An update on the not-so-extraordinary lame duck session called by Gov. David Paterson yesterday:

The Senate passed the judicial compensation commission bill last night and called it quits shortly before 9 p.m., departing without taking up any budget cuts.

The Democrats placed the blame for that on the governor, basically saying he had sent up the bills too late for them to consider. (Because really, the idea that anyone might vote on a bill they haven’t read is simply shocking, right?) Paterson, unsurprisingly, wasn’t buying that, releasing the following statement through his spokeswoman, Jessica Bassett:

“In recent weeks, the governor’s senior staff and Budget Director have been in extensive discussion with Legislative leadership and members on the substance of the proposals put forth in Special Session.”

“The Legislature was provided drafts of each bill last week, the Governor met face-to-face with Legislative leaders today and both the Senate and the Assembly accepted the final drafts of the bills prior to the start of session. ”

“It appears that, once again, the Legislature is making excuses to push this year’s responsibility further into the future by adding to the deficit that will greet Governor-elect Cuomo when he arrives in Albany.”

The Assembly, meanwhile, toiled late into the night. Just before 1 a.m., the hydrofracking moratorium that had already passed the Senate earlier in the year was approved, 94-44.

I received a text from WFP Executive Director Dan Cantor, who was babysitting that measure (the labor-backed party had teamed up with MoveOn.org and others to advocate in favor of it). “First legislative body in the world to turn the drillers down,” Cantor wrote.

Shortly after 4 a.m., a source sent an e-mail on some other developments on the Assembly side of the Capitol.

According to this source, the NYC OTB bailout bill, which the Senate did not take up and Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver suggested might move as a one-house measure, was taken up but failed to receive sufficient support to pass. The judicial compensation commission bill did pass. I’m told the prevailing wage bill will possibly be on tap today.

The Assembly is due back in session around 3 p.m. today. The Senate is now talking about returning for yet another lame duck session – perhaps on Dec. 20 – to make a second attempt at the NYC OTB bill, among other things.

Of course, if the Legislature does return one more time, speculation will hinge on the possibility that lawmakers will try to raise their own pay for the holidays.

The idea that Governor-elect Andrew Cuomo would let that happen as he faces a $9 to $10 billion deficit next year seems pretty far-fetched to me, however, especially since pay raises are usually used as bargaining chips for something else – a big something else.

Cuomo has been using a fairly light hand during this lame duck session, but I’m told he has been making it quietly clear what he would prefer NOT to see pass. The governor-elect is scheduled to lunch with the Assembly Democrats at the Crowne Plaza today.

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