N.Y. Legislative Law § 6: Officers and employees of the senate

§ 6. Officers and employees of the senate. 1. The senate may choose a

secretary, a sergeant-at-arms, and an official stenographer. The

secretary of the senate shall be elected for the term of the senate. If

the senate shall be unable to choose any such officer at the time of the

organization of the senate, the temporary president of the senate may

appoint a person to fill the vacancy thus created, and the person so

appointed shall serve as such officer until his successor has been

chosen by the senate and thus qualified.

2. The president of the senate, the temporary president of the senate

and the minority leader of the senate may each appoint such employees to

assist him in the performance of his duties as may be authorized and

provided for in the legislative appropriation bill. Employees of the

president of the senate who are paid from appropriations made for the

legislature shall be considered as employees of the legislature for all

purposes. The secretary of the senate may appoint a

stenographer-secretary and a stenographer.

3. A general clerk, or stenographer, or other employee shall be

designated by and appointed for and assigned to each member of the

senate for whom no provision is made for employees in the legislative

appropriation bill.

4. The temporary president of the senate may from time to time appoint

such additional employees as may be necessary for the work of the senate

and fix their compensation, respectively, within the amounts

appropriated and available therefor.

5. In case of the death or resignation of the secretary of the senate,

or his inability to exercise the powers or discharge the duties of his

office, and notwithstanding any inconsistent provision of law, the

temporary president of the senate shall appoint an acting secretary to

serve until a secretary is chosen by the senate to fill the vacancy. The

acting secretary shall have and exercise all of the powers of the

secretary of the senate until a secretary has been chosen and has

qualified.

6. When an appropriation has been made for the services, temporary or

otherwise, of employees of the senate, and their appointment is not

otherwise authorized or provided for by law, the temporary president of

the senate may appoint such employees and fix their compensation,

respectively, within the amounts appropriated and available therefor.

7. Whenever the temporary president of the senate is authorized or

required, singly or jointly, to certify or approve warrants or vouchers

for the compensation of any person, it shall be sufficient if he execute

the first such warrant or voucher, and thereafter the same may be

certified or approved by his designee or designees, so long as the rate

of such compensation is not increased, and upon proof by affidavit or

otherwise that the same is due. Such designation shall be in writing and

filed in the office of the temporary president and in the office of the

comptroller, and shall remain in effect during the term of office of the

temporary president unless sooner revoked by him.

8. Notwithstanding any law to the contrary, the temporary president of

the senate or his or her designee may authorize expenditures to be made

from appropriations or reappropriations made to the senate finance

committee, or the allocable portion of an appropriation or

reappropriation so made to a legislative council, commission or task

force the expenditures from which are for senate purposes in whole or in

allocable part; and may also suballocate or transfer such appropriations

or reappropriations, or any portion thereof, to any department or agency

deemed necessary for the purpose of implementing such expenditures. The

temporary president of the senate may effect such authorization by

filing his or her approval of such authorization with the state

comptroller.