§ 7. Officers and employees of the assembly. The assembly may choose a
  clerk,  a sergeant-at-arms and a stenographer. When an appropriation has
  been made for the services, temporary  or  otherwise,  of  officers  and
  employees  of  the  assembly  and  their  appointment  is  not otherwise
  authorized by law, the speaker of the assembly may appoint such officers
  and employees and  fix  their  compensation,  respectively,  within  the
  amount  provided  by  appropriation. The majority leader of the assembly
  may appoint a counsel  to  majority  leader,  an  assistant  counsel  to
  majority leader, a secretary to majority leader, and a clerk to majority
  leader.  The  minority  leader  of the assembly may appoint a counsel to
  minority leader, a clerk to minority, an assistant clerk to minority,  a
  secretary  to  minority leader, a clerk to minority leader, an assistant
  clerk  to  minority  leader,  a  ways  and  means  minority  clerk,  two
  stenographers, a clerk-chauffeur and a messenger to minority. In case of
  the  death or resignation of the clerk of the assembly, or his inability
  to exercise the powers and/or  discharge  the  duties  of  said  office,
  notwithstanding  any other provisions of law the speaker of the assembly
  shall appoint an acting clerk or designate the assistant clerk as acting
  clerk to serve until a clerk is chosen  by  the  assembly  to  fill  the
  vacancy  or  until  the  disability  shall  cease.  The  acting clerk so
  appointed or designated as such shall  have  and  exercise  all  of  the
  powers  of  the  clerk of the assembly until a clerk has been chosen and
  has qualified or until the disability shall cease.
    Whenever the speaker of the assembly is authorized or required, singly
  or  jointly,  to  certify  or  approve  warrants  or  vouchers  for  the
  compensation  of  any  person,  it shall be sufficient if he execute the
  first such warrant or voucher, and thereafter the same may be  certified
  or  approved  by  his designee or designees, so long as the rate of such
  compensation is not increased, and upon proof by affidavit or  otherwise
  that  the same is due. Such designation shall be in writing and filed in
  the office of the speaker and in the  office  of  the  comptroller,  and
  shall  remain  in effect during the term of office of the speaker unless
  sooner revoked by him.
    Notwithstanding any law to the contrary, the speaker of  the  assembly
  or  his  or  her  designee  may  authorize  expenditures to be made from
  appropriations or reappropriations made to the assembly ways  and  means
  committee,   or   the   allocable   portion   of   an  appropriation  or
  reappropriation so made to a legislative  council,  commission  or  task
  force  the expenditures from which are for assembly purposes in whole or
  in  allocable  part.  The  speaker  of  the  assembly  may  effect  such
  authorization  by  filing his or her approval of such authorization with
  the state comptroller.