New York State Senate

New York State Senate
General Information
Party control:	Democrat
Session start:	January 8, 2025
Session end:	June 13, 2025
Term length:	2 years
Term limits:	None
Redistricting:	Hybrid
Salary:	$142,000/year + per diem
Members
Total:	63
Democrats:	41
Republicans:	22
Other:	0
Vacancies:	0
Leadership
President:	Antonio Delgado (D)
Maj. Leader:	Andrea Stewart-Cousins (D)
Min. Leader:	Robert Ortt (R)
Elections
Last election:	November 5, 2024
Next election:	November 3, 2026

The New York State Senate is the upper chamber of the New York State Legislature. Alongside the New York State Assembly, it forms the legislative branch of the New York state government and works alongside the governor of New York to create laws and establish a state budget. Legislative authority and responsibilities of the New York State Senate include passing bills on public policy matters, setting levels for state spending, raising and lowering taxes, and voting to uphold or override gubernatorial vetoes.

The New York State Senate meets in the state capitol building in Albany, New York.

All 63 seats in the New York State Senate were up for election in 2024. The chamber's Democratic majority decreased from 42-21 to 41-22.

All 63 seats in the New York State Senate were up for election in 2022. The chamber's Democratic majority changed from 42-20 (with one vacancy) to 42-21.

New York has a Democratic trifecta. The Democratic Party controls the office of governor and both chambers of the state legislature.

This page contains the following information on the New York State Senate.

• Which party controls the chamber
• The chamber's current membership
• Partisan control of the chamber over time
• Elections in the chamber and how vacancies are filled
• A district map
• How redistricting works in the state
• Legislation under consideration
• Legislative session dates
• Legislative procedures, such as veto overrides and the state budget process
• A list of committees

Party control

Current partisan control

The table below shows the partisan breakdown of the New York State Senate as of February 2025:

Party	As of February 2025
	Democratic Party	41
	Republican Party	22
	Other	0
	Vacancies	0
Total	63

Members

Leadership

The lieutenant governor serves as president of the Senate, the presiding officer of the body, but can only vote in the event of a tie.^[1]

Leadership and members

• Senate president: Antonio Delgado (D)
• Majority leader: Andrea Stewart-Cousins (D)
• Minority leader: Robert Ortt (R)

Salaries

See also: Comparison of state legislative salaries

State legislative salaries, 2024[2]
Salary	Per diem
$142,000/year	The exact amount members receive for per diem is unknown.

Swearing in dates

See also: When state legislators assume office after a general election

New York legislators assume office the first day of January after a general election.^[3]

Membership qualifications

See also: State legislature candidate requirements by state

Article 3, Section 7 of the New York Constitution states:

“

No person shall serve as a member of the legislature unless he or she is a citizen of the United States and has been a resident of the state of New York for five years, and, except as hereinafter otherwise prescribed, of the assembly or senate district for the twelve months immediately preceding his or her election; if elected a senator or member of assembly at the first election next ensuing after a readjustment or alteration of the senate or assembly districts becomes effective, a person, to be eligible to serve as such, must have been a resident of the county in which the senate or assembly district is contained for the twelve months immediately preceding his or her election.[4][5]

”

Historical party control

Democrats won control of the New York State Senate in 2018. In 2024, they won a 41-22 majority.

The table below shows the partisan history of the New York Senate following every general election from 1992 to 2024. All data from 2006 or earlier comes from Michael Dubin's Party Affiliations in the State Legislatures (McFarland Press, 2007). Data after 2006 was compiled by Ballotpedia staff.

New York State Senate election results: 1992-2024

Year	'92	'94	'96	'98	'00	'02	'04	'06	'08	'10	'12	'14	'16	'18	'20	'22	'24
Democrats	26	25	26	26	25	25	27	29	32	30	33	31	32	40	43	42	41
Republicans	35	36	35	35	36	37	35	33	30	32	30*	32	31*	23	20	21	22

*A coalition between the Independent Democratic Conference and Senate Republicans kept the Senate in Republican control.

Trifecta history

A state government trifecta is a term that describes single-party government, when one political party holds the governor's office and has majorities in both chambers of the legislature in a state government. Between 1992 and 2023, New York was under the following types of trifecta control:

• Democratic trifecta: 2009-2010, 2019-2023
• Republican trifecta: None
• Divided government: 1992-2008, 2011-2018

New York Party Control: 1992-2025
Nine years of Democratic trifectas  •  No Republican trifectas
Scroll left and right on the table below to view more years.

Elections

Elections by year

New York state senators serve two-year terms, with all seats up for election every two years. New York holds elections for its legislature in even years.

2026

See also: New York State Senate elections, 2026

Elections for the New York State Senate will take place in 2026. The general election is on November 3, 2026.

2024

See also: New York State Senate elections, 2024

Elections for the New York State Senate took place in 2024. The general election was on November 5, 2024. The primary was June 25, 2024. Primaries with less than two filed candidates were cancelled. The filing deadline was April 4, 2024.

Heading into the 2024 elections, Democrats held a 41-21 majority with one vacancy. After the election, the Democratic majority was 41-22.

New York State Senate
Party	As of November 5, 2024	After November 6, 2024
	Democratic Party	41	41
	Republican Party	21	22
	Vacancy	1	0
Total	63	63

2022

See also: New York State Senate elections, 2022

Elections for the New York State Senate took place in 2022. The general election was on November 8, 2022. A primary was scheduled for August 23, 2022. The filing deadline was June 10, 2022.

Heading into the 2022 elections, Democrats held a 42-20 majority with one vacancy. After the election, the Democratic majority was 42-21.

New York State Senate
Party	As of November 8, 2022	After November 9, 2022
	Democratic Party	42	42
	Republican Party	20	21
	Vacancy	1	0
Total	63	63

2020

See also: New York State Senate elections, 2020

Elections for the office of New York State Senate took place in 2020. The general election was held on November 3, 2020. A primary was scheduled for June 23, 2020. The filing deadline was April 2, 2020.

In the 2020 elections, Democrats increased their majority in the New York State Senate from 40-20 with three vacancies to 43-20.

New York State Senate
Party	As of November 3, 2020	After November 4, 2020
	Democratic Party	40	43
	Republican Party	20	20
	Vacancy	3	0
Total	63	63

2018

See also: New York State Senate elections, 2018

Elections for the New York State Senate took place in 2018. A closed primary election took place on September 13, 2018, and the general election was held on November 6, 2018. The candidate filing deadline was July 12, 2018.^[6]

In the 2018 elections, Democrats flipped eight seats and gained full control of the New York State Senate.

New York State Senate
Party	As of November 6, 2018	After November 7, 2018
	Democratic Party	32	40
	Republican Party	31	23
Total	63	63

2016

See also: New York State Senate elections, 2016

Elections for the New York State Senate took place in 2016. The primary election took place on September 13, 2016, and the general election was held on November 8, 2016. The filing deadline for major party candidates was July 14, 2016. The filing deadline for independent candidates was August 23, 2016. All 63 seats in the New York State Senate were up for election in 2016.

Heading into the election, the state Senate was tied at 31-31 with one vacancy. Democrats held a 32-31 numerical majority in the Senate following the 2016 elections but a coalition between the Independent Democratic Conference (IDC) and Senate Republicans kept the state Senate under Republican control.

New York State Senate
Party	As of November 7, 2016	After November 8, 2016
	Democratic Party	31	32
	Republican Party	31	31
	Vacant	1	0
Total	63	63

Click [show] to see election information dating back to 2000

2014 See also: New York State Senate elections, 2014 Elections for the New York State Senate took place in 2014. A primary election took place on September 9, 2014. The general election took place November 4, 2014. The signature filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was July 10, 2014. Heading into the election, Democrats held a 32-29 majority with two vacancies. Democrats lost one seat in the election, giving Republicans a 32-31 majority. New York State Senate Party As of November 3, 2014 After November 4, 2014      Democratic Party 32 31      Republican Party 29 32      Vacancy 2 0 Total 63 63 Note: Although Democrats had a numerical majority going into the 2014 election, a coalition gave Republicans control of the chamber. 2012 See also: New York State Senate elections, 2012 Elections for the office of New York State Senate took place in 2012. The primary election was held on September 13, 2012, and the general election was held on November 6, 2012. The candidate filing deadline was July 12, 2012. A total of 63 seats were up for election. Heading into the election, Republicans held a 33-29 majority. Republicans lost three seats in the election, giving Democrats a 33-30 majority. Even though Democrats held a 33-30 numerical majority, the chamber was still in Republican control because of a coalition between the Independent Democratic Conference and Senate Republicans. New York State Senate Party As of November 5, 2012 After the 2012 Election      Democratic Party 29 33      Republican Party 33 30 Total 62 63 During the 2012 election, the total value of contributions to the 156 Senate candidates was $42,031,242. The top 10 contributors were:[7] 2012 Donors, New York State Senate Donor Amount New York State Senate Republican Campaign Cmte $1,673,200 Senate Republican Campaign Cmte of New York $1,471,625 Messer, John $583,745 New York State Trial Lawyers $506,574 New York State United Teachers $452,490 1199 Seiu United Healthcare Workers East $414,400 Democratic Senate Campaign Cmte of New York $413,000 New York State Republican Campaign Cmte $406,000 New York State Republican Party $395,000 Simcha Ny $353,454 The following table details the 10 districts with the smallest margin of victory in the November 6 general election. 2012 Margin of Victory, New York State Senate District Winner Margin of Victory Total Votes Top Opponent District 46 Cecilia F. Tkaczyk 0% 126,245 George Amedore District 41 Terry W. Gipson 1.7% 122,328 Stephen Saland District 40 Greg Ball 2.1% 127,316 Justin R. Wagner District 7 Jack Martins 3.6% 112,026 Daniel S. Ross District 6 Kemp Hannon 3.9% 113,225 Ryan E. Cronin District 55 Ted O'Brien 4% 134,592 Sean Hanna District 39 William Larkin 4.9% 104,667 Christopher W. Eachus District 4 Philip Boyle 5.2% 103,263 Ricardo Montano District 37 George Latimer 8.1% 118,810 Bob Cohen District 43 Kathleen A. Marchione 10.7% 128,807 Robin Andrews 2010 See also: New York State Senate elections, 2010 Elections for the office of New York State Senate took place in 2010. The primary election was held on September 14, 2010, and the general election was held on November 2, 2010. The candidate filing deadline was July 22, 2010. Heading into the election, Democrats held a 32-29 majority with one vacancy. Democrats lost two seats in the election, giving Republicans a 32-30 majority. New York State Senate Party As of November 1, 2010 After the 2010 Election      Democratic Party 32 30      Republican Party 29 32      Vacancy 1 - Total 62 62 During the 2010 election, the total contributions to the 133 Senate candidates was $48,466,031. The top 10 donors were:[8] 2010 Donors, New York State Senate Donor Amount Democratic Senate Campaign Cmte of New York $2,736,038 Senate Republican Campaign Cmte of New York $2,634,450 1199 SEIU United Healthcare Workers East $419,400 New York State Trial Lawyers $407,700 New York State United Teachers $391,010 Democratic Senate Campaign Cmte of Colorado $326,262 New York State Correctional Officers $273,600 Nassau County Republican Cmte $250,000 Oppenheimer, Suzi $226,000 New York State AFL-CIO $194,160 2008 See also: New York State Senate elections, 2008 Elections for the office of New York State Senate consisted of a primary election on September 9, 2008, and a general election on November 4, 2008. During the 2008 election, the total contributions for the 142 Senate candidates was $47,019,720. The top 10 donors were:[9] 2008 Donors, New York State Senate Donor Amount Senate Republican Campaign Cmte Of New York $6,157,046 New York State Democratic Party $2,434,593 New York Democratic Senate Campaign Cmte $638,868 New York State United Teachers $383,940 1199 Seiu United Healthcare Workers East $378,400 New York State Trial Lawyers $317,000 Monroe County Republican Cmte $211,982 Cmte to Re-elect Senator Joseph Bruno $194,500 Nachbar, David R $175,000 Wilson Elser Moskowitz Edelman & Dicker $174,503 2006 See also: New York State Senate elections, 2006 Elections for the office of New York State Senate consisted of a primary election on September 12, 2006, and a general election on November 7, 2006. During the 2006 election, the total contributions for the 118 Senate candidates was $34,814,138. The top 10 donors were:[10] 2006 Donors, New York State Senate Donor Amount Senate Republican Campaign Cmte of New York $2,984,698 Diamondstone, Ken $559,051 Democratic Senate Campaign Cmte of New York $462,000 New York State United Teachers $319,747 1199 Seiu United Healthcare Workers East $305,800 New York State Trial Lawyers $247,940 New York State Correctional Officers $202,924 Cmte to Re-elect Senator Joseph Bruno $174,500 Friends of Joe Griffo $161,647 New York State AFL-CIO $139,940 2004 See also: New York State Senate elections, 2004 Elections for the office of New York State Senate consisted of a primary election on September 14, 2004, and a general election on November 2, 2004. During the 2004 election, the total contributions for the 132 Senate candidates was $30,017,313. The top 10 donors were:[11] 2004 Donors, New York State Senate Donor Amount Senate Republican Campaign Cmte of New York $2,244,047 Klein 2006 $1,089,265 New York State United Teachers $295,493 Brisbane, Charles A $294,011 New York State Trial Lawyers $287,600 Democratic Senate Campaign Cmte of New York $234,468 1199 Seiu United Healthcare Workers East $220,200 Balboni for Senate $204,500 New York State Afl-Cio $144,250 Medical Society of the State of New York $143,536 2002 See also: New York State Senate elections, 2002 Elections for the office of New York State Senate consisted of a primary election on September 10, 2002, and a general election on November 5, 2002. During the 2002 election, the total contributions for the 142 Senate candidates was $24,443,377. The top 10 donors were:[12] 2002 Donors, New York State Senate Donor Amount Senate Republican Campaign Cmte of New York $1,553,027 Eristoff, Andrew Sidamon $1,369,563 New York Republican County Cmte $943,118 Friends of Senator Libous $407,185 New York State Trial Lawyers $278,236 Friends of Noach Dear $247,471 Democratic Senate Campaign Cmte of New York $241,102 New York State United Teachers $238,989 Krueger, Liz $221,679 Farley, Hugh T $178,779 2000 See also: New York State Senate elections, 2000 Elections for the office of New York State Senate consisted of a primary election on September 12, 2000, and a general election on November 7, 2000. During the 2000 election, the total contributions for the 152 Senate candidates was $20,970,241. The top 10 donors were:[13] 2000 Donors, New York State Senate Donor Amount Farley, Hugh T $1,345,510 Senate Republican Campaign Cmte of New York $747,676 Democratic Senate Campaign Cmte of New York $520,230 New York State Trial Lawyers $212,556 New York State United Teachers $157,848 Cmte to Re-elect Senator Bruno $142,500 The Millennium Project $77,000 Medical Society of the State of New York $76,102 Espada, Pedro $65,800 New York State Association of Realtors $63,088

Vacancies

See also: How vacancies are filled in state legislatures

If there is a vacancy in the New York Legislature, a special election must be held to fill the vacant seat. A special election can be held as long as the vacancy occurred before April 1 of the last year of the former officeholder's term. If a special session is called in the state legislature after this date, a special election may be called to fill the seat.^[14] The person elected to fill the vacant seat serves for the remainder of the unexpired term.^[15]

See sources: New York Public Officers Law § 42

District map

See also: New York state legislative districts

The state of New York has 213 legislative districts. The state Senate is made up of 63 senators elected from 63 districts. The Assembly is composed of 150 members coming from 150 districts.

Use the interactive map below to find your district.

Redistricting

See also: Redistricting in New York

On March 14, 2012, the state legislature approved a constitutional amendment to establish new redistricting procedures beginning in 2020. The New York Constitution requires that two successive legislatures approve an amendment in order to qualify it for final approval by popular vote. The legislature approved the amendment a second time in 2013. On November 4, 2014, voters approved the amendment, the provisions of which were set to take effect during the 2020 redistricting cycle.^[16]

The 10-member commission comprises the following members:^[16]

1. Two members must be appointed by the temporary president of the New York State Senate.
2. Two members must be appointed by the speaker of the New York State Assembly.
3. Two members must be appointed by the minority leader of the New York State Senate.
4. Two members must be appointed by the minority leader of the New York State Assembly.
5. Two members must appointed by the aforementioned eight commissioners. These two appointees cannot have been enrolled in the top two major political parties in the state.

The legislature must approve the commission's plans by a simple up/down vote. The legislature must reject two separate sets of redistricting plans before it will be able to amend the commission's proposals. All districts will be required "to preserve minority rights, be equally populated, and consist of compact and contiguous territory." Further, state law will require that districts "not be drawn to discourage competition or to favor/disfavor candidates or parties." In prior redistricting cycles, authority for both congressional and state legislative redistricting was vested with the state legislature. An advisory commission participated in the process.^[16]

State law requires that state legislative districts be contiguous and compact. State legislative districts must also take into account the "historic and traditional significance of counties."^[16]

2020

See also: Redistricting in New York after the 2020 census

State Assembly districts
New York enacted new State Assembly district boundaries on April 24, 2023, when Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) signed legislation establishing them for use starting with the 2024 elections.^[17] The bill adopting the districts passed earlier that day in the State Assembly by a vote of 132-13, and it passed the state Senate by a vote of 59-1.^[18][19] The legislation stated, "Vacancies in the Assembly will be filled using existing boundaries until January 1, 2025, at which time vacancies will be filled using the new boundaries."^[20]

The state redrew its Assembly district boundaries in response to a June 10, 2022, decision by the appellate division of the New York Supreme Court in Nichols v. Hochul.^[21] That court upheld a lower court ruling that declared the state's Assembly district boundaries invalid but determined that they should still be used for the 2022 legislative elections since the lawsuit challenging them was filed too close to those elections for the courts to intervene.^[22] The appellate division ruling determined that the Assembly district map was enacted in violation of the state's constitutional redistricting process and ordered a New York City-based state trial court to oversee the redrawing of boundaries for the 2024 elections.^[22] On September 29, 2022, that trial court directed the IRC to "initiate the constitutional process for amending the assembly district map based on the 2020 census data by formulating a proposed assembly map" and submit such a plan to the legislature by April 28, 2023.^[23]

The New York State Independent Redistricting Commission (IRC) had voted 9-1 on April 20, 2023, to advance this plan and submit it to the legislature with the Commission stating in its cover letter that the plan "garnered the highest number of votes in support" at its meeting on that date.^[24][25]

According to Giulia Heyward and Jon Campbell at Gothamist, the new districts replaced "a nearly identical set of districts that were just put into place for last year’s races before a court threw them out."^[26] Heyward and Campbell also wrote that "The commission had originally put forward a draft that would have made considerable changes before settling on a revised proposal last week mirroring the lines already in place."^[26]

Click here to view more information about Assembly districts enacted in 2023, including zoomable maps and links to detailed demographic statistics for each district.'

State Senate districts
On May 20, 2022, Justice Patrick McAllister ordered the adoption of a new state senate map drawn by redistricting special master Jonathan Cervas which took effect for New York's 2022 legislative elections.^[27] On April 27, the New York Court of Appeals, the state's highest court, overturned a decision by the Appellate Division of the New York Supreme Court which overturned a lower court's ruling invalidating the legislature's state Senate boundaries.^{[28][29][30][21]}

Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) had signed new state legislative district boundaries into law on February 3, 2022. The New York State Senate voted 43-20 to approve them, and the New York State Assembly approved them 120-27 on the same day.^[31][32]

Reactions to 2023 state Assembly maps

New York State Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie supported the new districts, saying, "I think the [commission] listened to the testimony that was given to them throughout all of the hearings across the state, and I think they came back with a fair map."^[33] Betsy Gotbaum, executive director of Citizens Union, criticized the new boundaries as too similar to the ones already in place: "The new Assembly districts approved by the Independent Redistricting Commission are strikingly similar to the districts drawn by the legislature last year...This similarity suggests that the Commission drew the Assembly maps to please lawmakers."^[34] Citizens Union describes itself on its website as a group "committed to reforming New York City and State government by fostering transparency, accountability, accessibility, honesty and the highest ethical standards."^[35]

Reactions to 2022 state Senate maps

Following the passage of the map, Hochul said: "These bills are necessary to reapportion districts and to provide certainty and clarity regarding such districts in a timely manner, allowing for efficient administration of the electoral process." State Republican Party Chairman Nick Langworthy said: "There is a wild, partisan gerrymandering that took place here. It violates the state Constitution, and we’re going to try to get justice."^[36]

District map after 2020 redistricting

Below is the state Senate map in effect before and after the 2020 redistricting cycle. The map on the right was in effect for New York’s 2024 state legislative elections.

Click here to view the state Senate map enacted after 2020 redistricting. This map was in effect for New York's 2022 legislative elections.

2010

See also: Redistricting in New York after the 2010 census

New York received its 2010 census data on March 23, 2011. The state's growth rate was at 2.19%, which was below the national rate of 9.7%.^[37] Redistricting became an issue in the state prior to the November 2010 elections. Going into the elections, the organization NY Uprising asked all candidates to sign a pledge to support nonpartisan redistricting during the following legislative session. A majority of those who won in both chambers signed the pledge.^[38] Additionally, Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) stated his pledge to veto any new maps that were not drawn through a nonpartisan process.^[39]

Following a number of delays, the Legislative Task Force on Demographic Research and Reapportionment (LATFOR) released proposed Senate and Assembly maps on January 26, 2012. The Senate plan included an additional 63rd seat. Gov. Cuomo threatened to veto the maps.^[40] On March 11, LATFOR filed a bill of their final plans, which closely resembled the maps they released two months earlier. Along with this, leaders offered a constitutional amendment that would set up a new bipartisan commission on redistricting following the next census in 2020.^[41] Following a walkout of Senate Democrats, the bill passed. Later that week the constitutional amendment passed.^[42] With the constitutional amendment approved, Gov. Cuomo signed the maps into law.^[43]

Sessions

Legislation

The legislation tracker below displays all legislation that the New York State Senate has approved in its most recent legislative session—this includes legislation that has been sent from the Senate to the House and legislation that has already been approved by the House and signed by the governor after its passage in the Senate. The table below includes the bill number, its name, progress, most recent action date, and sponsor. Scroll up and down and side to side to see more. Click the bill number to read the bill text and see its voting history. Click the headings to sort the content. Rearrange the order of the headings by clicking and dragging them. Click the magnifying glass in the bottom left corner to search for specific terms. The legislation tracker is maintained and updated by BillTrack50.

Dates of legislative sessions in New York by year

2025

See also: 2025 New York legislative session and Dates of 2025 state legislative sessions

In 2025, the legislature was scheduled to convene on January 8, 2025, and adjourn on June 13, 2025.

Click [show] for past years' session dates.

2024 See also: 2024 New York legislative session and Dates of 2024 state legislative sessions In 2024, the legislature was scheduled to convene on January 3, 2024, and adjourn on June 8, 2024. 2023 See also: 2023 New York legislative session and Dates of 2023 state legislative sessions In 2023, the legislature was scheduled to convene on January 4, 2023, and adjourn on June 21, 2023. 2022 See also: 2022 New York legislative session and Dates of 2022 state legislative sessions In 2022, the legislature was scheduled to convene on January 5, 2022, and adjourn on June 4, 2022. 2021 See also: 2021 New York legislative session and Dates of 2021 state legislative sessions In 2021, the legislature was scheduled to convene on January 6, 2021, and adjourn on June 10, 2021. 2020 See also: 2020 New York legislative session and Dates of 2020 state legislative sessions In 2020, the legislature was scheduled to convene on January 8, 2020, and adjourn on December 31, 2020. Effect of coronavirus pandemic See also: Changes to state legislative session dates in response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, 2020 Coronavirus pandemic Select a topic from the dropdown below to learn more. Several state legislatures had their sessions impacted as a result of the 2020 coronavirus pandemic. 2019 See also: 2019 New York legislative session and Dates of 2019 state legislative sessions In 2019, the legislature was in session from January 9, 2019, through January 8, 2020. 2018 See also: 2018 New York legislative session and Dates of 2018 state legislative sessions In 2018, the legislature was in session from January 3, 2018, through June 20, 2018. To read about notable events and legislation from this session, click here. 2017 See also: Dates of 2017 state legislative sessions In 2017, the legislature was in session from January 4, 2017, through December 31, 2017. The legislature held a special session from June 28, 2017, to June 29, 2017. 2016 See also: Dates of 2016 state legislative sessions In 2016, the legislature was in session from January 6 through June 18. Major issues in 2016 Major issues during the 2016 legislative session included raising the minimum wage, funding public education, ethics reform, and proposals to allow Uber to expand to upstate New York.[44] 2015 See also: Dates of 2015 state legislative sessions In 2015, the legislature was in session from January 7 through June 25. Major issues in 2015 Major issues during the 2015 legislative session included lifting the cap on charter schools, increasing the minimum wage, criminal justice reform, campaign financing, and ethics reform.[45][46] 2014 See also: Dates of 2014 state legislative sessions In 2014, the legislature was in session from January 8 through June 23. Major issues in 2014 Major issues during the 2014 legislative session included a raise in the minimum wage, a cut in corporate tax rates, rebuilding airports and other infrastructure, legalizing medical marijuana, and property tax rebates.[47] 2013 See also: Dates of 2013 state legislative sessions In 2013, the legislature was in session from January 9 to December 31. Major issues in 2013 Gun control topped the list to be addressed by legislators in 2013. Other major issues included raising the minimum wage, securing federal dollars for victims of Superstorm Sandy, education, job creation, legalizing casinos off of Native American lands, and restrictions to the New York City Police Department's stop-and-frisk procedures.[48] Gun control: Following the December 14, 2012, school shooting in Newton, Connecticut, Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) sought to make gun control a major issue in 2013. To that end, one of the first things the legislature did in its 2013 session was to pass a tougher assault weapons ban that included restrictions on ammunition and the sale of guns, as well as provisions to keep guns from the mentally ill who make threats. New York was the first state to pass new laws after the tragedy.[49] Corruption: In July 2013, amid a legislative session riddled with political corruption, Governor Andrew Cuomo (D) established an investigative commission by executive order under the Moreland Act and New York Executive Law. The committee, joined by Attorney General Eric Schneiderman, was tasked with examining public corruption, including potential wrongdoing by legislators in campaign fundraising. Any branch of the state government was under the authority of the committee, which recommended changes to law and ethics rules in addition to the possibility of referring any misconduct cases for prosecution.[50] The commission released its report on December 2, 2013.[51] 2012 See also: Dates of 2012 state legislative sessions In 2012, the legislature was in session from January 4 through June 22. Major issues in 2012 Redistricting was an important issue in 2011 and had to be dealt with in 2012. Other issues included addressing a $3.5 billion budget gap and a proposal to ban hydrofracking.[52] 2011 In 2011, the legislature was in session from January 5 to June 20.[53] 2010 In 2010, the legislature convened its regular session on January 6. The Legislature remained in regular session throughout the year. Additionally, the Legislature was in an ongoing special session, which convened in 2009, dealing with issues of deficit reduction.[54]

About legislative sessions in New York

The Tenth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution declares that any power not already given to the federal government is reserved to the states and the people.^[55] State governments across the country use this authority to hold legislative sessions where a state's elected representatives meet for a period of time to draft and vote on legislation and set state policies on issues such as taxation, education, and government spending. The different types of legislation passed by a legislature may include resolutions, legislatively referred constitutional amendments, and bills that become law.

Article III of the New York Constitution outlines the legislative power for New York's government. Article III does not limit when the New York State Legislature, which the Senate is a part of, can convene in regular session. However, Section 18 of Article III does contain provisions related to special sessions of the Legislature. Section 18 states that a special session can be called by a petition of request from two-thirds of both legislative houses. Since the Legislature is in session all year, a member must gavel in a session every three days. If a member does not gavel in a session, then only the governor can call the Legislature back into session.^[56]

Legislative roles and procedures

Every state legislature throughout the country features its own internal procedures that it uses to govern itself and how it interacts with other parts of state government. Ballotpedia's coverage of internal state legislative procedures includes veto overrides, the role of the legislature in the state budget, procedures for filling membership vacancies, and redistricting.

Veto overrides

See also: Veto overrides in state legislatures

State legislatures can override governors' vetoes. Depending on the state, this can be done during the regular legislative session, in a special session following the adjournment of the regular session, or during the next legislative session. The rules for legislative overrides of gubernatorial vetoes in New York are listed below.

How many legislators are required to vote for an override? Two-thirds of members in both chambers.

Two-thirds of members in both chambers must vote to override a veto, which is 100 of the 150 members in the New York State Assembly and 42 of the 63 members in the New York State Senate. New York is one of 36 states that requires a two-thirds vote from both of its legislative chambers to override a veto.

Authority: Article IV, Section 7 of the New York Constitution.

"Every bill which shall have passed the senate and assembly shall, before it becomes a law, be presented to the governor; if the governor approve, he or she shall sign it; but if not, he or she shall return it with his or her objections to the house in which it shall have originated, which shall enter the objections at large on the journal, and proceed to reconsider it. If after such reconsideration, two-thirds of the members elected to that house shall agree to pass the bill, it shall be sent together with the objections, to the other house, by which it shall likewise be reconsidered; and if approved by two-thirds of the members elected to that house, it shall become a law notwithstanding the objections of the governor."

Role in state budget

See also: New York state budget and finances

New York operates on an annual budget cycle. The sequence of key events in the budget process is as follows:^[57]

1. Budget instructions are sent to state agencies between August and September.
2. State agencies submit budget requests in October and November.
3. Agency hearings are held between October and November.
4. The governor submits his or her proposed budget to the New York State Legislature in mid-January. The deadline is February 1 in years following a gubernatorial election.
5. The legislature adopts a budget in March. A simple majority is needed to pass a budget.
6. The fiscal year begins in April.

New York is one of 44 states in which the governor has line item veto authority.^[57][58]

The governor is constitutionally required to submit a balanced budget. In turn, the legislature is required by statute to pass a balanced budget.^[57]

Committees

See also: List of committees in New York state government

Every state legislature and state legislative chamber in the country contains several legislative committees. These committees are responsible for studying, amending, and voting on legislation before it reaches the floor of a chamber for a full vote. The different types of committees include standing committees, select or special, and joint.

• Standing committees are generally permanent committees, the names of which sometimes change from session to session.
• Select or special committees are temporary committees formed to deal with specific issues such as recent legislation, major public policy or proposals, or investigations.
• Joint committees are committees that feature members of both chambers of a legislature.

Ballotpedia covers standing and joint committees. The New York State Senate has 40 standing committees:

Constitutional amendments

In every state but Delaware, voter approval is required to enact a constitutional amendment. In each state, the legislature has a process for referring constitutional amendments before voters. In 18 states, initiated constitutional amendments can be put on the ballot through a signature petition drive. There are also many other types of statewide measures.

The methods in which the New York Constitution can be amended:

See also: Article XIX of the New York Constitution and Laws governing ballot measures in New York

New York Constitution
Preamble
Articles
I • II • III • IV • V • VI • VII • VIII • IX • X • XI • XII • XIII • XIV • XV • XVI • XVII • XVIII • XIX • XX

The New York Constitution can be amended through legislatively referred constitutional amendments or through constitutional conventions.

Legislature

See also: Legislatively referred constitutional amendment

A simple majority vote is required during two successive legislative sessions for the New York State Legislature to place a constitutional amendment on the ballot. That amounts to a minimum of 126 votes in the New York State Assembly and 32 votes in the New York State Senate, assuming no vacancies. Amendments do not require the governor's signature to be referred to the ballot.

Convention

See also: Convention-referred constitutional amendment

According to Section 2 of Article XIX of the New York Constitution, a question about whether to hold a state constitutional convention is to automatically appear on the state's ballot every 20 years starting in 1957. New York is one of 14 states that provides for an automatic constitutional convention question.

The table below shows the last and next constitutional convention question election years:

State	Interval	Last question on the ballot	Next question on the ballot
New York	20 years	2017	2037

2026 measures:

See also: 2026 ballot measures

Certified:

The following measures have been certified for the ballot.

No measures to list

Potential:

The following measures have made it through one chamber—or one session for two session states—and may appear on the ballot in 2026.

No measures to list

2025 measures:

Below is a list of measures that were referred to the 2025 ballot by the legislature or that have made it approximately halfway through the process in the legislature for referral to the ballot in 2025.

See also: New York 2025 ballot measures

Certified:

The following measures have been certified for the ballot.

No measures to list

Potential:

The following measures have made it through one chamber—or one session for two session states—and may appear on the ballot in 2025.

• New York Mount Van Hoevenberg Olympic Sports Complex Amendment (2025)

See also

Elections	New York State Government	State Legislatures	State Politics
New York State Senate elections, 2024 New York State Senate elections, 2022 New York State Senate elections, 2020 New York State Senate elections, 2018	New York State Legislature New York State Assembly Governor of New York New York Supreme Court	State legislative elections, 2024 State legislative elections, 2023 State legislative elections, 2022 State legislative elections, 2021 State legislative elections, 2020 State legislative elections, 2019 State legislative elections, 2018	State government trifectas State government triplexes State executives State courts Ballot measures The State Legislative Decade

External links

• New York State Senate

Footnotes

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