30 DAYS – NO RESULTS

Senate mess enters second month

BY PETE DAVIS

Tuesday, July 7, 2009 7:41 PM EDT

A different week, new plot twists and the same result – zero legislative action by the State Senate.

The Albany gridlock entered into its 30th day on Tuesday, July 7, with Republicans quickly voting to adjourn a special session called by Governor David Paterson and a few Democratic Senators lambasting Republicans for not participating in the session.

“Our colleagues across the aisle have drawn a line in the sand, have sharpened the bills of this state and put it to the necks of our citizens by blackmailing us,” Brooklyn State Senator Eric Adams said during the Tuesday afternoon session. “The only way they will sit down and pass a bill is if we recognize who they want us to recognize as the leadership.”

Adams went on a tirade – directed at the Republican and the media with a few shots at Paterson – saying the Democrats have been trying to pass legislation for weeks, but the Republicans have prevented them from doing so.

“They can have my office, they can have my member items they can have my chairmanships, all I want them to do is get their butts back in the chamber and pass these bills,” Adams said.

For nearly a month, Senators from both sides have argued about who has control over the leadership of the Senate, and although both parties have proposed power sharing plans, no agreement has been reached.

The reform coalition, which is made up of the 30 Republicans and Bronx Senator Pedro Espada Jr., sent a new power sharing proposal to all 31 Democratic Senators on Tuesday, July 7. The agreement, which would be in effect through the end of session in 2010, gives all members of the Senate equal levels of staff, equal access to services such as printing, mail and community projects, and allows all members to bring bills to the floor for a vote.

“This certainly is something that should not be rejected by anyone,” said Queens Republican Senator Frank Padavan.

Padavan told The Queens Courier on Tuesday that a few members of the Democratic Conference had already voiced some support for the plan.

“It is the solution to this troubling situation that we’re in,” Padavan said. “It makes everything fair and equitable in the best interest in [of everyone’s constituents].”

Meanwhile, State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli, said he tried to stay out of the Senate’s mess to uphold the separation of the different houses of government, announced that he was asking the Supreme Court to withhold the Senator’s pay for this period, which is due later this week.

“Taxpayers are paying a very high price. The stalemate is costing taxpayers across the state millions of dollars a day,” DiNapoli said. “As the state’s fiscal officer, I have a responsibility to taxpayers to safeguard their interests. These are difficult fiscal times. The state needs leadership and action.”

During the Fourth of July weekend, Senators from both sides of the aisle remained in Albany and gaveled in and out of the special sessions without taking up any legislative business.

The initial chaos in Albany erupted on Monday, June 8, when Espada Jr. and Queens Democrat Senator Hiram Monserrate voted with the Republicans in favor of a new coalition government – flipping the Senate Majority from 32-30 Democrats to 32-30 Republicans. Democrats contend that they adjourned the session prior to the vote, and a week later Monserrate flipped back to supporting the Democrats, creating a 31 to 31 tie and a stalemate that has continued through today.