N.Y. Legislative Law § 7: Officers and employees of the assembly

§ 7. Officers and employees of the assembly. The assembly may choose a

clerk, a sergeant-at-arms and a stenographer. When an appropriation has

been made for the services, temporary or otherwise, of officers and

employees of the assembly and their appointment is not otherwise

authorized by law, the speaker of the assembly may appoint such officers

and employees and fix their compensation, respectively, within the

amount provided by appropriation. The majority leader of the assembly

may appoint a counsel to majority leader, an assistant counsel to

majority leader, a secretary to majority leader, and a clerk to majority

leader. The minority leader of the assembly may appoint a counsel to

minority leader, a clerk to minority, an assistant clerk to minority, a

secretary to minority leader, a clerk to minority leader, an assistant

clerk to minority leader, a ways and means minority clerk, two

stenographers, a clerk-chauffeur and a messenger to minority. In case of

the death or resignation of the clerk of the assembly, or his inability

to exercise the powers and/or discharge the duties of said office,

notwithstanding any other provisions of law the speaker of the assembly

shall appoint an acting clerk or designate the assistant clerk as acting

clerk to serve until a clerk is chosen by the assembly to fill the

vacancy or until the disability shall cease. The acting clerk so

appointed or designated as such shall have and exercise all of the

powers of the clerk of the assembly until a clerk has been chosen and

has qualified or until the disability shall cease.

Whenever the speaker of the assembly 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 speaker and in the office of the comptroller, and

shall remain in effect during the term of office of the speaker unless

sooner revoked by him.

Notwithstanding any law to the contrary, the speaker of the assembly

or his or her designee may authorize expenditures to be made from

appropriations or reappropriations made to the assembly ways and means

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 assembly purposes in whole or

in allocable part. The speaker of the assembly may effect such

authorization by filing his or her approval of such authorization with

the state comptroller.