Aubertine Files Suit

State Senator Darrel Aubertine, of Cape Vincent, filed suit with the New York State Supreme Court against his former colleagues in the New York State Assembly. Aubertine, a Democrat, alleges that when Senator Frank Padavan, a Republican, walked through the Senate chamber on June 30th while all of the Senate Democrats were present, he provided quorum needed in order to vote on and pass bills. The Senate rules state that, unless a member votes in opposition to a bill, all present senators automatically vote ‘yes’ on any bill that comes to the floor during a session. Aubertine claims that when Senator Padavan walked through the chamber on his way to the vending machine he supplied the Democrats with a quorum and because he didn’t vote against any of their bills, the rules state that he voted for them by default. Padavan and the Republicans insist that he did not provide a quorum. Aubertine wants the court to compel the Assembly to deliver the bills passed in that session to the Governor for his signature.