New York State Legislature

New York State Legislature
Coat of arms or logo
Type
Type
HousesSenate
Assembly
History
Preceded byGeneral Assembly of New York
Leadership
Antonio Delgado (D)
since May 25, 2022
Andrea Stewart-Cousins (D)
since January 2, 2019
Carl Heastie (D)
since February 3, 2015
Structure
Seats213
Political groups
Majority caucus
  •   Democratic (42)

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.leginfo.state.ny.us
www.assembly.state.ny.us
nysenate.gov

The New York State Legislature consists of the two houses that act as the state legislature of the U.S. state of New York: the New York State Senate and the New York State Assembly. The Constitution of New York does not designate an official term for the two houses together; it says only that the state's legislative power "shall be vested in the senate and assembly".[1] Session laws passed by the Legislature are published in the official Laws of New York.[2][3] Permanent New York laws of a general nature are codified in the Consolidated Laws of New York.[2][4] As of January 2021, the Democratic Party holds supermajorities in both houses of the New York State Legislature, which is the highest paid state legislature in the country.

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 citizen of the United States, a resident of the state of New York for at least five years, and a resident of the district for at least one year prior to election.[7]

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, the Senate had 63 seats.[8]

  1. ^ "New York State Constitution". New York State Department of State. Archived from the original on February 7, 2016.
  2. ^ a b Gibson, Ellen M.; Manz, William H. (2004). Gibson's New York Legal Research Guide (PDF) (3rd ed.). Wm. S. Hein Publishing. p. 30. ISBN 1-57588-728-2. LCCN 2004042477. OCLC 54455036.
  3. ^ Gibson & Manz 2004, pp. 47–48.
  4. ^ Gibson & Manz 2004, pp. 56–57.
  5. ^ Warren, Olivia A. (June 23, 2008). "A House Divided in Washington Heights". Gotham Gazette.
  6. ^ "Everything You Need to Know About New York's Primary Election on Thursday". Vogue. September 10, 2018.
  7. ^ "New York State Constitution". New York State Department of State. Archived from the original on February 7, 2016. Article III, Section VII.
  8. ^ McKinley, Jesse (February 24, 2014). "What Is a Majority Vote in the State Senate? The Answer Goes Beyond Simple Math". The New York Times.