New York State Senate

The New York State Senate is one of two houses in the New York State Legislature and has members each elected to two-year terms. There are no limits on the number of terms one may serve. The New York Constitution provides for a varying number of members in the Senate; the current membership is 62, elected from single-member constituencies equal in population.

GOP Reclaims Senate on June 8, 2009

Senators Hiram Monserrate (D-Queens) and Pedro Espada (D-Bronx) have voted with the 30 Republican members to install Senator Dean Skelos (R-Nassau) as the new majority leader of the Senate, replacing Senator Malcolm Smith (D-Queens).[1]

Officers

The Senate is headed by its so-called President, a post held ex officio by the State Lieutenant Governor. The Lieutenant Governor also casts the deciding vote in the event of a tie. The Senate President has only a casting vote. More often, the Senate is presided over by the Temporary President, who is also the Majority Leader. After the 2008 elections, the Senate has a Democratic majority for the first time since 1965. The current Majority Leader is Democrat Malcolm Smith, who is also acting Lieutenant Governor since David Paterson was elevated to Governor of New York State upon the resignation of the now former governor Eliot Spitzer. Despite being both Majority Leader and acting Lt. Governor, he gets only one vote in the state senate.

Position	Name	Party	Residence	District
President/Lieutenant Governor (acting)	Malcolm Smith	Democratic	St. Albans	14
President Pro Tem/Majority Leader	Malcolm Smith	Democratic	St. Albans	14
Vice President Pro Tempore	David Valesky	Democratic	Oneida	49
Vice President Pro Tempore for Urban Policy	Pedro Espada	Democratic	Bronx	33
Deputy Majority Leader	Jeffrey Klein	Democratic	Bronx	34
Minority Leader	Dean Skelos	Republican	Rockville Centre	9
Deputy Minority Leader	Thomas Libous	Republican	Binghamton	52

Democratic Senate Leadership

• Deputy Minority Leader for Legislative Affairs: Sen. Jeff Klein (Also known as Deputy Majority Leader of the Senate)
• Deputy Minority Leader for Intergovernmental Affairs: Sen. Suzi Oppenheimer
• Deputy Minority Leader for Policy: Sen. Eric Schneiderman
• Deputy Minority Leader for State/Federal Relations: Sen. John Sampson
• Senior Assistant Minority Leader: Sen. Martin Malave Dilan
• Assistant Minority Leader for Conference Operations: Sen. Neil Breslin
• Assistant Minority Leader for House Operations: Sen. William Stachowski
• Minority Conference Chairwoman: Sen. Ruth Hassell-Thompson
• Minority Program Development Committee Chairman: Sen. Tom Duane
• Minority Whip: Sen. Antoine Thompson
• Minority Conference Vice Chairwoman: Sen. Toby Ann Stavisky
• Minority Conference Secretary: Sen. Jose Serrano
• Deputy Minority Whip: VACANT
• Minority Steering Committee Chairwoman: Sen. Diane Savino
• Assistant Minority Whip: Sen. Velmanette Montgomery

Republican Senate Leadership

• Majority Leader: Sen. Dean Skelos
• Deputy Majority Leader: Sen. Tom Libous
• Assistant Majority Leader for Policy and Administration: Sen. Owen Johnson
• Assistant Majority Leader for Floor Operations: Sen. Hugh Farley
• Assistant Majority Leader for Intergovernmental Affairs: Sen. Vincent Leibell
• Majority Conference Chairman: Sen. Kenneth LaValle
• Majority Conference Vice Chairman: Sen. James Seward
• Majority Conference Secretary: Sen. Kemp Hannon
• Majority Whip: Sen. William Larkin
• Deputy Majority Whip: Sen. Michael Nozzolio
• Assistant Minority Whip: Sen. Stephen Saland
• Majority Policy Committee Chairman: Sen. Thomas Morahan
• Majority Program Development Committee Chairman: Sen. Betty Little

2008 elections and power struggle

for more information, see New York state elections, 2008

Democrats won 32 of 62 seats in New York's upper chamber in the 2008 General Election on November 4, capturing the majority for the first time in more than four decades. Although New York has turned almost solidly Democratic at most levels, Republicans were able to hold onto the State Senate for all but one year from 1939 to 2008 because its apportionment traditionally favors the Upstate, where Republicans dominated until very recently. While the Democrats hold all but three seats in New York City, they hold only five seats in the Upstate and two seats on Long Island.

However, a power struggle emerged before the new term began. Four Democratic senators—Rubén Díaz (Bronx), Carl Kruger (Brooklyn), and Senators-elect Pedro Espada (Bronx) and Hiram Monserrate (Queens)—immediately refused to caucus with their party. The self-named "Gang of Four" refused to back Malcolm Smith as the chamber's majority leader and sought concessions. Monserrate soon reached an agreement with Smith that reportedly included the chairmanship of the Consumer Affairs Committee. The remaining "Gang of Three" reached an initial compromise in early December that collapsed within a week, but was ultimately resolved with Smith becoming majority leader.

Composition

Affiliation	Party (Shading indicates majority caucus)		Total
	Template:American politics/party colours/Democratic|	Template:American politics/party colours/Republican|
	Democratic	Republican		Vacant
End of previous legislature	29	31	60	2
Begin	32	30	62	0
Latest voting share	51.6%	48.4%

Members of the Senate

District	Senator	Party	First elected	Residence
1	Kenneth LaValle	Republican	1976	Port Jefferson
2	John J. Flanagan	Republican	2002	East Northport
3	Brian X. Foley	Democratic	2008	Blue Point
4	Owen H. Johnson	Republican	1972	West Babylon
5	Carl Marcellino	Republican	1995	Syosset
6	Kemp Hannon	Republican	1989	Garden City
7	Craig Johnson	Democratic	2007	Port Washington
8	Charles Fuschillo	Republican	1998	Merrick
9	Dean Skelos	Republican	1984	Rockville Centre
10	Shirley Huntley	Democratic	2006	Jamaica
11	Frank Padavan	Republican	1972	Bellerose
12	George Onorato	Democratic	1983	Astoria
13	Hiram Monserrate	Democratic	2008	Jackson Heights
14	Malcolm Smith	Democratic	2000	St. Albans
15	Joseph Addabbo, Jr.	Democratic	2008	Ozone Park
16	Toby Ann Stavisky	Democratic	1999	Flushing
17	Martin Malave Dilan	Democratic	2002	Bushwick
18	Velmanette Montgomery	Democratic	1984	Brooklyn
19	John Sampson	Democratic	1996	Brooklyn
20	Eric Adams	Democratic	2006	Brooklyn
21	Kevin Parker	Democratic	2002	Brooklyn
22	Martin Golden	Republican	2002	Bay Ridge
23	Diane Savino	Democratic	2004	Staten Island
24	Andrew Lanza	Republican	2006	Staten Island
25	Dan Squadron	Democratic	2008	Brooklyn
26	Liz Krueger	Democratic	2002	New York
27	Carl Kruger	Democratic	1994	Brooklyn
28	Jose M. Serrano	Democratic	2004	Spanish Harlem
29	Thomas Duane	Democratic	1998	New York
30	Bill Perkins	Democratic	2006	Harlem
31	Eric Schneiderman	Democratic	1998	Washington Heights
32	Rubén Díaz	Democratic	2002	Soundview
33	Pedro Espada	Democratic	2008	Bedford Park
34	Jeffrey Klein	Democratic	2004	Throgs Neck
35	Andrea Stewart-Cousins	Democratic	2006	Yonkers
36	Ruth Hassell-Thompson	Democratic	2000	Williamsbridge
37	Suzi Oppenheimer	Democratic	1984	Mamaroneck
38	Thomas Morahan	Republican	1999	Clarkstown
39	Bill Larkin	Republican	1990	New Windsor
40	Vincent Leibell	Republican	1994	Patterson
41	Stephen Saland	Republican	1990	Poughkeepsie
42	John Bonacic	Republican	1998	Mount Hope
43	Roy McDonald	Republican	2008	Wilton
44	Hugh Farley	Republican	1976	Schenectady
45	Betty Little	Republican	2002	Queensbury
46	Neil Breslin	Democratic	1996	Albany
47	Joseph Griffo	Republican	2006	Rome
48	Darrel Aubertine	Democratic	2008	Cape Vincent
49	David Valesky	Democratic	2004	Oneida
50	John DeFrancisco	Republican	1992	Syracuse
51	James Seward	Republican	1986	Milford
52	Thomas W. Libous	Republican	1988	Binghamton
53	George H. Winner, Jr.	Republican	2004	Elmira
54	Michael Nozzolio	Republican	1992	Fayette
55	James Alesi	Republican	1996	East Rochester
56	Joseph Robach	Republican	2002	Greece
57	Catharine Young	Republican	2005	Olean
58	William Stachowski	Democratic	1981	Hamburg
59	Dale Volker	Republican	1975	Depew
60	Antoine Thompson	Democratic	2006	Buffalo
61	Michael Ranzenhofer	Republican	2008	Clarence
62	George D. Maziarz	Republican	1995	Newfane

Committee Leadership

Committee Chairs

• Aging: Sen. Ruben Diaz Sr.
• Agriculture: Sen. Darrel Aubertine
• Banking: Sen. Brian Foley
• Budget Reform Select Committee: Sen. Liz Krueger
• Children and Families: Sen. Velmanette Montgomery
• Cities: Sen. Daniel Squadron
• Civil Service and Pensions: Sen. Diane Savino
• Codes: Sen. Eric Schneiderman
• Commerce, Economic Development and Small Business: Sen. William Stachowski
• Consumer Protection: Sen. Hiram Monserrate
• Corporations, Authorities and Commissions: Sen. Bill Perkins
• Crime Victims, Crime and Corrections: Sen. Ruth Hassell-Thompson
• Cultural Affairs, Tourism, Parks and Recreation: Sen. Jose M. Serrano
• Education: Sen. Suzi Oppenheimer
• Elections: Sen. Joseph Addabbo Jr.
• Energy and Telecommunications: Sen. Darrel Aubertine
• Environmental Conservation: Sen. Antoine Thompson
• Ethics: Sen. John Sampson
• Finance: Sen. Carl Kruger
• Health: Sen. Tom Duane
• Higher Education: Sen. Toby Ann Stavisky
• Housing, Construction and Community Development: Sen. Pedro Espada
• Insurance: Sen. Neil Breslin
• Investigations and Governmental Operations: Sen. Craig Johnson
• Judiciary: Sen. John Sampson
• Labor: Sen. George Onorato
• Local Government: Sen. Andrea Stewart-Cousins
• Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities: Sen. Shirley Huntley
• Racing, Gaming and Wagering: Sen. Eric Adams
• Rules: Sen. Malcolm Smith
• Rules and Administration Reform Temporary Committee: Sen. David Valesky and Sen. John Bonacic
• Social Services: Sen. Velmanette Montgomery
• Transportation: Sen. Martin Malave Dilan
• Veterans, Homeland Security and Military Affairs: Sen. Eric Adams
• Administrative Regulatory Review Commission: TBA
• Rural Resources Commission: TBA

Committee Vice Chairs

• Vice Chairwoman of the Finance Committee: Sen. Liz Krueger
• Vice Chairman of the Rules Committee: Sen. Pedro Espada

Committee Ranking Minority Members

• Aging: Sen. Michael Ranzenhofer
• Agriculture: Sen. Catherine Young
• Banking: Sen. Hugh Farley
• Budget Reform Select Committee: TBA
• Children and Families: Sen. Roy McDonald
• Cities: Sen. Andrew Lanza
• Civil Service and Pensions: Sen. Andrew Lanza
• Codes: Sen. Dale Volker
• Commerce, Economic Development and Small Business: Sen. Jim Alesi
• Consumer Protection: Sen. Steve Saland
• Corporations, Authorities and Commissions: Sen. Bill Larkin
• Crime Victims, Crime and Corrections: Sen. Martin Golden
• Cultural Affairs, Tourism, Parks and Recreation: Sen. Joe Griffo
• Education: Sen. John Flanagan
• Elections: Sen. Thomas Libous
• Energy and Telecommunications: Sen. Mike Nozzolio
• Environmental Conservation: Sen. Carl Marcellino
• Ethics: Sen. Owen Johnson
• Finance: Sen. John DeFrancisco
• Health: Sen. Kemp Hannon
• Higher Education: Sen. Ken LaValle
• Housing, Construction and Community Development: Sen. John Bonacic
• Insurance: Sen. Jim Seward
• Investigations and Governmental Operations: Sen. George Winner
• Judiciary: Sen. George Maziarz
• Labor: Sen. Joseph Robach
• Local Government: Sen. Betty Little
• Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities: Sen. Tom Morahan
• Racing, Gaming and Wagering: Sen. John Bonacic
• Rules: Sen. Dean Skelos
• Social Services: Sen. Roy McDonald
• Transportation: Sen. Charles Fuschillo
• Veterans, Homeland Security and Military Affairs: Sen. Vincent Leibell

See also

• Majority Leader of the New York State Senate
• List of New York State Senators
• List of members of the New York State Assembly
• New York State Capitol
• New York state elections, 2008

External links

• New York State Senate
• Project Vote Smart - State Senate of New York
• Danny Hakim (February 11, 2009). "Uncovering the Perks of Albany's Fallen G.O.P." New York Times.