New York State Legislature
This article needs additional citations for verification. (June 2019) |
New York State Legislature | |
---|---|
D) since February 3, 2015 | |
Structure | |
Seats | 213 |
Political groups | Majority caucus
Minority caucus
|
Political groups | Majority caucus
Minority caucus
|
Salary | $142,000/year + per diem |
Elections | |
Last election | November 8, 2022 |
Next election | 2024 |
Meeting place | |
New York State Capitol Albany | |
Website | |
public www nysenate |
The New York State Legislature consists of the
Legislative elections are held in November of every even-numbered year.[5] Both Assembly members and Senators serve two-year terms.[6]
In order to be a member of either house, one must be a
The Assembly consists of 150 members; they are each chosen from a single-member district. The New York Constitution allows the number of Senate seats to vary; as of 2014[update], the Senate had 63 seats.[8]
Leaders
The Assembly is headed by the
The assembly speaker and Senate majority leader control the assignment of committees and leadership positions, along with control of the agenda in their chambers. The two are considered powerful statewide leaders and along with the governor of New York control most of the agenda of state business in New York.[citation needed]
Drafting and research
The Legislative Bill Drafting Commission (LBDC) aids in drafting legislation; advises as to the constitutionality, consistency or effect of proposed legislation; conducts research; and publishes and maintains the documents of the Legislature, such as the Laws of New York.[10][11] The LBDC consists of two commissioners, the commissioner for administration and the commissioner for operations, each appointed jointly by the temporary president of the Senate and the speaker of the Assembly.[12]
Party control
In the 2018 elections, Democrats won control of the State Senate and increased their majority in the State Assembly. At the beginning of the 2019–2020 legislative session, the Senate Democratic Conference held 39 of the chamber's 63 seats[13] and the Assembly Democratic Conference held 106 of the 150 seats in that chamber.[14] The Senate Democratic Conference increased to 40 seats after Democratic senator Simcha Felder was re-accepted into the Conference.[15]
Constitutional powers
The Legislature is empowered to make law, subject to the
History
The legislature originated in the revolutionary New York Provincial Congress, assembled by rebels when the New York General Assembly would not send delegates to the Continental Congress.[citation needed]
The New York State Legislature has had several corruption scandals during its existence. These include the Black Horse Cavalry and Canal Ring.[16][17]
In the 1840s, New York launched the first great wave of
The first African-American elected to the legislature was Edward A. Johnson, a Republican, in 1917.[19] The first women elected to the legislature were Republican Ida Sammis and Democrat Mary Lilly, both in 1919.[20] The first African-American woman elected to the legislature was Bessie A. Buchanan in 1955.[21]
Five assemblymen were expelled in 1920 for belonging to the Socialist Party.[22]
In 2008, when the U.S. Supreme Court reluctantly affirmed the constitutionality of a statute enacted by the New York legislature, Justice John Paul Stevens wrote in a concurring opinion: "[A]s I recall my esteemed former colleague, Thurgood Marshall, remarking on numerous occasions: 'The Constitution does not prohibit legislatures from enacting stupid laws.'"[23]
There is said to be a compact to which members of the New York Legislature unofficially adhere a code of silence regarding behavior such as illicit extramarital affairs or other embarrassing behavior.[24]
Legislative leadership
New York State Senate
- President of the Senate: Antonio Delgado
- Majority leader: Andrea Stewart-Cousins
- Minority leader: Rob Ortt
New York State Assembly
- Speaker of the Assembly: Carl Heastie
- Majority leader of the Assembly: Crystal Peoples-Stokes
- Minority leader of the Assembly: William A. Barclay
See also
- George G. Barnard
- Gibbons v. Ogden
- The Frawley committee
- The Hepburn Committee
- List of New York Legislature members expelled or censured
- New York Provincial Congress
- New York State Assembly
- New York state public-benefit corporations
- New York State Senate
References
- ^ "New York State Constitution". New York State Department of State. Archived from the original on February 7, 2016.
- ^ OCLC 54455036.
- ^ Gibson & Manz 2004, pp. 47–48.
- ^ Gibson & Manz 2004, pp. 56–57.
- ^ Warren, Olivia A. (June 23, 2008). "A House Divided in Washington Heights". Gotham Gazette.
- ^ "Everything You Need to Know About New York's Primary Election on Thursday". Vogue. September 10, 2018.
- ^ "New York State Constitution". New York State Department of State. Archived from the original on February 7, 2016. Article III, Section VII.
- ^ McKinley, Jesse (February 24, 2014). "What Is a Majority Vote in the State Senate? The Answer Goes Beyond Simple Math". The New York Times.
- ^ "Branches of Government in New York State". NY State Senate. March 25, 2009. Retrieved February 29, 2020.
- ^ Legislative Law § 25
- ^ Kallos, Ben (June 9, 2014). "Set the Law Free, Say Council Members Lander, Vacca, Kallos: Legislation to Put Law Online for Free Instead of Behind Paid Subscriptions" (Press release). Retrieved June 12, 2014.
- ^ Legislative Law § 24
- ^ Campbell, Jon (January 9, 2019). "History made: Andrea Stewart-Cousins sworn in as NY Senate leader". lohud.com.
- ^ Klepper, David; Carola, Chris (January 9, 2019). "Democrat-controlled NY state Legislature starts 2019 session". AP News.
- ^ Reisman, Nick (July 1, 2019). "Felder Joins Senate Dem Fold". NY State of Politics. Archived from the original on July 1, 2019. Retrieved October 22, 2019.
- JSTOR 23170015.
- ISBN 978-1-4408-0068-9.
- ^ Hepburn, Charles McGuffey (1897). The Historical Development of Code Pleading in America and England. Cincinnati: W.H. Anderson & Co. p. 15. Retrieved November 18, 2023.
- ^ "Edward A. Johnson (Edward Austin), 1860-1944". Documenting the American South.
- ^ "Early Women Elected to the NYS Legislature". St. Lawrence County Branch. Archived from the original on January 28, 2010.
- ISBN 0-8103-9177-5. Retrieved March 8, 2010.
- ^ Confessore, Nicholas (October 21, 2009). "When the Assembly Expelled Socialists for Disloyalty". New York Times (blog).
- ^ New York State Bd. of Elections v. Lopez Torres, 552 U.S. 196, 209 (2008) (Stevens, J., concurring).
- ^ Baker, Al (May 16, 2004). "Albany Faces Its Sex Problem, and Nobody's Snickering". The New York Times.
Further reading
- "Compiling the Legislative History of a New York State Law". New York State Library. Archived from the original on December 29, 2005. Retrieved June 20, 2014.
External links
- Official site of the New York Senate
- Official site of the New York Assembly
- Legislative information from the Legislative Bill Drafting Commission
- Legislative Retrieval System (subscription required) from the Legislative Bill Drafting Commission
- The New York State Legislature Portrait Prints Collection at the New York Historical Society