New York State Senate

upper state chamber of New York State

The New York State Senate is the upper house of the New York State Legislature, the New York State Assembly being the lower house.[2] Its members are elected to two-year terms;[3] there are no term limits.[4]

New York State Senate
New York State Legislature
Coat of arms or logo
Type
Type
Leadership
Antonio Delgado (D)
since May 25, 2022
Andrea Stewart-Cousins (D)
since January 2, 2019
Rob Ortt (R)
since June 28, 2020
Structure
Seats63
Political groups
Majority
  •   Democratic (40)

Minority

Vacant: 2

  •   Vacant (2)
Length of term
Two years[1]
AuthorityArticle III, New York Constitution
Salary$120,000/year + per diem
Elections
Last election
November 3, 2020
Next election
November 8, 2022
RedistrictingLegislative Control
Meeting place
Senate Chamber at New York State Capitol, Albany
Website
NYSenate.gov

As of 2014, there are 63 seats in the Senate.[5]

Party history

change
Affiliation Recent party affiliation history
(Shading indicates majority caucus)
Total
Democratic Republican
SDC[a] IDC[b] SF[c] Vacant
Begin 2007 session[6] 29 33 62 0
End 2008 session 30 31 61 1
Begin 2009 session[7] 32 30 62 0
End 2010 session 32 29 61 1
Begin 2011 session 26 4 32 62 0
End 2012 session 25 33 62 0
Begin 2013 session[8] 27 5 1 30 63 0
End 2014 session 24 2 29 61 2
Begin 2015 session[9] 25 1 5 1 32 63 0
End 2016 session 25 31 62 1
Begin 2017 session[10] 24 7 1 31 63 0
End 2018 session[11] 31
Begin 2019 session[12][13] 39 1 23 63 0
March 10, 2019[d][14] 22 62 1
July 1, 2019[e][15] 40
November 26, 2019[f][16] 23 63 0
December 31, 2019[g][17] 22 62 1
June 28, 2020[h][18] 21 61 2
July 20, 2020[i][19] 20 60 3
Latest voting share 66.7% 33.3%

Leadership

change
Position Name Party District
President of the Senate/Lieutenant Governor Antonio Delgado Dem
Temporary President/Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins Dem 35
Minority Leader Rob Ortt Rep 62

Democratic Conference leadership

change
  • Andrea Stewart-Cousins, Temporary President and Majority Leader
  • Michael Gianaris, Deputy Majority Leader
  • Liz Krueger, Chair of the Senate Finance Committee
  • Neil Breslin, Vice President Pro Tempore
  • Brian Benjamin, Senior Assistant Majority Leader
  • Tim Kennedy, Chair of Majority Program Development Committee
  • Jose Serrano, Chair of the Majority Conference
  • Brad Hoylman, Assistant Majority Leader on Conference Operations
  • Gustavo Rivera, Assistant Majority Leader on House Operations
  • Kevin Parker, Majority Whip
  • Toby Ann Stavisky, Majority Conference Vice-Chair
  • Velmanette Montgomery, Majority Conference Secretary
  • Joseph Addabbo, Majority Deputy Whip
  • John Liu, Majority Assistant Whip
  • Roxanne Persaud, Chair of the Majority Steering Committee
  • Todd Kaminsky, Liaison to the Executive Branch
  • Leroy Comrie, Deputy Majority Leader for State/Federal Relations
  • Shelley Mayer, Deputy Majority Leader for Senate/Assembly Relations
  • Monica Martinez, Assistant Majority Leader on Intergovernmental Affairs

[42]

Republican Conference Leadership

change
  • Rob Ortt, Minority Leader
  • Joseph Griffo, Deputy Minority Leader
  • James L. Seward, Ranking Member of the Finance Committee
  • Kenneth P. LaValle, Chair of the Senate Minority Conference
  • Andrew J. Lanza, Minority Whip
  • Elizabeth Little, Assistant Minority Leader for Policy and Administration
  • George A. Amedore, Assistant Minority Leader for Conference Operations
  • Patrick M. Gallivan, Assistant Minority Leader for Floor Operations
  • Michael H. Ranzenhofer, Vice Chair of the Senate Minority Conference
  • Patricia Ritchie, Secretary of the Senate Minority Conference
  • Joseph E. Robach, Assistant Minority Whip

[42]

Current members

change
District Senator Party First elected Counties Represented
1 Kenneth LaValle Republican 1976 Suffolk
2 Vacant[h] Suffolk
3 Monica Martinez Democratic 2018 Suffolk
4 Phil Boyle Republican 2012 Suffolk
5 Jim Gaughran Democratic 2018 Nassau, Suffolk
6 Kevin Thomas Democratic 2018 Nassau
7 Anna Kaplan Democratic 2018 Nassau
8 John Brooks Democratic 2016 Nassau, Suffolk
9 Todd Kaminsky Democratic 2016* Nassau
10 James Sanders Jr. Democratic 2012 Queens
11 John Liu Democratic 2018 Queens
12 Michael Gianaris Democratic 2010 Queens
13 Jessica Ramos Democratic 2018 Queens
14 Leroy Comrie Democratic 2014 Queens
15 Joseph Addabbo Jr. Democratic 2008 Queens
16 Toby Ann Stavisky Democratic 1999* Queens
17 Simcha Felder Democratic[c] 2012 Kings (Brooklyn)
18 Julia Salazar Democratic 2018 Kings (Brooklyn)
19 Roxanne Persaud Democratic 2015* Kings (Brooklyn)
20 Zellnor Myrie Democratic 2018 Kings (Brooklyn)
21 Kevin Parker Democratic 2002 Kings (Brooklyn)
22 Andrew Gounardes Democratic 2018 Kings (Brooklyn)
23 Diane Savino Democratic 2004 Kings (Brooklyn), Richmond (Staten Island)
24 Andrew Lanza Republican 2006 Richmond (Staten Island)
25 Velmanette Montgomery Democratic 1984 Kings (Brooklyn)
26 Brian P. Kavanagh Democratic 2017* Kings (Brooklyn), New York (Manhattan)
27 Brad Hoylman Democratic 2012 New York (Manhattan)
28 Liz Krueger Democratic 2002* New York (Manhattan)
29 José M. Serrano Democratic 2004 New York (Manhattan), Bronx
30 Brian Benjamin Democratic 2017* New York (Manhattan)
31 Robert Jackson Democratic 2018 New York (Manhattan)
32 Luis R. Sepúlveda Democratic 2018* Bronx
33 Gustavo Rivera Democratic 2010 Bronx
34 Alessandra Biaggi Democratic 2018 Bronx, Westchester
35 Andrea Stewart-Cousins Democratic 2006 Westchester
36 Jamaal Bailey Democratic 2016 Bronx, Westchester
37 Shelley Mayer Democratic 2018* Westchester
38 David Carlucci Democratic 2010 Rockland, Westchester
39 James Skoufis Democratic 2018 Orange, Rockland, Ulster
40 Peter Harckham Democratic 2018 Dutchess, Putnam, Westchester
41 Sue Serino Republican 2014 Dutchess, Putnam
42 Jen Metzger Democratic 2018 Delaware, Orange, Sullivan, Ulster
43 Daphne Jordan Republican 2018 Columbia, Rensselaer, Saratoga, Washington
44 Neil Breslin Democratic 1996 Albany, Rensselaer
45 Betty Little Republican 2002 Clinton, Essex, Franklin, Saint Lawrence, Warren, Washington
46 George A. Amedore Jr. Republican 2014 Albany, Greene, Montgomery, Schenectady, Ulster
47 Joseph Griffo Republican 2006 Lewis, Oneida, St. Lawrence
48 Patty Ritchie Republican 2010 Jefferson, Oswego, St. Lawrence
49 Jim Tedisco Republican 2016 Fulton, Hamilton, Herkimer, Saratoga, Schenectady
50 Vacant[g] Cayuga, Onondaga
51 James L. Seward Republican 1986 Cayuga, Chenango, Cortland, Delaware, Herkimer, Otsego, Schoharie, Tompkins, Ulster
52 Fred Akshar Republican 2015* Broome, Chenango, Delaware, Tioga
53 Rachel May Democratic 2018 Madison, Oneida, Onondaga
54 Pam Helming Republican 2016 Cayuga, Monroe, Ontario, Seneca, Tompkins, Wayne
55 Rich Funke Republican 2014 Monroe, Ontario
56 Joseph Robach Republican 2002 Monroe
57 George Borrello Republican 2019* Allegany, Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, Livingston
58 Tom O'Mara Republican 2010 Chemung, Schuyler, Steuben, Tompkins, Yates
59 Patrick M. Gallivan Republican 2010 Erie, Livingston, Monroe, Wyoming
60 Vacant[i] Erie
61 Michael Ranzenhofer Republican 2008 Erie, Genesee, Monroe
62 Rob Ortt Republican 2014 Monroe, Niagara, Orleans
63 Timothy M. Kennedy Democratic 2010 Erie

* First elected in a special election.

  1. "SDC" stands for "Senate Democratic Conference".
  2. "IDC" stands for "Independent Democratic Conference".
  3. 3.0 3.1 "SF" stands for "Simcha Felder". Felder is an enrolled Democrat. From the beginning of his Senate tenure (in 2013) until 2019, he caucused with Senate Republicans. In early 2019, he did not caucus with either party. In July 2019, he joined the Senate Democratic Conference.
  4. Republican Catharine Young (District 57) resigned to take a job in the private sector.
  5. Simcha Felder joined the Senate Democratic Conference.
  6. Republican George Borrello (District 57) was sworn in as a member of the State Senate after winning a special election to fill the vacancy created by the March 2019 resignation of Catharine Young.
  7. 7.0 7.1 Republican Bob Antonacci (District 50) resigned from office after being elected to a state court judgeship.
  8. 8.0 8.1 Republican John Flanagan (District 2) resigned from office.
  9. 9.0 9.1 Republican Chris Jacobs (District 60) resigned from office after being elected to Congress.

References

change
  1. "Branches of Government in New York State". New York State Senate, A Guide to New York State's Government. New York State Senate. 1988. Archived from the original on September 23, 2008. Retrieved April 23, 2009.
  2. "The Secret Playbook NY State Senate Democrats Used To 'Wipe The Floor' With Republicans". Gothamist. November 28, 2018. Archived from the original on July 30, 2019. Retrieved July 30, 2019.
  3. "Everything You Need to Know About New York's Primary Election on Thursday". Vogue. September 10, 2018.
  4. Press, Chris Carola Associated. "New York state lawmakers push term limits for elected state offices". Daily Freeman. Archived from the original on 2020-02-15. Retrieved 2020-10-07.
  5. McKinley, Jesse (24 February 2014). "What Is a Majority Vote in the State Senate? The Answer Goes Beyond Simple Math". The New York Times.
  6. "New York State Senate Election Results, 2006" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2020-10-19. Retrieved 2020-12-31.
  7. "New York - Election Results 2008 - The New York Times". www.nytimes.com.
  8. "2012 Election Results - New York State Legislature" – via NYTimes.com.
  9. "New York State Senate Election Results, 2014" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2021-01-17. Retrieved 2020-12-31.
  10. "New York Election Results 2016". August 1, 2017 – via NYTimes.com.
  11. Goldmacher, Shane (April 4, 2018). "Democrats in New York State Senate Reconcile After Years of Infighting" – via NYTimes.com.
  12. "New York Election Results". November 6, 2018. Retrieved June 23, 2019 – via NYTimes.com.
  13. Lombardo, David (December 31, 2018). "Wayward state senator not welcomed by Democrats fold". Times Union. Retrieved June 23, 2019.
  14. "State Senator Catharine Young resigning for private-sector job". WKBW. February 28, 2019.
  15. Williams, Zach (July 1, 2019). "Turncoat turns back: Simcha Felder joins Democratic state Senate majority". City & State New York. Archived from the original on July 1, 2019. Retrieved December 31, 2020.
  16. "Borrello sworn in, assumes state senate seat in Albany". Livingston County News. November 26, 2019. Retrieved February 5, 2020.[permanent dead link]
  17. Harding, Robert (December 31, 2019). "Antonacci resigns from NY Senate to become state Supreme Court judge". Auburn Citizen. Retrieved February 5, 2020.
  18. Reisman, Nick (June 16, 2020). "Senate Minority Leader Flanagan To Resign June 28". Spectrum News. Archived from the original on June 30, 2020. Retrieved July 3, 2020.
  19. "Chris Jacobs to be sworn in Tuesday". Lockport Union-Sun & Journal. July 21, 2020.
  20. Dicker, Fredric U. (December 27, 2006). "ELIOT'S GOP SURPRISE COULD RATTLE SENATE".
  21. bureau, IRENE JAY LIU Capitol (July 16, 2008). "Bruno will retire, end 32-year career". Times Union. {{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  22. Blain, Kenneth Lovett, Glenn. "GOP coup in Albany: Senators Hiram Monserrate and Pedro Espada Jr. vote against fellow Democrats". nydailynews.com.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  23. "State Sen. Thomas Morahan dies at Age 78". New City, NY Patch. July 12, 2010.
  24. Kaplan, Thomas (January 30, 2011). "Issues of Race in New York Senate" – via NYTimes.com.
  25. Kaplan, Thomas; Confessore, Nicholas (January 5, 2011). "4 Democrats in State Senate Break With Leaders".
  26. "FINALLY! 14-vote win for Storobin". Brooklyn Eagle. June 1, 2012.
  27. Vielkind, Jimmy (January 18, 2013). "It's Tkaczyk by just 18 votes". Times Union.
  28. Kaplan, Thomas; Hakim, Danny (December 4, 2012). "Dissident Democrats and G.O.P. to Jointly Run N.Y. Senate" – via NYTimes.com.
  29. Feuer, Alan (January 18, 2017). "John Sampson, Once a State Senate Powerhouse, Sentenced to Prison" – via NYTimes.com.
  30. "Queens State Senator Becomes Latest Democrat to Join Breakaway GOP-Aligned Faction". The New York Observer. January 25, 2017.
  31. Seiler, Casey (February 27, 2014). "Avella's defection strengthens Senate coalition". Times Union.
  32. Vielkind, Jimmy. "Cuomo's special-election option". Politico PRO.
  33. "GOP wins N.Y. Senate, puts Women's Equality Act in flux". The Poughkeepsie Journal.
  34. McKinley, Jesse (November 5, 2014). "In Rebuke to Democrats, Voters Return Control of New York Senate to G.O.P." – via NYTimes.com.
  35. lovett, ken. "And then there were none: Defeated Mark Grisanti last of NY Senate GOP lawmakers who backed legal gay marriage". nydailynews.com. Archived from the original on 2021-08-16. Retrieved 2020-12-31.
  36. Clifford, Stephanie (July 24, 2015). "John Sampson, New York State Senator, Is Guilty on Some Federal Charges" – via NYTimes.com.
  37. "5 Democrats vie for Mount Vernon-Bronx senate seat". lohud.com.
  38. "New York 9th District State Senate Results: Todd Kaminsky Wins". August 1, 2017 – via NYTimes.com.
  39. "Ballot count gives win to Sen. Carl Marcellino". Newsday. Archived from the original on 2020-11-08. Retrieved 2020-12-31.
  40. Niedzwiadek, Nick. "Democrat Brooks to be certified winner in SD-8". Politico PRO.
  41. McKinley, Jesse (May 9, 2017). "For Group of Breakaway Democrats in New York, It Pays to Be No. 2" – via NYTimes.com.
  42. 42.0 42.1 "Senate Leadership - Majority Conference". NYSenate.gov. 4 October 2015. Retrieved February 5, 2020.