New York State Senate
| New York State Senate | |
|---|---|
| New York State Legislature | |
 |
|
| Type | |
| Type | |
|
Term limits
|
None |
| History | |
|
New session started
|
January 3, 2017 |
| Leadership | |
|
Leader of the Independent Democrats
|
|
| Structure | |
| Seats | 63 |
 |
|
|
Political groups
|
Majority
Minority
|
|
Length of term
|
2 years |
| Authority | Article III, New York Constitution |
| Salary | $79,500/year + per diem |
| Elections | |
|
Last election
|
November 8, 2016 |
|
Next election
|
November 3, 2018 |
| Redistricting | Legislative Control |
| Meeting place | |
 |
|
| State Senate Chamber New York State Capitol Albany, New York |
|
| Website | |
| NYSenate |
|
Majority
Minority
The New York State Senate is considered the upper house in the New York State Legislature. It has 63 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, elected from single-member constituencies equal in population. The current format for apportionment has followed the Supreme Court decision in Baker v. Carr, decided in 1964.
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. 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 senators—Rubén Díaz, Sr. (Bronx), Carl Kruger (Brooklyn), Pedro Espada, Jr. (Bronx), and Hiram Monserrate (Queens)—immediately refused to caucus with their party. The self-named "Gang of Four" refused to back Malcolm Smith (Queens) 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 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.
Though there were 32 Democrats and 30 Republicans in the Senate, on June 8, 2009, then-Senators Hiram Monserrate and Pedro Espada, Jr.—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-Rockville Centre) as the new majority leader of the Senate, replacing Malcolm Smith.
...
Wikipedia