New York State Senate
| New York State Senate | |
 | |
| General Information | |
| Type: | Upper house |
| Term limits: | None |
| 2013 session start: | January 4, 2012 |
| Website: | Official Senate Page |
| Leadership | |
| Senate President: | Dean Skelos, (R) |
| Majority Leader: | Dean Skelos, (R) |
| Minority leader: | John Sampson, (D) |
| Structure | |
| Members: | 62 |
| Democratic Party (33) Republican Party (30) Vacant (1) | |
| Length of term: | 2 years |
| Authority: | Art III, Sec. 3, New York Constitution |
| Salary: | $79,500/year + per diem |
| Elections | |
| Last Election: | November 2, 2010 (62 seats) |
| Next election: | November 6, 2012 (62 seats) |
| Redistricting: | New York Legislature has control |
Contents |
Both Senators and Assembly members are elected on even numbered years for two-year terms without term limits. In a 1964 federal court order, issued pursuant to a reapportionment case, legislators elected in 1964 and 1965 were limited to one-year terms, but two-year terms commenced again with the 1966 election[3].
Sessions
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.
2012
- See also: Dates of 2012 state legislative sessions
In 2012, the Senate will be in session from January 4 through a date to be determined by the legislature.
Major issues
Redistricting was a divisive issue in 2011 and has to be dealt with in this session. Other issues include addressing a $3.5 billion budget gap and a proposal to ban hydrofracking.[4]
2011
In 2011, the Senate will be in session from January 5 through a date to be determined by the Legislature. [5]
2010
In 2010, the Senate 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.[6]
Elections
2012
- See also: New York State Senate elections, 2012
Elections for the office of New York State Senate will be held in New York on November 6, 2012. A total of 62 seats will be up for election.
The signature filing deadline is July 12, 2012.
2010
- See also: New York State Senate elections, 2010
Elections for the office of New York's State Senate were held in New York on November 2, 2010.
The signature-filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in these elections was July 22, 2010. The primary election day was September 14, 2010.
In 2010, the candidates for state senate raised a total of $48,466,031 in campaign contributions. The top 10 donors were: [7]
| 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 |
Qualifications
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. No member of the legislature shall, during the time for which he or she was elected, receive any civil appointment from the governor, the governor and the senate, the legislature or from any city government, to an office which shall have been created, or the emoluments whereof shall have been increased during such time.
Vacancies
| How Vacancies are filled in State Legislatures |
 |
If there is a vacancy in the Senate, a special election must be held to fill the vacant seat. An election can be held as long the vacancy happened before April 1st in an election year[8]. The person elected to fill the vacant seat serves for the remainder of the unexpired term[9].
Senators
Salaries
- See also: Comparison of state legislative salaries
As of 2011, members of the New York Legislature are paid $79,500/year and per diem of $61/half day and $171/full day. Per diem varies and is tied to the federal rate. [10]
The $79,500/year that New York legislators are paid as of 2011 is the same as they were paid during legislative sessions in 2007.[11][12]
When sworn in
New York legislators assume office January 1st.
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.[13]
Current leadership
2010 Leadership
Partisan composition
- See also: Partisan composition of state senates
| Party | As of May 2013 | |
|---|---|---|
| Democratic Party | 30 | |
| Republican Party | 33 | |
| Total | 63 | |
List of current members
Senate Standing Committees
New York Senate has 33 standing committees:
- Aging Committee, New York State Senate
- Agriculture Committee, New York State Senate
- Alcoholism and Drug Abuse Committee, New York State Senate
- Banks Committee, New York State Senate
- Children and Families Committee, New York State Senate
- Cities Committee, New York State Senate
- Civil Service and Pensions Committee, New York State Senate
- Codes Committee, New York State Senate
- Commerce, Economic Development and Small Business Committee, New York State Senate
- Consumer Protection Committee, New York State Senate
- Corporations, Authorities and Commissions Committee, New York State Senate
- Crime Victims, Crime and Correction Committee, New York State Senate
- Cultural Affairs, Tourism, Parks and Recreation Committee, New York State Senate
- Education Committee, New York State Senate
- Elections Committee, New York State Senate
- Energy and Telecommunications Committee, New York State Senate
- Environmental Conservation Committee, New York State Senate
- Ethics Committee, New York State Senate
- Finance Committee, New York State Senate
- Health Committee, New York State Senate
- Higher Education Committee, New York State Senate
- Housing, Construction, and Community Development Committee, New York State Senate
- Insurance Committee, New York State Senate
- Investigations and Government Operations Committee, New York State Senate
- Judiciary Committee, New York State Senate
- Labor Committee, New York State Senate
- Local Government Committee, New York State Senate
- Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities Committee, New York State Senate
- Racing, Gaming and Wagering Committee, New York State Senate
- Rules Committee, New York State Senate
- Social Services Committee, New York State Senate
- Transportation Committee, New York State Senate
- Veterans, Homeland Security and Military Affairs Committee, New York State Senate
External links
- The official website of the New York State Senate
- Official list of New York State Senators
- Project Vote Smart profile of New York Senate
- New York State Senate on Wikipedia
References
- ↑ Population in 2010 of the American states
- ↑ Population in 2000 of the American states
- ↑ "New York State Senate" Frequently Asked Questions, March 3, 2009
- ↑ Poughkeepsie Journal, "Divisive issues to test Cuomo's popularity in 2nd year," January 9, 2012
- ↑ 2011 Legislative Sessions Calendar, NCSL
- ↑ 2010 session dates for New York Legislature
- ↑ Follow the Money: "New York Senate 2010 Campaign Contributions"
- ↑ New York State Legislature "New York State Public Officers Law"(Referenced Statute § 42 (4))
- ↑ New York Legislature "New York State Public Officers Law"(Referenced Statute § 38)
- ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "2011 Legislator Compensation Data"
- ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "2010 Legislator Compensation Data"
- ↑ Empire Center, "Legislative Salaries Per State as of 2007"
- ↑ New York State Senate Leadership
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