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State Senate Manages A 5-Minute Session Today
By
Jen Chung
Published Jun 24, 2009
Modified Jun 24, 2009
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By
Jen Chung
Published Jun 24, 2009
Modified Jun 24, 2009
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Today, the State Senate managed to have a "mini-session"—the Daily Politics' Elizabeth Benjamin reports, "They came, they gaveled in, they left. That basically sums up extraordinary session No. 2, to which only the Senate Democrats showed up." After saying the Pledge of Allegiance, "Sen. Jeff Klein then stood and read into the record the Senate Democrats' argument that any measures passed at the single-house extraordinary sessions called by the governor are basically moot because the other house isn't also present to pass same-as bills."
The Democrats were camped out in the Senate chambers since 6 a.m. in the morning—different Democratic Senators took turns filling the majority leader and president's chair in what the AP called "an attempt to preserve control of the much-disputed chamber." Where were the Republicans? In court, trying to remove Senate Secretary Angelo Aponte, who was appointed by Malcolm Smith to a two-year term. Yesterday, Aponte refused to allow Republican Senator George Winner from taking the dais.
Judge Thomas McNamara ask the GOP and Dems to work it out (again), "This record is getting old... In being a citizen of the State of New York the past several days ... This has to be resolved by you, no matter what I do or don't do on Friday...Somebody's got to sit down and address the issues in a way that allows them to be resolved." Sigh.
Tagged
Albany
coup
Democrats
dysfunction
power strugle
senate chamber
state senate
Jen Chung
Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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