Paterson: NY Senate Must Work Holiday

Gov. Paterson has issued proclamations calling for the NY Senate to work every single day through this holiday weekend. Whether they'll show up or not, who knows?

Gov. David Paterson has elevated the Senate stalemate from a “conflict” to a “crisis.” The governor didn’t make much news today in his Red Room press conference, except to say that he has issued proclamations for special session every day at 3 p.m. through July 6 — which means that the Senate will be in Albany through the holiday weekend. Paterson also called on Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli, a Democrat, to withhold the pay of senators’ salaries. So far, DiNapoli has declined to take that step. When asked about the bills that Senate Democrats “voted” on in yesterday’s “session” (made possible by Republican Sen. Frank Padavan’s walkthru of the Senate chamber, which Democrats claim made quorum), Paterson reiterated that he did not intend to sign the bills.

Sen. Ruben Diaz, unsurprisingly, is the first to tell the Governor "come get me", saying to the NY Daily News, "I would rather spend my time in church, preaching and praising the Lord, than to be here doing nothing, wasting my time...wasting the money of the people of the state of New York." Watch Diaz say he will defy the proclamation.