Politics on the Hudson

As expected, the state Legislature gaveled in and out of session this evening without taking up the state budget or any of the 10 bills introduced by Gov. David Paterson.

Both the Assembly and Senate came into session briefly and were done by 7 p.m. They are scheduled to return tomorrow morning.

Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, D-Manhattan, said before the session that it would be quick, the chamber would adjourn until Thursday “and hope to have a meeting with the governor between now and tomorrow.”

Republicans in the Senate questioned whether Paterson had even sent up the bills for the special session, but ultimately Senate Democratic Leader John Sampson, D-Brooklyn, said the bills were in fact available.

Assemblyman Joel Miller, R-Poughkeepsie, said taxpayers should be “outraged” for two reasons.

“One because the majorities can’t get their act together, and two because they keep trying to pull the wool over people’s eyes, pretending that they’re accomplishing something, and I’m not going to say which is worse than the other. But the taxpayers are being batted. They’re angry at the Legislature for not doing its job,” he said.

Marcus Molinaro, R-Tivoli, Dutchess County, said this is state government at its worst.

“Our job is to be here and we should have been adopting a budget in April, by April 1, and what’s neglectful and absurd and frankly abusive to the taxpayers of the state of New York is that there have been no negotiations, there has been no real dialogue, there has been no real agreement,” he said.

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