New York State Assembly Explained

The New York State Assembly is the lower house of the New York State Legislature,^[2] with the New York State Senate being the upper house.^[3] There are 150 seats in the Assembly.^[4] Assembly members serve two-year terms without term limits.^[5]

The Assembly convenes at the State Capitol in Albany.

Leadership of the Assembly

The speaker of the Assembly presides over the Assembly. The Speaker is elected by the Majority Conference, followed by confirmation of the full Assembly through the passage of an Assembly Resolution. In addition to presiding over the body, the speaker also has the chief leadership position, and controls the flow of legislation and committee assignments. The minority leader is elected by party caucus. The majority leader of the Assembly is selected by, and serves, the speaker.^[6]

Democrat Carl Heastie of the 83rd Assembly District has served as speaker of the Assembly since February 2015.^[7] Crystal Peoples-Stokes of the 141st Assembly District has served as Assembly majority leader since December 2018.^[8] Republican Ed Ra of the 19th Assembly District has served as Assembly minority leader since January 2026.^[9]

Composition by party

The Assembly has been controlled by the Democratic Party since 1975.^[10]

Members of the New York State Assembly

Committees

The New York State Assembly has the following committees:^[17]

• Aging
• Agriculture
• Alcoholism and Drug Abuse
• Banks
• Children and Families
• Cities
• Codes
• Consumer Affairs and Protection
• Corporations, Authorities and Commissions
• Correction
• Economic Development, Job Creation, Commerce and Industry
• Education
• Election Law
• Energy
• Environmental Conservation
• Ethics and Guidance
• Governmental Employees
• Governmental Operations
• Health
• Higher Education
• Housing
• Insurance
• Judiciary
• Labor
• Libraries and Education Technology
• Local Governments
• Mental Health
• Oversight, Analysis and Investigation
• People with Disabilities
• Racing and Wagering
• Real Property Taxation
• Rules
• Science & Technology
• Small Business
• Social Services
• Tourism, Parks, Arts and Sports Development
• Transportation
• Veterans' Affairs
• Ways and Means

See also

• New York State Capitol
• New York State Legislature
• New York State Senate
• Political party strength in New York
• New York Provincial Congress

External links

42.6529°N -73.7572°W

Notes and References

1. Web site: Assembly Member Directory. nyassembly.gov. February 4, 2025.
2. Web site: Colon . Dave . November 26, 2018 . As Democratic Senate Becomes Reality, Unclear How Hard Assembly Majority Will Push Prior Agenda . Gotham Gazette.
3. Web site: Runyeon . Frank G. . November 28, 2018 . The Secret Playbook NY State Senate Democrats Used To 'Wipe The Floor' With Republicans . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20190730145330/https://gothamist.com/2018/11/28/ny_state_senate_democratss.php . July 30, 2019 . July 30, 2019 . Gothamist.
4. Web site: Precious . Tom . November 13, 2018 . Crystal Peoples-Stokes in the running for Assembly majority leader post . subscription . The Buffalo News.
5. Web site: Carola . Chris . Jun 14, 2018 . New York state lawmakers push term limits for elected state offices . https://web.archive.org/web/20200215152336/https://www.dailyfreeman.com/news/new-york-state-lawmakers-push-term-limits-for-elected-state/article_4f147b36-2231-5ce5-a150-333c43736fb4.html . February 15, 2020 . Daily Freeman.
6. Web site: September 29, 2017 . Roles and Responsibilities of Selected Leadership Positions . 2020-07-27 . National Conference of State Legislatures.
7. News: McKinley . Jesse . February 3, 2015 . Heastie Elected Speaker of New York Assembly . The New York Times . limited.
8. Web site: Precious . Tom . December 17, 2018 . WNY gets Albany leverage as Peoples-Stokes named Assembly majority leader . subscription . The Buffalo News.
9. https://spectrumlocalnews.com/nys/central-ny/politics/2026/02/09/ed-ra-to-be-next-n-y--assembly-minority-leader
10. Web site: All-Blue Albany?. Seth. Barron. October 16, 2018. City Journal.
11. Web site: 2016 Election Results . New York State Board of Elections . February 21, 2020 . February 18, 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200218172628/https://www.elections.ny.gov/2016ElectionResults.html . dead .
12. Asm. Erik Bohen (a registered Democrat who won an April 24, 2018 special election on the Republican Party line) was not a member of any caucus during his Assembly tenure.
13. Web site: Bohen, Burke Have Rematch for Assembly Seat . Spectrum News.
14. Web site: Precious . Tom . April 25, 2018 . A day after his Assembly victory, Bohen receives a lesson in Albany 101 . subscription . The Buffalo News.
15. Web site: Certified Results from the November 6, 2018 General Election for NYS Assembly . New York State Board of Elections . February 21, 2020 . July 23, 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190723184315/https://www.elections.ny.gov/NYSBOE/elections/2018/general/2018Assembly.pdf . dead .
16. Web site: Brachfeld . Ben . 25 May 2022 . Monique Chandler-Waterman wins East Flatbush Assembly special election, defeats Adams pick Reid . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20220525201400/https://www.brooklynpaper.com/monique-chandler-waterman-wins-east-flatbush-assembly-special-election/ . 25 May 2022 . 26 May 2022 . Brooklyn Paper.
17. Web site: Committees, Commissions and Task Forces. New York State Assembly.