New York State Senate New York State Legislature Type Type Upper house Term limits None New session started January 5 2011 Leadership President of the Senate Robert J. Duffy (D) since January 1 2011 President Pro Tem Dean Skelos (R) since January 1 2011 Minority Leader John Sampson (D) since January 1 2011 Structure Members 62 Political groups Republican Party (32) Democratic Party (26) Independent Conference (4) Length of term 2 years Authority Article III New York Constitution Salary $79500/year + per diem Elections Last election November 2 2010 (62 seats) Next election November 6 2012 (62 seats) Redistricting Legislative Control Meeting place State Senate Chamber New York State Capitol Albany New York Website 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.1 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. Contents 1 Officers 1.1 Full Majority leadership 1.2 Full Minority leadership 2 2008 elections and power struggle 2.1 Republican reclamation and ensuing dispute 3 Current Composition 3.1 Members of the Senate 4 Committee leadership 4.1 Committee Chairs 4.1.1 Committee Vice Chairs 4.2 Committee ranking members 5 See also 6 References 7 External links Officers For more information see 2009 New York State Senate leadership crisis.

The Senate is headed by its President a post held ex officio by the Lieutenant Governor. The Senate President has a casting vote in the event of a tie but otherwise may not vote. More often the Senate is presided over by the Temporary President a post which is normally also held by the Majority Leader. After the 2008 elections the Senate had a Democratic majority for the first time since 1965. They lost that majority on November 2 2010 when Republican Jack Martins defeated Democratic Senator Craig Johnson. Following the defections of Jeffrey Klein David Valesky and Diane Savino from the Democratic caucus the trio will join freshman David Carlucci in a newly formed Independent Conference separate from the Democratic and Republican conferences.2

The Senate has one additional member outside those who are elected by the people: the Secretary of the New York State Senate is a post that is chosen by a majority vote of the senators and does not have voting power (he/she is allowed though officially discouraged from discussing and negotiating legislative matters). The Secretary of the Senate is responsible for overseeing the handling of bills and the oversight of the sergeants-at-arms and the stenographer both of which are answerable to the secretary. The position is currently held by Frank Patience who was elected to a two-year position in January 2011.3 Position Name Party District President of the Senate/Lieutenant Governor Robert J. Duffy Dem Temporary President Dean Skelos Rep 9 Majority Leader/Republican Conference leader Dean Skelos Rep 9 Minority Leader/Democratic Conference leader John L. Sampson Dem 19 Independent Democratic Conference leader Jeffrey Klein4 ID 34 Full Majority leadership Temporary President: Sen. Dean Skelos Majority Leader: Sen. Dean Skelos Deputy Majority Leader: Sen. Thomas Libous Vice President Pro Tempore: Sen. George Maziarz Senior Assistant Majority Leader: Sen. Owen Johnson Majority Program Development Committee Chairman: Sen. Hugh Farley Majority Conference Chairman: Sen. Kenneth LaValle Majority Conference Vice Chairman: Sen. Stephen Saland Assistant Majority Leader on Conference Operations: Sen. James Seward Majority Leader for House Operations: Sen. Kemp Hannon Majority Whip: Sen. William Larkin Deputy Majority Whip: Sen. Charles Fuschillo Assistant Majority Whip: Sen. Martin Golden Majority Steering Committee Chairman: Sen. James Alesi Deputy Majority Leader for State/Federal Relations: Sen. John Bonacic Deputy Majority Leader for Intergovernmental Affairs: Sen. Betty Little Deputy Majority Leader for Policy: Sen. Joseph Robach Liaison to the Executive Chamber: Sen.J. Catharine Young Full Minority leadership Minority Leader: Sen. John Sampson Deputy Minority Leader: Sen. Neil Breslin Deputy Minority Leader for Intergovernmental Affairs: Sen. Suzi Oppenheimer Deputy Minority Leader for Policy: Vacant Deputy Minority Leader for State/Federal Relations: Sen. Shirley Huntley Senior Assistant Minority Leader: Sen. Martin Malave Dilan Assistant Minority Leader for Conference Operations: Democratic Conference Chairwoman: Sen. Ruth Hassell-Thompson Democratic Program Development Committee Chairman: Sen. Tom Duane Minority Whip: Sen. Jose Peralta Democratic Conference Vice Chairwoman: Sen. Toby Ann Stavisky Democratic Conference Secretary: Sen. Jos Serrano Democratic Steering Committee Chairwoman: Vacant Assistant Minority Whip: Sen. Velmanette Montgomery 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.56 Previously the Republicans had held the chamber for all but one year from 1939 to 2008 even as New York turned almost solidly Democratic at all levels.

However a power struggle emerged before the new term began. Four Democratic senatorsRubn Daz (Bronx) Carl Kruger (Brooklyn) Pedro Espada (Bronx) and then-Senator Hiram Monserrate (Queens)immediately refused to caucus with their party.7 The self-named "Gang of Four" refused to back Malcolm Smith as the chamber's majority leader and sought concessions.8 Monserrate soon reached an agreement with Smith that reportedly included the chairmanship of the Consumer Affairs Committee.9 The remaining "Gang of Three" reached an initial compromise in early December that collapsed within a week10 but was ultimately resolved11 with Smith becoming majority leader12 until early June 2009 when two Democrats joined with Republicans to elect a new leadership for the New York State Senate reaching a power-sharing deal under which Republicans became again technically the majority party. Republican reclamation and ensuing dispute Main article: 2009 New York State Senate leadership crisis

Though there were 32 Democrats and 30 Republicans in the Senate on June 8 2009 then-Senator Hiram Monserrate (D-Queens) and Pedro Espada Jr. (D-Bronx)who were part of what was described by the Associated Press as a "parliamentary coup"allegedly voted with the 30 Republican members to install Senator Dean Skelos (R-Nassau) as the new majority leader of the Senate to replace Senator Malcolm Smith (D-Queens).1314

The move came after Republican whip Tom Libous introduced a surprise resolution to vacate the chair and replace Smith as temporary president and majority leader. In an effort to stop the vote Democratic whip Jeff Klein unilaterally moved to recess and Smith had the lights and Internet cut off. However they were unable to stop the session. All 30 Republicans plus two Democrats Monserrate and Espada voted in favor of the resolution. In accordance with a prearranged deal Espada was elected temporary president and acting lieutenant governor while Skelos was elected majority leader.15 Both Monserrate and Espada were members of the original "Gang of Four" (the other two being Ruben Diaz and Carl Kruger) a group of Democratic senators that threatened to defect to the Republican caucus to prevent Smith from taking control of the chamber in January 2009. Monserrate had backed out of the Gang at the time being the first of the four to back Smith.

The apparent Republican seizure of power was tenuous in any event. Smith claimed the vote was illegal because of Klein's motion to adjourn; parliamentary procedure stipulates that a vote to adjourn takes precedence over all other business. However Smith Klein and most of the Democrats walked out before an actual vote to adjourn could be taken. Smith has also claimed that it is illegal to oust the majority leader in the middle of a two-year term and as such leaders can only be replaced at the beginning of a term except in the case of death or resignation. Smith still asserted he was majority leader and would challenge the vote in court. He locked the doors of the state senate chambers in an effort to prevent any further legislative action.16 The Espada-Skelos coalition majority which also courted as many as ten more Democrats17 announced plans to hold sessions in the "Well" of the legislative office building until chamber doors are reopened.18 By the time of the scheduled session on June 10 at 3:00 p.m. at the request of Governor David Paterson the keys to the senate chamber were turned over to the coalition;19 Smith has claimed that the coalition stole the key.17 The scheduled session was eventually postponed.17

Both Monserrate and Espada faced accusations of unethical or criminal conduct. Monserrate was indicted for felony assault in March and would automatically lose his seat if convicted. New York like most states has a provision in its state constitution which bars convicted felons from holding office.16 Espada was the target of a state investigation into whether he funded his campaign with money siphoned from a nonprofit health care agency he controls. The Bronx's district attorney is also investigating charges that Espada actually lives in Mamaroneck rather than the north Bronx district he represents.20 As a result of the coup Senate Democrats voted for John Sampson to replace Malcolm Smith as Democratic Leader. This led Hiram Monserrate to declare that he would once again caucus with the Democrats which led to a 31-31 split.21 On July 9 2009 a source stated that Espada would be rejoining the Senate Democratic Conference after reaching a deal to have Malcolm Smith be pro tem until a "transition period" during which Senator Sampson would ascend to the Senate's Temporary Presidency.22 The term expired with Smith still as Temporary President. Democrats orchestrated the removal of both Espada and Monserrate from their ranks; Monserrate was expelled from his seat while Espada was defeated in a primary election that had the state party back his primary opponent Gustavo Rivera. (The political motivations behind Monserrate's ouster were made evident when the Senate Democrats announced no intentions to remove Kevin Parker who was also convicted on misdemeanor charges from his seat.23) Current Composition The Senate was dominated by the Republican party for much of the 20th Century. After World War II Democrats only controlled the house twice. In 1965 the Democrats gain the majority only to lose in special elections that year. They again came to power following the 2008 elections. Despite an attempted power coup by the entire Republican caucus and two dissident Democrats the Democrats maintained their majority throughout most of the 2009-2010 session. Following state elections in 2010 Republicans were able to gain the two seats necessary to again reclaim the majority. The Senate's apportionment traditionally favors the Upstate where the Republicans dominated politics for most of the time before the 1990s. Even when the Democrats won the majority in 2008 they only held five seats in the Upstate and two on Long Island. Presently the Democrats hold all but two seats in New York City but only four north of the city and none of the nine Long Island seats. Two of the four upstate Democrats are in the Democratic Conference; the other two caucus with the Independent Democrats. Affiliation Party (Shading indicates majority caucus) Total Democratic Independent Democrat Republican Vacant End of previous legislature 32 28 60 2n 1 Begin 2011 session 26 4n 2 32 62 0 Latest voting share 41.9% 6.5% 51.6% Notes Seats previously held by Republicans Thomas Morahan (died) and Vincent Leibell (resigned). Four Democrats split off to form their own caucus. 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 Lee Zeldin Republican 2010 Shirley 4 Owen H. Johnson Republican 1972 West Babylon 5 Carl Marcellino Republican 1995 Syosset 6 Kemp Hannon Republican 1989 Garden City 7 Jack Martins Republican 2010 Mineola 8 Charles Fuschillo Republican 1998 Merrick 9 Dean Skelos Republican 1984 Rockville Centre 10 Shirley Huntley Democratic 2006 Jamaica (NYC - Queens) 11 Tony Avella Democratic 2010 Whitestone (NYC - Queens) 12 Michael N. Gianaris Democratic 2010 Astoria (NYC - Queens) 13 Jose Peralta Democratic 2010 Jackson Heights (NYC - Queens) 14 Malcolm Smith Democratic 2000 St. Albans (NYC - Queens) 15 Joseph Addabbo Jr. Democratic 2008 Ozone Park (NYC - Queens) 16 Toby Ann Stavisky Democratic 1999 Flushing (NYC - Queens) 17 Martin Malave Dilan Democratic 2002 Bushwick Williamsburg (NYC - Brooklyn) 18 Velmanette Montgomery Democratic 1984 Red Hook Bed-Stuy (NYC - Brooklyn) 19 John Sampson Democratic 1996 Crown Heights (NYC - Brooklyn) 20 Eric Adams Democratic 2006 Park Slope Flatbush (NYC - Brooklyn) 21 Kevin Parker Democratic 2002 East Flatbush Boro Park (NYC - Brooklyn) 22 Martin Golden Republican 2002 Bay Ridge (NYC - Brooklyn) 23 Diane Savino Independent Democrat 2004 Staten Island (NYC) 24 Andrew Lanza Republican 2006 Staten Island (NYC) 25 Dan Squadron Democratic 2008 Carroll Gardens (NYC - Brooklyn) and Lower Manhattan (NYC - Manhattan) 26 Liz Krueger Democratic 2002 Eastside (NYC - Manhattan) 27 Carl Kruger Democratic 1994 Brighton Beach (NYC - Brooklyn) 28 Jos M. Serrano Democratic 2004 Spanish Harlem (NYC - Manhattan) 29 Thomas Duane Democratic 1998 Westside (NYC - Manhattan) 30 Bill Perkins Democratic 2006 Harlem (NYC - Manhattan) 31 Adriano Espaillat Democratic 2010 Washington Heights (NYC - Manhattan) 32 Rubn Daz Democratic 2002 Soundview (NYC - Bronx) 33 Gustavo Rivera Democratic 2010 Kingsbridge Heights (NYC - Bronx) 34 Jeffrey Klein Independent Democrat 2004 Throgs Neck (NYC - Bronx) 35 Andrea Stewart-Cousins Democratic 2006 Yonkers 36 Ruth Hassell-Thompson Democratic 2000 Williamsbridge 37 Suzi Oppenheimer Democratic 1984 Mamaroneck 38 David Carlucci Independent Democrat 2010 New City 39 Bill Larkin Republican 1990 New Windsor 40 Greg Ball Republican 2010 Patterson 41 Stephen Saland Republican 1990 Poughkeepsie 42 John Bonacic Republican 1998 Mount Hope 43 Roy McDonald Republican 2008 Stillwater 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 Patty Ritchie Republican 2010 Ogdensburg 49 David Valesky Independent Democrat 2004 Oneida 50 John DeFrancisco Republican 1992 Syracuse 51 James Seward Republican 1986 Milford 52 Thomas W. Libous Republican 1988 Binghamton 53 Tom O'Mara Republican 2010 Horseheads 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 Timothy M. Kennedy Democratic 2010 South Buffalo 59 Patrick Gallivan Republican 2010 Elma 60 Mark Grisanti Republican 2010 North Buffalo 61 Michael Ranzenhofer Republican 2008 Clarence 62 George D. Maziarz Republican 1995 Newfane Committee leadership As of the January 2011 session:242526 Committee Chairs Independent Democrats indicated with (ID); all others Republican. Administrative Regulations Review Commission: David Carlucci (ID) Aging: David Valesky (ID) Agriculture: Patty Ritchie Alcoholism and Substance Abuse: Jeffrey Klein (ID) (pending rule change) Banking: Joseph Griffo Children and Families: Diane Savino (ID) Cities: Andrew Lanza Civil Service and Pensions: Bill Larkin Codes: Stephen Saland Commerce Economic Development and Small Business: Jim Alesi Commission on Rural Resources: Catharine Young Consumer Protection: Lee Zeldin Corporations Authorities and Commissions: Michael Ranzenhofer Crime Victims Crime and Corrections: Michael Nozzolio Cultural Affairs Tourism Parks and Recreation: Betty Little Education: John Flanagan Elections: Tom O'Mara Energy: George Maziarz Environmental Conservation: Mark Grisanti Ethics: Andrew Lanza Finance: John DeFrancisco Health: Kemp Hannon Higher Education: Kenneth LaValle Housing Construction and Community Development: Catharine Young Insurance: James Seward Investigations and Governmental Operations: Carl Marcellino Judiciary: John Bonacic Labor: Joseph Robach Local Government: Jack Martins Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities: Roy McDonald Racing Gaming and Wagering: John Bonacic Rules: Dean Skelos Social Services: Patrick Gallivan Transportation: Charles Fuschillo Veterans Homeland Security and Military Affairs: Greg Ball Committee Vice Chairs Vice Chairman of the Finance Committee: Hugh Farley Committee ranking members All members of the Democratic Conference. Aging: Ruben Diaz Agriculture: Timothy M. Kennedy Banking: Malcolm Smith Children and Families: Velmanette Montgomery Cities: Tony Avella Civil Service and Pensions: Liz Krueger Codes: Michael Gianaris Commerce Economic Development and Small Business: Timothy M. Kennedy Consumer Protection: Eric Adams Corporations Authorities and Commissions: Bill Perkins Crime Victims Crime and Corrections: Gustavo Rivera Cultural Affairs Tourism Parks and Recreation: Jose Serrano Education: Suzi Oppenheimer Elections: Joseph Addabbo Energy: Kevin Parker Environmental Conservation: Tony Avella Ethics: Shirley Huntley Finance: Carl Kruger Health: Tom Duane Higher Education: Toby Ann Stavisky Housing Construction and Community Development: Adriano Espaillat Insurance: Neil Breslin Investigations and Governmental Operations: Daniel Squadron Judiciary: Ruth Hassell-Thompson Labor: Jose Peralta Local Government: Andrea Stewart-Cousins Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities: Shirley Huntley Racing Gaming and Wagering: Eric Adams Rules: John Sampson Social Services: Liz Krueger Transportation: Martin Dilan Veterans Homeland Security and Military Affairs: Joseph Addabbo 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 2009 New York State Senate leadership crisis References "Branches of Government in New York State". New York State Senate A Guide to New York State's Government. New York State Senate. 1988. http://www.senate.state.ny.us/sws/aboutsenate/branchesgov.html. Retrieved 2009-04-23.  The New Amigos Patience Is The New Aponte Capitol Confidential  Breakaway Senate Dems form caucus (video added) 2008 Election Results New York State Board of Elections. 2008-09 (Post-Election) Partisan Composition of State Legislatures National Conference of State Legislatures New York Times. "Democrats Take State Senate." nytimes.com. Nov 5 2008. Peters Jeremy W.Democrats Likely to Keep Control of State Senate The New York Times November 6 2008. Benjamin Elizabeth. Monserrate Makes A Democratic Deal The Daily Politics. The Daily News November 8 2008 Lanza Michael. Smith Balks After Gang of Three Talks The Queens Tribune December 11 2008. Democrats Reach Pact to Lead the Senate Democrats Take Control of New York State Senate "GOP 2 Dems flip power balance in NY Senate" The Washington Post June 8 2009 Odato James. "Two Democrats join Republicans to topple Smith as Senate leader" Albany Times Union June 8 2009 1 a b Peters Jeremy and Danny Hakim.Republicans Seize Control of State Senate. The New York Times 2009-06-09 a b c Bauman Valerie. Senate stalls: Coalition says it's still strong. Associated Press. Retrieved 2009-06-11 Benjamin Elizabeth. Coalition government Day One. New York Daily News "Daily Politics" blog. 2009-06-09. Staten Island Live report on end of New York State Senate paralysis Salonstall David. Sen. Pedro Espada hounded by questions on ethics and residency. New York Daily News 2009-06-10 Lovett Kenneth (2009-06-15) State Senate standoff means even bigger mess with Sen. Hiram Monserrate's change of heart. New York Daily News Retrieved 2009-06-15 Deadlock-Ending Deal Near Espada To Return To The Democrats. New York Daily News Retrieved 2009-07-09 Vielkind Jimmy (2010-12-07). Sampson sees no Monserrate Parker parallels. Capitol Confidential. Retrieved 2010-12-20. Capitol Confidential  Senate Majority committees set Sampson Consolidates Power Through Committees GOP Gives IDC Committee Chairs Changes Chamber Rules External links New York State Senate v d eMembers of the New York State Senate President of the Senate: Robert J. Duffy (D) Majority Leader: Dean Skelos (R) Minority Leader: John Sampson (D)        Kenneth LaValle (R)    John J. Flanagan (R)    Lee Zeldin (R)    Owen H. Johnson (R)    Carl Marcellino (R)    Kemp Hannon (R)    Jack Martins (R)    Charles Fuschillo (R)    Dean Skelos (R)    Shirley Huntley (D)    Tony Avella (D)    Michael N. Gianaris (D)    Jose Peralta (D)    Malcolm Smith (D)    Joseph Addabbo Jr. (D)    Toby Ann Stavisky (D)    Martin Malave Dilan (D)    Velmanette Montgomery (D)    John Sampson (D)    Eric Adams (D)    Kevin Parker (D)    Martin Golden (R)    Diane Savino (ID)    Andrew Lanza (R)    Daniel Squadron (D)    Liz Krueger (D)    Carl Kruger (D)    Jos M. Serrano (D)    Thomas Duane (D)    Bill Perkins (D)    Adriano Espaillat (D)    Rubn Daz (D)    Gustavo Rivera (D)    Jeffrey Klein (ID)    Andrea Stewart-Cousins (D)    Ruth Hassell-Thompson (D)    Suzi Oppenheimer (D)    David Carlucci (ID)    Bill Larkin (R)    Greg Ball (R)    Stephen Saland (R)    John Bonacic (R)    Roy McDonald (R)    Hugh Farley (R)    Betty Little (R)    Neil Breslin (D)    Joseph Griffo (R)    Patty Ritchie (R)    David Valesky (ID)    John DeFrancisco (R)    James Seward (R)    Thomas W. Libous (R)    Tom O'Mara (R)    Michael Nozzolio (R)    James Alesi (R)    Joseph Robach (R)    Catharine Young (R)    Timothy M. Kennedy (D)    Patrick Gallivan (R)    Mark Grisanti (R)    Michael Ranzenhofer (R)    George D. 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