Democrats Control Senate Parliamentary Coup Occurs
Democrats won 32 of 62 seats in New York’s upper chamber in the 2008 general election on November 4, capturing the Senate majority for the first time in more than four decades.
However, a power struggle emerged before the new term began. Four Democratic senators Rubén Díaz Sr. , Carl Kruger , Pedro Espada, Jr. , and Hiram Monserrate 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 rejoined the caucus after reaching 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.
Following the coup, Senate Democrats voted for John Sampson to replace Smith as Democratic Leader. On June 14, Monserrate declared that he would once again caucus with the Democrats. This development meant that the Senate was evenly split, 3131, between the Republican Conference and the Democratic Conference. Due to a vacancy in the office of the Lieutenant Governor, there was no way to break the deadlock.
Senators Committees And Other Legislative Groups
The Senate’s 63 members represent districts from across New York State. Senators belong to a single conference and one or more political parties.
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List Of United States Senators From New York
Below is a list of U.S. senators who have represented the State of New York in the United States Senate since 1789. The date of the start of the tenure is either the first day of the legislative term , or the day when they took the seat . New York’s current U.S. senators are Democrats Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand .
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Bill To Limit Cryptomining Passes New York Legislature
Smokestacks from the Greenridge Generation power plant tower above nearby homes, Friday, Oct. 15, 2021, in Dresden, N.Y. which was taken over by a bitcoin mining operation to power its computer servers and sends additional electricity into the states power grid.
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A milestone measure that would tap the brakes on the spread of cryptocurrency mining operations burning fossil fuels in New York has passed the state legislature.
The bill approved early Friday by the state Senate would establish a two-year moratorium on new and renewed air permits for fossil fuel power plants used for energy-intensive proof-of-work cryptomining. Proof-of-work is the blockchain-based algorithm used by bitcoin and some other cryptocurrencies.
The bill, touted by supporters as the first of its kind, now goes to Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul for consideration.
Supporters of the cryptocurrency industry said the measure targeting fossil-fuel burning power plants would crimp economic development in New York.
Environmentalists who lobbied for the bill said natural gas-burning power plants being used for crypto mining operations threaten the states ability to meet is long-term climate goals.
With this bills passage, the legislature has rightly said fossil fuel power plants cant get a second life in New York just for private industry gain, which would fly on the face of the states climate mandates, said Liz Moran of Earthjustice in a prepared statement.
News And Conflicts In This Primary
This race was featured in The Heart of the Primaries, a newsletter capturing stories related to conflicts within each major party. to read more about conflict in this and other 2022 Democratic state legislative primaries. to subscribe to the newsletter.
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For Political Party Candidates
Political party candidates seeking placement on the primary ballot must be nominated via designating petitions. Sample forms are provided by the New York State Board of Elections. A party may nominate a non-enrolled member by filing a certificate of authorization, signed by the presiding officer and secretary of the meeting at which such authorization was given. Only enrolled party members may sign designating petitions. Signature requirements vary according to the office being sought. Generally speaking, a candidate must collect signatures equaling at least 5 percent of the number of active enrolled voters in the political unit , or a fixed total established by statute, whichever is less.
Designating petitions must be submitted to the appropriate county board of elections, with the following exceptions:
- If the political unit of the office being sought lies entirely within New York City, the petition must be filed with the city board of elections.
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Designating petitions must be filed between the 10th Monday and ninth Tuesday prior to the primary election. A candidate must file a certificate of acceptance or declination of the designation no later than the fourth day after the last day to file designating petitions.
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- Introduce yourself and tell them that you are a constituent and a member of the Brain Injury Association of NYS.
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Sponsoring Bills Give Freshmen New York Lawmakers Early Wins
Gov. Andrew Cuomo signs voting reform legislation flanked by Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul , Assemblyman Charles Lavine, state Senators Zellnor Myrie and James Sanders Jr., and Ben Stiller. Office of the Governor
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Not every state senator gets to start off a new legislative session by receiving a standing ovation, but that was the reality on Jan. 14 for incoming state Sen. Zellnor Myrie. The Democrat from Brooklyn sat in his red, cushioned leather chair in the state Senate chambers, while colleagues surrounded him to offer handshakes, hugs and smiles.
How did he earn these plaudits? The chamber had just passed a bill to implement early voting statewide and even some Republican lawmakers joined in as the Senate applauded Myrie for 22 seconds in recognition that he had just passed his first bill. It was the type of moment that could play well later on in campaign commercials and the campaign stump the idea that on Day One, Myrie made big things happen for his constituents. I have a feeling, state Senate Deputy Majority Leader Mike Gianaris said on the Senate floor, We are going to be doing this a lot this year, because we have some many new members.
Correction: A previous version of this story mixed up two bills sponsored by Democratic state Sen. James Gaughran that were previously sponsored state Republican Sen. John Flanagan and Republican Assemblyman Andrew Raia.
Toby Stavisky In Queens And Gustavo Rivera In The Bronx Have Both Seen Their Districts Altered Dramatically In A New Court
Sen. Stavisky speaks during a session in Albany.
NYS Senate Media Services
For veteran members of the New York State Senate thrown into uncertainty by new district lines drawn under court order, real estate is destiny their choices, like those of any New Yorker, shaped by what they can afford to own or rent and where.
In Queens, Sen. Toby Stavisky saw her current 16th District dramatically reshaped, leaving her with a district where less than 7% of the population are former constituents and an incumbent shed have to beat.
She has been serving northeast Queens since 1999, after succeeding her late husband in a special election. For the last 10 years her sprawling 16th Senate District has centered on Forest Hills, zig-zagging from the BQE to nearly the Cross-Island Parkway.
But in fact, for the past two years Stavisky has been registered to vote at a different address outside the district seven
The Forest Hills high rise where state Sen. Toby Stavisky owns an apartment inside the district she represents while shes registered to vote miles away.
Gabriel Sandoval/THE CITY
Property and ethics commission records show Stavisky, whos 83, owns co-op apartments in two districts, one in Forest Hills within the boundaries of her current seat and the other in a complex in Beechhurst, near the Throgs Neck Bridge.
Neighbors approached by THE CITY said they couldnt recall when theyd seen the veteran senator.
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Abortion Protections Pass New York Legislature
The New York State Assembly Chamber is pictured Thursday during a legislative session at the state Capitol in Albany.Hans Pennink | AP Photo
Albany, N.Y. The New York Legislature passed a series of abortion measures Thursday, including new protections for women seeking abortions and providers who offer the procedures.
Women from states outlawing abortions who seek the procedure in New York will be shielded from extraditions and arrests, according to Spectrum News. Law enforcement will also be blocked from cooperating with out-of-state entities investigating abortions performed in New York.
Service providers will get added protections, including a shield from professional misconduct charges or subpoenas brought against them solely for performing procedures like abortions.
Lawmakers also approved measures meant to improve security for abortion providers, including a bill to allow providers, their family members, volunteers, staff and patients to be eligible for the states confidentiality program, according to Spectrum. The move will allow them to apply for a designated address where they can receive mail instead of their actual address.
Gov. Kathy Hochul is expected to sign the measures.
The new bills come after a leaked U.S. Supreme Court decision showing a majority of the justices appear ready to overturn Roe v. Wade, the 1973 ruling that guaranteed abortion rights nationwide. Overturning Roe would allow states to set their own rules on abortion
Cryptocurrency Mining Moratorium Stalls In New York State Senate
The measure’s sponsor said the lack of action will undermine progress on the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act, the states landmark climate law that requires steep emissions reductions over the next decade.
The Greenidge Cryptomining Plant | Malik Rainey for Politico Magazine
06/01/2022 05:01 PM EDT
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ALBANY, N.Y. A first in the nation effort to impose a moratorium on cryptocurrency mining at fossil fuel plants in New York is not expected to advance in this session after fierce pushback from the industry.
Sen. Kevin Parker , who chairs the energy committee and sponsored the measure, said the lack of action will undermine progress on the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act, the states landmark climate law that requires steep emissions reductions over the next decade.
Upstate New York has increasingly become a burgeoning location for cryptocurrency mining due to its fairly cheap energy and shuttered power plants with unused electric infrastructure. But the growth has also fueled protests from some residents and environmental groups about the local impact on pollution.
The New York state Senate has abdicated its responsibility to address climate change or attempt to meet the goals of the CLCPA, Parker told POLITICO. The lack of courage on the cryptocurrency moratorium is especially disappointing because its a resource thats being exploited by people that care nothing for our state.
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Response To Nys Senate Bill S6197
I’m appalled that with only days left in this legislative session, New York’s state elected officials are, in what can only be described as a power grab, pushing for an unconstitutional violation of the voting rights, the right to responsive local government, and right to self-determination of every resident of this State outside of New York City.
The New York State Constitution recognizes that effective local self-governments are important to the people of the State. Local governments are the most responsive, and responsible to the everyday person. They have a significant impact on everyday lives of the public, more than any other tier of government. Our hundreds of towns, villages, and counties, play a vital governance role for drinking water, social services, sewage, zoning, schools, roads, parks, police, courts, jails, trash disposal and more. Without local government, public services would not be delivered, making home rule, a key constitutional principal.
If local elections for village, town, and county offices are forced to occur only in even years, as this bill wants to do, these local races will be overshadowed and buried by the important but unrelated issues raised in State and Federal elections. In the already crowded newsroom, there will be no room at all for local candidates to express their wishes and desires for office. There will be no time for voters to learn about the Federal, State, and local races, all in the same election season.
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Ny Senate Passes Bill To Crack Down On Illicit Cannabis Possession And Sales
State Sen. Liz Krueger speaks in Albany after the state legislature lifted a ban on marijuana.
State senators this week passed a bill that would expand authority for the New York Office of Cannabis Management to seize illicit marijuana and for the state Department of Taxation and Finance to penalize people allegedly selling weed illegally.
The bill also doubles civil penalties for any person knowingly who possesses illicit cannabis.
State Sen. Liz Krueger introduced the proposed legislation on Sunday, and lawmakers in the Senate passed it on Wednesday. Kruegers spokesperson, Justin Flagg, said the bill is meant to empower OCM and Tax and Finance to crack down on illegal marijuana sales, specifically ones that have popped up since last year.
This bill is aimed at grey market operators such as retail cannabis stores that have emerged during the period after legalization but before licensed businesses begin operating, Flagg said in an email. Krueger wrote the bill with substantial input from OCM and Tax and Finance, he added, prompted by the difficulty of enforcement against several illegal cannabis stores that have been hard to shut down under the existing statute.
A spokesperson from OCM said the office doesnt comment on pending legislation.
Fines for possession of illicit cannabis under the bill would rise to at least $400 per ounce of flower , $10 per milligram of THC in edibles , $100 per gram of concentrate and $1,000 per plant .
New York State Senate Assembly Pass Gun Legislation Package
ALBANY, N.Y. In the wake of the mass shootings in Buffalo and Uvalde, Texas, New York State lawmakers making sweeping changes to gun laws.
Late Thursday night the State Senate and Assembly both passed a package of bills cracking down on gun violence. The bills include banning the sale and possession of semi-automatic rifles for anyone under the age of 21, requiring anyone wanting to buy one of those rifles receive a permit, restricting civilian purchases of bullet-resistant body armor, and require new guns be equipped with microstamping technology which would help law enforcement investigators trace bullets to specific firearms.
I hope people will think twice about what it is they are doing. If they’re not we already have background checks, now this permitting process is going to happen. We will force them through the permitting process to think about what they are going to do with a weapon of mass destruction.”
The package voted along party lines, passing in the Senate 43-20 and in the Assembly 102-47.
I will not accept passing more laws that fail to address the source of the problem as the only solution. I encourage my colleagues to put politics aside and work with us on policies that will stop preventable violence and make New York State safer.
The bill package now heads to Governor Hochul’s desk for her signature.
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Republicans Return To Power Idc Forms
Republicans retook the Senate majority in the 2010 elections, winning 32 seats to the Democrats’ 30 on Election Day. One Republican Senate incumbent was defeated, while Democratic candidate David Carlucci was elected to an open seat in Senate District 38 that had been vacated due to the death of Republican Senator Thomas Morahan on July 12, 2010. Four Democratic incumbents lost their seats to Republicans in the 2010 elections: Sen. Brian Foley was defeated by Lee Zeldin, Sen. Antoine Thompson was defeated by , Sen. Darrel Aubertine was defeated by Patty Ritchie, and Craig M. Johnson was defeated by Jack Martins.
Just before the new legislative session convened in January 2011, four Senate Democratsled by former Democratic whip Jeff Kleinbroke away from the Senate Democratic Conference to form an Independent Democratic Conference . Klein said that he and his three colleagues, Diane Savino, David Carlucci and David Valesky could no longer support the leadership of Senate Democratic Leader John Sampson.
In March 2011, “Gang of Four” member Senator Carl Kruger surrendered to bribery charges. He later pleaded guilty to those charges in December 2011. On March 20, 2012, Republican David Storobin defeated Democrat Lew Fidler in a special election to fill Kruger’s vacated seat results of the special election took weeks to finalize.