192nd New York State Legislature


The 192nd New York State Legislature, consisting of the New York State Senate and the New York State Assembly, met from January 8, 1997, to December 31, 1998, during the third and fourth years of George Pataki's governorship, in Albany.

Background

Under the provisions of the New York Constitution of 1938 and the U.S. Supreme Court decision to follow the One man, one vote rule, re-apportioned in 1992 by the Legislature, 61 Senators and 150 assemblymen were elected in single-seat districts for two-year terms. Senate and Assembly districts consisted of approximately the same number of inhabitants, the area being apportioned contiguously without restrictions regarding county boundaries.
At this time there were two major political parties: the Democratic Party and the Republican Party. The Reform Party, the Conservative Party, the Liberal Party, the Green Party, the Right to Life Party, the Libertarian Party, the Tax Cut Now Party, the Natural Law Party, the Workers World Party and the Socialist Workers Party also nominated tickets.

Elections

The New York state election, 1996, was held on November 5. No statewide elective offices were up for election. The approximate party strength at this election, as expressed by the vote for U.S. President, was: Democrats 3,650,000; Republicans 1,739,000; Reform 503,000; Conservatives 183,000; Liberals 107,000; Green 76,000; Right to Life 24,000; Libertarians 12,000; Tax Cut Now 11,000; Natural Law 5,000; Workers World 3,500; and Socialist Workers 3,000.
All 38 sitting women members of the legislature—State Senators Catherine M. Abate, of Manhattan; Nancy Larraine Hoffmann, of Syracuse; Olga A. Méndez, of East Harlem; Velmanette Montgomery, of Brooklyn; Suzi Oppenheimer, of Mamaroneck; Mary Lou Rath, of Williamsville; Nellie R. Santiago, of Brooklyn; and Ada L. Smith, of Queens; and Assemblywomen Patricia Acampora, of Mattituck; Carmen E. Arroyo, of the Bronx; Nancy Calhoun, of Blooming Grove; Joan Christensen, of Syracuse; Barbara M. Clark, of Queens; Elizabeth Connelly, of Staten Island; Vivian E. Cook of Queens; RoAnn Destito, of Rome; Gloria Davis, of the Bronx; Eileen C. Dugan, of Brooklyn; Donna Ferrara, a lawyer of Westbury; Sandy Galef, of Ossining; Deborah J. Glick, of Manhattan; Aurelia Greene, of the Bronx; Audrey Hochberg, of Scarsdale; Earlene Hill Hooper, of Hempstead; Rhoda S. Jacobs, of Brooklyn; Susan V. John, of Rochester; Melinda Katz, a lawyer of Queens; Betty Little, of Queensbury; Naomi C. Matusow, a lawyer of Armonk; Nettie Mayersohn, of Queens; Debra J. Mazzarelli, of Patchogue; Patricia McGee, of Franklinville; Catherine Nolan, of Queens; Chloe Ann O'Neil, an elementary school teacher of Parishville; Audrey Pheffer, of Queens; Frances T. Sullivan, of Fulton; Helene Weinstein, a lawyer of Brooklyn; and Sandra Lee Wirth, of West Seneca—were re-elected. Ann-Margaret Carrozza, a lawyer of Queens, was also elected to the Assembly.
Eileen C. Dugan died three days after the election. On February 18, 1997, Joan Millman, a teacher and librarian of Brooklyn, was elected to fill the vacancy.
The New York state election, 1997, was held on November 4. One vacancy in the State Senate was filled.
On February 3, 1998, Adele Cohen, a lawyer of Brooklyn; Kate Murray, a lawyer of Levittown; and Maureen O'Connell, a registered nurse and lawyer of East Williston; were elected to fill vacancies in the Assembly.
On March 24, 1998, Pauline Rhodd-Cummings, of Queens, was elected to fill a vacancy in the Assembly. Thus the 192nd Legislature ended having 43 women members, surpassing the previous record of 39 in the 190th New York State Legislature.

Sessions

The Legislature met for the first regular session at the State Capitol in Albany on January 8, 1997; and recessed indefinitely on August 4.
Sheldon Silver was re-elected Speaker of the Assembly.
Joseph Bruno was re-elected Temporary President of the Senate.
The Legislature met for the second regular session at the State Capitol in Albany on January 7, 1998; and recessed indefinitely on June 19.
The Assembly met again on July 29, 1998, to enact a bill on parole which had been approved by the Senate during the regular session.
The Legislature met again from December 17 to 18, 1998, to enact another piece of legislation concerning the school system of New York City, and to raise the salaries of the members of the next Legislature.

State Senate

Senators

The asterisk denotes members of the previous Legislature who continued in office as members of this Legislature. Assemblyman Michael Balboni was elected to fill a vacancy in the Senate.
Note: For brevity, the chairmanships omit the words "...the Committee on..."
DistrictSenatorPartyNotes
1stKenneth LaValle*Republican
2ndJames J. Lack*Republican
3rdCaesar Trunzo*Republican
4thOwen H. Johnson*Republican
5thCarl L. Marcellino*Republican
6thKemp Hannon*Republican
7thMichael J. Tully Jr.*Republicandied on August 5, 1997
7thMichael Balboni*Republicanon November 4, 1997, elected to fill vacancy
8thNorman J. Levy*RepublicanChairman of Transportation; died on February 7, 1998
8thCharles J. Fuschillo Jr.Republicanon March 24, 1998, elected to fill vacancy
9thDean Skelos*Republican
10thAlton R. Waldon Jr.*Democrat
11thFrank Padavan*Republican
12thAda L. Smith*Democrat
13thEmanuel R. Gold*Democrat
14thGeorge Onorato*Democrat
15thSerphin R. Maltese*Cons./Rep.
16thLeonard P. Stavisky*Democrat
17thNellie R. Santiago*Democrat
18thVelmanette Montgomery*Democrat
19thJohn L. SampsonDemocrat
20thMarty Markowitz*Democrat
21stCarl Kruger*Democrat
22ndSeymour P. Lachman*Democrat
23rdVincent J. GentileDemocrat
24thJohn J. Marchi*Republican
25thMartin Connor*DemocratMinority Leader
26thRoy M. Goodman*Republican
27thCatherine M. AbateDemocrat
28thOlga A. Méndez*Democrat
29thDavid Paterson*Democrat
30thFranz S. Leichter*Democrat
31stEfrain Gonzalez Jr.*Democrat
32ndDavid RosadoDemocrat
33rdLarry Seabrook*Democrat
34thGuy J. Velella*Republican
35thNicholas A. Spano*Republican
36thSuzi Oppenheimer*Democrat
37thVincent Leibell*Republican
38thJoseph R. Holland*Republican
39thWilliam J. Larkin, Jr.*Republican
40thCharles D. Cook*Republican
41stStephen M. Saland*Republican
42ndNeil BreslinDemocrat
43rdJoseph Bruno*Republicanre-elected Temporary President
44thHugh T. Farley*Republican
45thRonald B. Stafford*RepublicanChairman of Finance
46thJames W. Wright*Republican
47thRaymond A. MeierRepublican
48thNancy Larraine Hoffmann*Democrat
49thJohn A. DeFrancisco*Republican
50thJames L. Seward*Republican
51stThomas W. Libous*Republican
52ndRandy Kuhl*Republican
53rdMichael F. Nozzolio*Republican
54thRichard A. Dollinger*Democrat
55thJames S. Alesi*Republican
56thJess J. Present*Republicandied on August 8, 1998
57thAnthony Nanula*Democrat
58thWilliam Stachowski*Democrat
59thDale M. Volker*Republican
60thMary Lou Rath*Republican
61stGeorge D. Maziarz*Republican

Employees

Assembly members

The asterisk denotes members of the previous Legislature who continued in office as members of this Legislature.
Note: For brevity, the chairmanships omit the words "...the Committee on..."
DistrictAssembly memberPartyNotes
1stPatricia Acampora*Republican
2ndFred W. Thiele, Jr.*Republican
3rdDebra J. Mazzarelli*Republicanchanged party affiliation on May 14, 1997
3rdDebra J. Mazzarelli*Democratchanged party affiliation on May 14, 1997
4thSteve Englebright*Democrat
5thPaul E. Harenberg*Democrat
6thRobert C. Wertz*Republican
7thThomas F. Barraga*Republican
8thPhil Boyle*Republican
9thJohn J. Flanagan*Republican
10thJames D. Conte*Republican
11thRobert K. Sweeney*Democrat
12thSteven L. LabriolaRepublican
13thDavid Sidikman*Democrat
14thMarc Herbst*Republican
15thDonna Ferrara*Republican
16thThomas DiNapoli*Democrat
17thMichael Balboni*Republicanon November 4, 1997, elected to the State Senate
17thMaureen O'ConnellRepublicanon February 3, 1998, elected to fill vacancy
18thEarlene Hill Hooper*Democrat
19thCharles J. O'Shea*Republicanon November 4, 1997, elected to the Nassau County Board of Assessors
19thKate MurrayRepublicanon February 3, 1998, elected to fill vacancy
20thHarvey Weisenberg*Democrat
21stGregory R. Becker*Republican
22ndThomas Alfano*Republican
23rdAudrey Pheffer*Democrat
24thMark Weprin*Democrat
25thBrian M. McLaughlin*Democrat
26thAnn-Margaret CarrozzaDemocrat
27thNettie Mayersohn*Democrat
28thMelinda Katz*Democrat
29thWilliam Scarborough*Democrat
30thJoseph Crowley*Democraton November 3, 1998, elected to the 106th U.S. Congress
31stGregory W. Meeks*Democraton February 3, 1998, elected to the 105th U.S. Congress
31stPauline Rhodd-CummingsDemocraton March 24, 1998, elected to fill vacancy
32ndVivian E. Cook*Democrat
33rdBarbara M. Clark*Democrat
34thIvan C. Lafayette*Democrat
35thJeffrion L. Aubry*Democrat
36thDenis J. Butler*Democrat
37thCatherine Nolan*Democrat
38thAnthony S. Seminerio*Democrat
39thAnthony J. Genovesi*Democratdied on August 10, 1998
40thEdward Griffith*Democrat
41stHelene Weinstein*Democrat
42ndRhoda S. Jacobs*Democrat
43rdClarence Norman Jr.*Democrat
44thJames F. Brennan*Democrat
45thDaniel L. Feldman*Democrat
46thJules Polonetsky*Democratin December 1997, appointed as NYC Commissioner of Consumer Affairs
46thAdele CohenDemocraton February 3, 1998, elected to fill vacancy
47thWilliam ColtonDemocrat
48thDov Hikind*Democrat
49thPeter J. Abbate Jr.*Democrat
50thJoseph R. Lentol*Democrat
51stFélix W. Ortiz*Democrat
52ndvacantAssemblywoman-elect Eileen C. Dugan died on November 8, 1996
52ndJoan MillmanDemocraton February 18, 1997, elected to fill vacancy
53rdVito J. Lopez*Democrat
54thDarryl C. Towns*Democrat
55thWilliam F. Boyland*Democrat
56thAlbert Vann*Democrat
57thRoger L. Green*Democrat
58thN. Nick PerryDemocrat
59thElizabeth Connelly*Democrat
60thEric N. Vitaliano*Democrat
61stRobert A. Straniere*Republican
62ndSheldon Silver*Democratre-elected Speaker
63rdSteven Sanders*Democrat
64thRichard N. Gottfried*Democrat
65thAlexander B. Grannis*Democrat
66thDeborah J. Glick*Democrat
67thScott Stringer*Democrat
68thNelson Antonio DenisDemocrat
69thEdward C. Sullivan*Democrat
70thKeith L. T. Wright*Democrat
71stHerman D. Farrell, Jr.*DemocratChairman of Ways and Means
72ndAdriano EspaillatDemocrat
73rdJohn Ravitz*Republican
74thCarmen E. Arroyo*Democrat
75thRubén Díaz Jr.Democrat
76thPeter M. Rivera*Democrat
77thAurelia Greene*Democrat
78thRoberto Ramirez*Democrat
79thGloria Davis*Democrat
80thJeffrey D. Klein*Democrat
81stJeffrey Dinowitz*Democrat
82ndStephen B. Kaufman*Democrat
83rdSamuel Bea Jr.*Democrat
84thJ. Gary Pretlow*Democrat
85thRonald C. Tocci*Democrat
86thRichard L. Brodsky*Democrat
87thMike Spano*Republican
88thAudrey Hochberg*Democrat
89thNaomi C. Matusow*Democrat
90thSandy Galef*Democrat
91stWillis Stephens*Republican
92ndAlexander J. Gromack*Democrat
93rdSamuel Colman*Democrat
94thNancy Calhoun*Republican
95thJohn Bonacic*Republican
96thThomas J. Kirwan*Republican
97thJoel M. Miller*Republican
98thJacob E. Gunther III*Democrat
99thPatrick R. Manning*Republican
100thRobert A. D'Andrea*Republican
101stJohn J. Guerin*Republican
102ndJohn Faso*RepublicanMinority Leader from March 2, 1998
103rdJames Tedisco*Republican
104thJohn McEneny*Democrat
105thPaul D. Tonko*Democrat
106thRonald Canestrari*Democrat
107thRobert G. Prentiss*Republican
108thPat M. Casale*Republican
109thBetty Little*Republican
110thChris Ortloff*Republican
111thBill Magee*Democrat
112thChloe Ann O'Neil*Republican
113thMarc W. Butler*Republican
114thH. Robert Nortz*Republican
115thDavid R. Townsend Jr.*Republican
116thRoAnn Destito*Democrat
117thFrances T. Sullivan*Republican
118thMichael J. Bragman*DemocratMajority Leader
119thJoan Christensen*Democrat
120thBernard J. Mahoney*Republican
121stHarold C. Brown Jr.*Republican
122ndClifford W. Crouch*Republican
123rdJay J. Dinga*Republican
124thRobert J. Warner*Republican
125thMartin A. Luster*Democrat
126thDaniel J. Fessenden*Republican
127thGeorge H. Winner, Jr.*Republican
128thBob Oaks*Republican
129thCraig J. Doran*Republican
130thJames Bacalles*Republican
131stSusan V. John*Democrat
132ndJoseph D. Morelle*Democrat
133rdDavid F. Gantt*Democrat
134thJoseph Robach*Democrat
135thDavid Koon*Democrat
136thJerry Johnson*Republican
137thCharles H. Nesbitt*Republican
138thJoseph T. Pillittere*Democrat
139thDavid E. Seaman*Republican
140thRobin Schimminger*Democrat
141stArthur O. Eve*Democrat
142ndRichard R. Anderson*Republican
143rdPaul Tokasz*Democrat
144thSam Hoyt*Democrat
145thRichard J. Keane*Democrat
146thRichard A. SmithDemocrat
147thThomas M. Reynolds*RepublicanMinority Leader until March 2, 1998;
on November 3, 1998, elected to the 106th U.S. Congress
148thSandra Lee Wirth*Republican
149thPatricia McGee*Republican
150thWilliam L. Parment*Democrat

Employees