Jun 23, 2009 10:30 am US/Eastern
Marching Orders: The People's Business Will Resume
Gov. Paterson Refuses To Delay Special Senate Session Ordered For Tuesday
ALBANY (CBS) ―
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Gov. David Paterson is refusing the New York Senate's request to delay ordering a special session for one more day as senators try to negotiate a power sharing deal to break a two-week impasse in the chamber.
AP
Anger in Albany.
Governor David Paterson is refusing the Senate's request to delay a special session for one more day, as senators try and negotiate a power sharing deal.
Senate Republicans, led by renegade Democrat Pedro Espada, tried unsuccessfully to go into session again Monday, but with only 31 votes, they lacked a quorum and had to adjourn.
Monday's trick was that the secretary of the Senate, a Democrat, wouldn't turn on the microphone or television, leaving the Republicans angry and frustrated.
"Turn on the lights, turn on the TV cameras," said Sen. Dean Skelos, R-Long Island.
It was another day of legislative deadlock that had Paterson insisting that he would bring an end to it one way or another. He said there will be a special session on Tuesday.
"The people's business has been delayed long enough. We have to get back to completing this session's agenda and it is important for us to continue and finish that job," Paterson said.
Espada insisted there was still time to come up with a working power-sharing agreement.
"We've asked the governor to put the special session aside and he said no," Espada said. "We said that we will work around the clock and meet with him again tomorrow."
Bronx Sen. Jeffrey Klein tried to shed some light on what is being discussed around the clock.
"What we want to accomplish in the rest of this legislative session is to put together a temporary coalition government – bipartisan … Democrats and Republicans – so we can finish out the people's business," said Sen. Jeffrey Klein, D-Bronx.
"We will call the Senate into session every day until the people's business is discharged," Paterson said.
On Monday the Senate completed two full weeks of inactivity. The big question is what will happen Tuesday.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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