Bill Text: NY S02598 | 2009-2010 | General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Relates to apportionment of staff for members in the senate and assembly; requires generally equal staff for member offices and additional moneys for committee chairs.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2010-01-06 - REFERRED TO INVESTIGATIONS AND GOVERNMENT OPERATIONS [S02598 Detail]

Download: New_York-2009-S02598-Introduced.html

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                           S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
       ________________________________________________________________________
                                         2598
                              2009-2010 Regular Sessions
                                   I N  S E N A T E
                                   February 25, 2009
                                      ___________
       Introduced  by  Sen. BONACIC -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
         printed to be committed to the Committee on Investigations and Govern-
         ment Operations
       AN ACT to amend the legislative law, in  relation  to  apportionment  of
         resources for members of the state legislature
         THE  PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
       BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
    1    Section 1. Section 10 of the legislative law, as  amended  by  chapter
    2  230 of the laws of 1949, is amended to read as follows:
    3    S 10. Compensation  of  officers  and  employees. The secretary of the
    4  senate, the clerk of the assembly, and all other officers and  employees
    5  of  the senate and assembly, shall be paid the compensation fixed by the
    6  appointing officer within  the  amount  provided  by  appropriation  AND
    7  PURSUANT TO THE PROVISIONS OF SECTION FIVE-B OF THIS ARTICLE.
    8    S  2.  The  legislative  law is amended by adding a new section 5-b to
    9  read as follows:
   10    S 5-B. STAFF ALLOCATION.  1. EXCEPT AS PROVIDED IN THIS SECTION, EVERY
   11  MEMBER OF THE STATE SENATE SHALL HAVE THE SAME STAFF ALLOCATION AS EVERY
   12  OTHER MEMBER OF THE STATE SENATE AND EVERY MEMBER OF THE ASSEMBLY  SHALL
   13  HAVE THE SAME STAFF ALLOCATION AS EVERY OTHER MEMBER OF THE ASSEMBLY.
   14    2.  EVERY  STATE  SENATOR OR MEMBER OF THE ASSEMBLY WHO IS ASSIGNED TO
   15  SERVE AS CHAIRPERSON OF A STANDING COMMITTEE SHALL ALSO RECEIVE AN ADDI-
   16  TIONAL ALLOCATION DESIGNED TO REASONABLY ALLOW SUCH CHAIRPERSON TO  HIRE
   17  A  COMMITTEE DIRECTOR AND COMMITTEE CLERK DEDICATED TO COMMITTEE RELATED
   18  WORK. SUCH ALLOCATION SHALL BE NINETY THOUSAND DOLLARS FOR  ALL  COMMIT-
   19  TEES  EXCEPT  THE CODES, EDUCATION, HEALTH, AND HIGHER EDUCATION COMMIT-
   20  TEES IN BOTH THE SENATE AND ASSEMBLY,  IN  WHICH  CASE  SUCH  ALLOCATION
   21  SHALL  BE ONE HUNDRED FORTY-FIVE THOUSAND DOLLARS; AND TWO HUNDRED THOU-
   22  SAND DOLLARS FOR THE CHAIRPERSON OF THE FINANCE COMMITTEE IN THE  SENATE
   23  AND THE WAYS AND MEANS COMMITTEE IN THE ASSEMBLY.
        EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                             [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                  LBD01732-01-9
       S. 2598                             2
    1    3.  EVERY  STATE  SENATOR  OR MEMBER OF THE ASSEMBLY WHO SERVES IN THE
    2  CAPACITY AS RANKING MEMBER OF A STANDING COMMITTEE SHALL ALSO RECEIVE AN
    3  ADDITIONAL ALLOCATION DESIGNED TO REASONABLY ALLOW SUCH  RANKING  MEMBER
    4  TO HIRE STAFF DEDICATED TO COMMITTEE RELATED WORK. SUCH ALLOCATION SHALL
    5  BE  THIRTY  THOUSAND DOLLARS EXCEPT IN THE CASE OF THE CODES, EDUCATION,
    6  HEALTH, AND HIGHER EDUCATION COMMITTEES SUCH AMOUNT SHALL BE  FIFTY-FIVE
    7  THOUSAND  DOLLARS;  AND  IN THE CASE OF THE RANKING MEMBER OF THE SENATE
    8  FINANCE COMMITTEE OR RANKING MEMBER  OF  THE  ASSEMBLY  WAYS  AND  MEANS
    9  COMMITTEE, NINETY-FIVE THOUSAND DOLLARS.
   10    4.  ALL  EMPLOYEES WHOSE SALARY IS NOT CHARGED AGAINST THE STAFF ALLO-
   11  CATION OF AN INDIVIDUAL  MEMBER  OF  THE  LEGISLATURE  SHALL  BE  DEEMED
   12  EMPLOYEES  OF  THE  CENTRAL  STAFF OF THE SENATE OR CENTRAL STAFF OF THE
   13  ASSEMBLY, AS THE CASE MAY BE. THERE SHALL BE A CENTRAL STAFF  ALLOCATION
   14  WHICH  SHALL  ALLOW FOR THE HIRING OF INDIVIDUALS PURSUANT TO THE RECOM-
   15  MENDATION OF THE TEMPORARY PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE, THE MINORITY  LEADER
   16  OF  THE  SENATE, THE SPEAKER OF THE ASSEMBLY, AND THE MINORITY LEADER OF
   17  THE ASSEMBLY. THE PERCENTAGE OF DOLLARS TO BE ALLOCATED TO THE TEMPORARY
   18  PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE, THE MINORITY LEADER OF THE SENATE, THE  SPEAKER
   19  OF  THE ASSEMBLY, AND THE MINORITY LEADER OF THE ASSEMBLY SHALL BE BASED
   20  UPON THE NUMBER OF MEMBERS OF THE SENATE AND NUMBER OF  MEMBERS  OF  THE
   21  ASSEMBLY  IN THE MAJORITY AND MINORITY POLITICAL PARTY OF EACH HOUSE. IN
   22  THE EVENT A MEMBER OF THE LEGISLATURE IS  NOT  ENROLLED  IN  EITHER  THE
   23  MAJORITY  POLITICAL  PARTY  IN HIS OR HER HOUSE OR THE SECOND MOST POPU-
   24  LATED POLITICAL PARTY IN HIS OR HER HOUSE, SUCH MEMBER MAY DECLARE  THAT
   25  HE OR SHE WISHES TO HAVE HIS OR HER MEMBERSHIP COUNTED IN ONE OF THE TWO
   26  POLITICAL  PARTIES  SOLELY  FOR  THE PURPOSE OF STAFF ALLOCATION RATIOS.
   27  SUCH DECLARATION SHALL BE GIVEN IN  WRITING  TO  THE  SECRETARY  OF  THE
   28  SENATE  OR  CLERK  OF  THE  ASSEMBLY  WITHIN  SEVENTY DAYS OF HIS OR HER
   29  ELECTION. THE ALLOCATION FOR CENTRAL STAFF SHALL NOT CHANGE  DURING  THE
   30  TWO  YEAR  TERM  OF  OFFICE  WHICH  COMMENCES EVERY JANUARY FIRST OF ODD
   31  NUMBERED YEARS AND ENDS AT THE END OF DECEMBER THE FOLLOWING YEAR.    IN
   32  ANY  EVENT, THE MINORITY LEADER OF THE SENATE AND THE MINORITY LEADER OF
   33  THE ASSEMBLY SHALL HAVE A MINIMUM OF THIRTY-FIVE PERCENT OF THE  CENTRAL
   34  STAFF ALLOCATION AUTHORITY.
   35    5. NOT LATER THAN THE FIRST OF JANUARY FOLLOWING THE EFFECTIVE DATE OF
   36  THIS SECTION, THE SPEAKER OF THE ASSEMBLY AND TEMPORARY PRESIDENT OF THE
   37  SENATE SHALL ALLOCATE TO EACH MEMBER OF THE LEGISLATURE HIS OR HER STAFF
   38  ALLOCATION PURSUANT TO THIS SECTION.
   39    6.  THERE  SHALL  BE A CENTRALIZED RESEARCH SERVICE FOR THE SENATE AND
   40  ASSEMBLY BASED ON ASSIGNED AREAS OF RESEARCH AND EXPERTISE  WHICH  SHALL
   41  BE  JOINTLY ADMINISTERED BY THE SECRETARY OF THE SENATE AND THE CLERK OF
   42  THE ASSEMBLY.  INDIVIDUALS EMPLOYED BY SUCH CENTRALIZED RESEARCH SERVICE
   43  SHALL BE HIRED UPON THE UNANIMOUS RECOMMENDATION OF THE TEMPORARY PRESI-
   44  DENT OF THE SENATE, MINORITY LEADER OF THE SENATE, SPEAKER OF THE ASSEM-
   45  BLY AND THE MINORITY LEADER OF THE ASSEMBLY.
   46    S 3. This act shall take effect immediately.