Your State Legislature
[How a bill becomes law] | The New York Assembly Home Page
In New York State there are three branches of government, the Legislative branch (comprised of the Senate and the Assembly), the Executive branch (headed by the Governor), and the Judicial branch (the Courts).
The Assembly, with its 150 members, and the Senate, with its 62 members, make up the New York State Legislature. Members of both the Assembly and Senate are elected every two years.
The individual who presides over the session is known as the Speaker. The Speaker is elected for a two-year term by other members of the Assembly.
Presiding over the Senate is the Lieutenant Governor, but the person whose work in the Senate most closely parallels that of the Speaker of the Assembly is called the Majority Leader. One of the powers given to both the Speaker and the Majority Leader is the authority to create committees and to appoint legislators to serve on those committees.
The beginning of each legislative session is the first Wednesday after the first Monday of the New Year. Its opening is marked by the governor's delivery of the "State of the State Message." This message outlines the priorities and the programs the governor wants the legislature to address during the year ahead. The Legislature attends session in Albany until its business for that year is concluded. While session usually ends in June or July, legislators are frequently called back to Albany for formal meetings, committee work or public hearings.
At the heart of the legislative process is the means by which a bill becomes a law. In the diagram below you can trace the steps in that process. Ideas for bills come from many sources, not just from government agencies or officials. In fact, if you have an idea for a law, call your representative and discuss it with him or her.
