Secretary of the Senate Angelo Aponte briefed reporters at the Capitol today on the chamber’s new guidelines for the use of taxpayer-funded media – including everything from bulk mailings to Websites – and insisted the majority is striving for an equitable distribution of resources.

In the Senate’s traditional winner-takes-all system, the majority had a habit of starving the minority when it came to things like office supplies (ask Sen. Eric Schneiderman about this next time you see him) and access to the in-house video equipment.

Fury over being treated like second-class citizens after spending so many years doing just that to the Democrats was in part what spurred the GOP to mount last summer’s Senate coup with the help of two turncoats: Now-Majority Leader Pedro Espada Jr. and ex-Sen. Hiram Monserrate.

As you’ll recall, on the day of the coup, the Democrats cut both the power and the video feed in the chamber. Aponte assured NY1′s Erin Billups today that could “never happen again” under the new protocols.

“The fact is things are different now,” insisted Aponte, whose own job became an issue in the post-coup fracas (however, unlike the men who wanted him gone, Aponte is still around and not in the AG”s crosshairs).

“And they’re different in a much more positive way in terms of dealing with both the majority and the minority in terms of using Senate resources in attempt to be even handed and I think we’ve come a long way and we’ve proven that.”

I can’t wait to hear what the Republicans say about that…UPDATE: Unsurprisingly, they disagree. Senate GOP spokesman Mark Hansen sent a response that appears in full after the jump:

“Things are arguably worse than ever,” Hansen said. “They are censoring our mail and other government materials. They have changed the Senate rules to give their members unlimited ability to send out newsletters and other mailings at taxpayer’s expense.”

“And they spent millions of dollars to hire new employees to develop new ways to promote themselves, as if flashy web sites and other new media will make people forget how they have increased dysfunction and wrecked this state.”

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