Andrew Hoppin, the New York State's Senate's Chief Information Officer has had his team pretty busy. I got an email from their Director of Onine Communications, Phillip Anderson (one of the first bloggers here at The Daily Gotham and formerly of The Albany Project) describing the project:

The new site is extremely simple, with a Google-esque single search field. One can enter a bill number, a keyword, a Senator, just about anything and it find reams of information as well as comments on ALL Senate legislation. That's not all though.

The site and search are also available by phone by simply speaking a term and even by SMS text.

Sounds not just awesome but about what the state has needed for eons. If we could only get something like this for New York City. Oh right! It took a DEMOCRATIC GOVERNOR to put money into updating the state's digital infrastructure. With REPUBLICAN MAYOR BLOOMBERG? Unless that's money his company and media cronies get to pocket, keep hoping.

Read the press release after the jump:  read more »

Alright, the next round: read the document proposed by the Senate Democrats to pass emergency bills here (.pdf) The full taxt is here:

WHEREAS the Democratic and Republican Conferences are unable to agree as to who is the validly elected President Pro Tempore of the New York State Senate; and

WHEREAS in order to move forward with legislation critical to the people of this state, the Democratic Conference and the Republican Conference (which, combined with Senator Espada, identifies themselves as the “Reform Coalition”) are willing to put aside temporarily the dispute over the election of the President Pro Tempore, and to suspend the Rules of the Senate for the purpose of considering legislation critical to the public and municipalities of the State;

WE HEREBY PROPOSE the following bipartisan operating agreement to allow the New York State Senate to function for a regular session on June 30th, 2009, that will allow critical legislation to come before the Senate for a vote:

 read more »