§ 7 — Officers and employees of the assembly

§ 7. Officers and employees of the assembly. The assembly may choose a\nclerk, a sergeant-at-arms and a stenographer. When an appropriation has\nbeen made for the services, temporary or otherwise, of officers and\nemployees of the assembly and their appointment is not otherwise\nauthorized by law, the speaker of the assembly may appoint such officers\nand employees and fix their compensation, respectively, within the\namount provided by appropriation. The majority leader of the assembly\nmay appoint a counsel to majority leader, an assistant counsel to\nmajority leader, a secretary to majority leader, and a clerk to majority\nleader. The minority leader of the assembly may appoint a counsel to\nminority leader, a clerk to minority, an assistant clerk to minority, a\nsecretary to minority leader, a clerk to minority leader, an assistant\nclerk to minority leader, a ways and means minority clerk, two\nstenographers, a clerk-chauffeur and a messenger to minority. In case of\nthe death or resignation of the clerk of the assembly, or his inability\nto exercise the powers and/or discharge the duties of said office,\nnotwithstanding any other provisions of law the speaker of the assembly\nshall appoint an acting clerk or designate the assistant clerk as acting\nclerk to serve until a clerk is chosen by the assembly to fill the\nvacancy or until the disability shall cease. The acting clerk so\nappointed or designated as such shall have and exercise all of the\npowers of the clerk of the assembly until a clerk has been chosen and\nhas qualified or until the disability shall cease.\n Whenever the speaker of the assembly is authorized or required, singly\nor jointly, to certify or approve warrants or vouchers for the\ncompensation of any person, it shall be sufficient if he execute the\nfirst such warrant or voucher, and thereafter the same may be certified\nor approved by his designee or designees, so long as the rate of such\ncompensation is not increased, and upon proof by affidavit or otherwise\nthat the same is due. Such designation shall be in writing and filed in\nthe office of the speaker and in the office of the comptroller, and\nshall remain in effect during the term of office of the speaker unless\nsooner revoked by him.\n Notwithstanding any law to the contrary, the speaker of the assembly\nor his or her designee may authorize expenditures to be made from\nappropriations or reappropriations made to the assembly ways and means\ncommittee, or the allocable portion of an appropriation or\nreappropriation so made to a legislative council, commission or task\nforce the expenditures from which are for assembly purposes in whole or\nin allocable part. The speaker of the assembly may effect such\nauthorization by filing his or her approval of such authorization with\nthe state comptroller.\n