dan. The Senate can not pass a bill. They can not make laws. They can not operate right now. There will be no new laws in the state of New York for maybe some time to come. The upper house can not function at this time and the only people who can resolve it are 62 Senators. What on earth do you want the Assembly to do? Come back and pass the same bills again and send them over to the Senate again. They could do that tomorrow and it does not change anything. The Senate needs to function plain and simple. You know if Silver gets involved he'll just be blamed for sticking his nose where it does not belong. The guy gets blamed for doing and gets blamed for not doing.  

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by: TruBlu @ Thu Jun 25, 2009 at 14:29:50 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

I was wondering where you had gone, Trublu (0.00 / 0)

But now I don't worry because your bat-signal- any criticism of the Assembly or Silver, brought you back

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by: Roatti @ Thu Jun 25, 2009 at 16:08:01 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

maybe.... (0.00 / 0)

No one occupied the chamber, some folks now getting there per albanycitizen1, though "no gop yet"

Video is an empty chamber with awful floaty background music.  I'd really like to see a dose of useful video in these things while we're waiting.

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by: simonstl @ Thu Jun 25, 2009 at 13:59:15 PM CDT

pledge of allegiance (0.00 / 0)

Stewart-Cousins presiding, but camera is zoomed in too far to see GOP seats.  What I saw looked empty.

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by: simonstl @ Thu Jun 25, 2009 at 14:05:57 PM CDT

remembering Schneerson, and then adjourned (0.00 / 0)

Craig Johnson spoke briefly about the fifteenth anniversary of Rebbe Menachem Schneerson's death, then Smith said they didn't think they could do anything because the Assembly also wasn't called, and then they adjourned sine die.  Another non-session.

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by: simonstl @ Thu Jun 25, 2009 at 14:10:05 PM CDT

What, (0.00 / 0)

the Schneerson is still dead?

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by: Cliff Hendroval @ Thu Jun 25, 2009 at 14:37:05 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

Smith Smokescreen (0.00 / 0)

They most certainly can do something if they want. It's called come to work, pick up the gavel, go into regular session and pass bills. No one is stopping them. Certainly not the Assembly. The Assembly does not need to return until the Senate can function with a quorum present and proceed to pass bills with recorded votes in the affirmative that attain the count of 32 so that there is no legal question that the house is functioning and passing legislation. And if they achieve that, if they can function again, then oh my gosh, taxpayers do not need to pay for 150 Assemblymembers to return because the Senate can simply pass the bills they already have. See, the Assembly does not need to join this circus. It is very simple and I am not pointing this at you Simon. You have done a very good job on reporting on this mess. I'm just getting ticked off at the smokescreen Smith is trying to inflate. Until the Senate can function every other issue is irrelevant, absolutely irrelevant. The Assembly can come into extraordinary session and pass ten thousand bills. It means absolutely NOTHING when the Senate can not pass one lousy bill on it's own. Because if they can do that than no one need be in extraordinary session because they would be working again.  

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by: TruBlu @ Thu Jun 25, 2009 at 14:53:42 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

and now (0.00 / 0)

albanycitizen1 reports "Gop is about to arrive".

Hmmm... Guess that won't be on the Senate Video of Great Uselessness.

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by: simonstl @ Thu Jun 25, 2009 at 14:11:17 PM CDT

video still running (0.00 / 0)

no sound, but people still moving around in there.

Who knows?

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by: simonstl @ Thu Jun 25, 2009 at 14:12:52 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

sound back on (0.00 / 0)

Republicans in the Chamber, it seems.  Pledge of Allegiance, moment of silence.

Will they do the same as the Dems?  Reading the proclamation.

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by: simonstl @ Thu Jun 25, 2009 at 14:14:27 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

Republicans lay aside governor's bills (0.00 / 0)

No reference to Assembly, just an adjournment sine die.

Guess both sides are pushing back against the Governor, separately.

Thanks to whoever's running the video for actually showing both sides this time.  It was a very pleasant surprise.

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by: simonstl @ Thu Jun 25, 2009 at 14:17:35 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

More uselessness (4.00 / 1)

I'm going swimming.  So should the Senators.  Holding mock sessions to act like they are doing something is a waste of time and money.

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by: robinia @ Thu Jun 25, 2009 at 14:22:32 PM CDT

more pushback on Governor? (0.00 / 0)

I'm really not sure what Monserrate, Kruger, and Adams are up to with this.

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by: simonstl @ Thu Jun 25, 2009 at 14:45:51 PM CDT

at least (4.00 / 2)

they're not calling Paterson a "coke-snorting, staff-banging governor" like Parker just did.

Who ARE these people?  Seriously, who are these abject losers and why are they running my state?  Half of them probably don't even know where my city is located.

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by: NYCO @ Thu Jun 25, 2009 at 16:32:25 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

Parker is a MAJOR loser n/t (4.00 / 1)

"Never be afraid to stand with the minority when the minority is right, for the minority which is right will one day be the majority."


-William Jennings Bryan

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by: BingChester @ Thu Jun 25, 2009 at 16:53:23 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

reminds me (0.00 / 0)

Reminds me of the old saying about why professors in academic departments get so nasty with each other... "because the stakes are so small."

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by: NYCO @ Thu Jun 25, 2009 at 17:11:58 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

I don't know if it would help (0.00 / 0)

but anger management classes all around the Capitol might be a good idea.  (Thinking back, it's been a good idea for a long time.)

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by: simonstl @ Thu Jun 25, 2009 at 17:50:55 PM CDT

[ Parent ]