The 189th New York State Legislature, consisting of the

New York State Senate The New York State Senate is the upper house of the New York State Legislature; the New York State Assembly is its lower house. Its members are elected to two-year terms; there are no term limits. There are 63 seats in the Senate. Partisan com ...

and the

New York State Assembly The New York State Assembly is the lower house of the New York State Legislature, with the New York State Senate being the upper house. There are 150 seats in the Assembly. Assembly members serve two-year terms without term limits. The Assem ...

, met from January 9, 1991, to December 31, 1992, during the ninth and tenth years of

Mario Cuomo Mario Matthew Cuomo (, ; June 15, 1932 – January 1, 2015) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 52nd governor of New York for three terms, from 1983 to 1994. A member of the Democratic Party, Cuomo previously served as t ...

governorship A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

, in Albany.

Background

Under the provisions of the

New York Constitution The Constitution of the State of New York establishes the structure of the government of the State of New York, and enumerates the basic rights of the citizens of New York. Like most state constitutions in the United States, New York's constituti ...

of 1938 and the U.S. Supreme Court decision to follow the

One man, one vote "One man, one vote", or "one person, one vote", expresses the principle that individuals should have equal representation in voting. This slogan is used by advocates of political equality to refer to such electoral reforms as universal suffrage, ...

rule, re-apportioned in 1982 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 Democratic Party most often refers to: *Democratic Party (United States) Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to: Active parties Africa *Botswana Democratic Party *Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea *Gabonese Democratic Party *Demo ...

and the Republican Party. The

Conservative Party The Conservative Party is a name used by many political parties around the world. These political parties are generally right-wing though their exact ideologies can range from center-right to far-right. Political parties called The Conservative P ...

, the Right to Life Party, the

Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. __TOC__ Active liberal parties This is a li ...

, the

New Alliance Party The New Alliance Party (NAP) was an American political party formed in New York City in 1979. Its immediate precursor was an umbrella organization known as the Labor Community Alliance for Change, whose member groups included the Coalition of G ...

, the

Libertarian Party Active parties by country Defunct parties by country Organizations associated with Libertarian parties See also * Liberal parties by country * List of libertarian organizations * Lists of political parties Lists of political part ...

, and the Socialist Workers Party also nominated tickets.

Elections

The New York state election, 1990, was held on November 6. Governor

and Lieutenant Governor Stan Lundine were re-elected, both Democrats. The elections to the other two statewide elective offices resulted in the re-election of the two incumbent officeholders: a Republican Comptroller, and a Democratic Attorney General. The approximate party strength at this election, as expressed by the vote for Governor, was: Democrats 2,086,000; Republicans 866,000; Conservatives 828,000; Right to Life 138,000; Liberals 71,000; New Alliance 31,000; Libertarians 25,000; and Socialist Workers 13,000. 22 of the sitting 23 women members of the legislature—State Senators

Mary B. Goodhue Mary Elizabeth Goodhue ('' née'' Brier; July 24, 1921 – March 24, 2004) was an American lawyer and politician from New York. Early life Mary was born on July 24, 1921, in London, England to American parents. She was a daughter of Ernest Brie ...

(Rep.), a lawyer of

Mount Kisco Mount Kisco is a village and town in Westchester County, New York, United States. The town of Mount Kisco is coterminous with the village. The population was 10,959 at the 2020 United States census over 10,877 at the 2010 census. It serves as a ...

;

Nancy Larraine Hoffmann Nancy Larraine Hoffmann (born September 22, 1947, Needham, Massachusetts) is a Republican former New York State Senator from central New York. Career Hoffmann was a member of the Syracuse, New York City Council. She was first elected to the New Y ...

(Dem.), of

Syracuse Syracuse may refer to: Places Italy *Syracuse, Sicily, or spelled as ''Siracusa'' *Province of Syracuse United States *Syracuse, New York **East Syracuse, New York **North Syracuse, New York *Syracuse, Indiana * Syracuse, Kansas *Syracuse, Miss ...

; Olga A. Méndez (Dem.), of

East Harlem East Harlem, also known as Spanish Harlem or and historically known as Italian Harlem, is a neighborhood of Upper Manhattan, New York City, roughly encompassing the area north of the Upper East Side and bounded by 96th Street to the south, F ...

;

Velmanette Montgomery Velmanette Montgomery (born December 22, 1942) is an American Democratic Party politician who represented the 25th district of the New York State Senate from 1984 until 2020. The district comprised Fort Greene, Boerum Hill, Red Hook, Bedfor ...

(Dem.), of

Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

;

Suzi Oppenheimer Suzanne "Suzi" Oppenheimer (born December 13, 1934) is an American politician from New York, who served from 1985 to 2012 in the New York State Senate. Early life and education Oppenheimer was born on December 13, 1934, in New York City. She a ...

(Dem.), of

Mamaroneck Mamaroneck ( ) is a town in Westchester County, New York, United States. The population was 31,758 at the 2020 United States census over 29,156 at the 2010 census. There are two villages contained within the town: Larchmont and the Village of M ...

; and Ada L. Smith (Dem.), of

Queens Queens is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Queens County, in the U.S. state of New York. Located on Long Island, it is the largest New York City borough by area. It is bordered by the borough of Brooklyn at the western tip of Long ...

; and Assemblywomen

Barbara M. Clark Barbara M. Clark (June 12, 1939 – February 22, 2016) represented New York State Assembly District 33, which comprises Bellerose, Cambria Heights, Hollis and St. Albans, among other neighborhoods located in Queens County, New York. Biogr ...

(Dem.), of

;

Elizabeth Connelly Elizabeth Ann "Betty" Connelly (June 19, 1928 – May 25, 2006) was a politician from Staten Island, New York who represented the North Shore community from 1973 to 2000. She was the first woman to win elective office to any district encompassing ...

(Dem.), of

Staten Island Staten Island ( ) is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Richmond County, in the U.S. state of New York. Located in the city's southwest portion, the borough is separated from New Jersey by the Arthur Kill and the Kill Van Kull an ...

; Geraldine L. Daniels (Dem.), of

the Bronx The Bronx () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the state of New York. It is south of Westchester County; north and east of the New York City borough of Manhattan, across the Harlem River; and north of the New Y ...

; Gloria Davis (Dem.), of

;

Eileen C. Dugan Eileen C. Dugan (April 15, 1945 – November 8, 1996) was an American politician from New York. Life She was born on April 15, 1945, in Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn, New York City. the daughter of James Brian Dugan and Anne Dugan (Née Cunningham). ...

(Dem.), of

;

Aurelia Greene Aurelia Greene (October 26, 1934 – May 8, 2021) represented District 77 in the New York State Assembly, which comprises the Highbridge, Morrisania, and Morris Heights sections of The Bronx. She had been representing her district since 1982. ...

(Dem.), of

;

Earlene Hill Hooper Earlene Hill Hooper is an American politician who represented District 18 in the New York State Assembly from 1988 to 2018. Hooper's district included large portions of Nassau County. Hooper served as the first female Deputy Speaker of the Asse ...

(Dem.), of Hempstead;

Rhoda S. Jacobs Rhoda S. Jacobs (born September 29, 1936) is an American politician from New York. A Democrat, she was until 2014 a member of the New York State Assembly from the 42nd Assembly District in Brooklyn, which primarily includes the neighborhoods of ...

(Dem.), of

; Cynthia Jenkins (Dem.), a librarian of

; Helen M. Marshall (Dem.), a teacher and librarian of

; Nettie Mayersohn (Dem.), of

;

Patricia McGee Patricia K. "Pat" McGee (October 12, 1934 – April 2, 2005) was a longtime New York State Assemblywoman and Senator from Franklinville, New York. Political career McGee was a registered Republican for her entire political career, and was fr ...

(Rep.), of Franklinville;

Catherine Nolan Catherine T. Nolan (born March 12, 1958) is an American politician who serves as the Deputy Speaker of the New York State Assembly. Nolan represents the 37th Assembly District, which includes the Queens neighborhoods of Sunnyside, Ridgewood, ...

(Dem.), of

; Audrey Pheffer (Dem.), of

;

Cecile D. Singer Cecile D. Singer (born c. 1929) is an American politician from New York. Life She was born about 1929. The family lived in Forest Hills, Queens. She graduated from Queens College CUNY. She married David H. Singer (1924–2009), and they had two ...

(Rep.), of

Yonkers Yonkers () is a city in Westchester County, New York, United States. Developed along the Hudson River, it is the third most populous city in the state of New York, after New York City and Buffalo. The population of Yonkers was 211,569 as enu ...

; and

Helene Weinstein Helene E. Weinstein (born September 6, 1952) is an American politician who represents District 41 in the New York State Assembly, which comprises Sheepshead Bay, Flatlands, East Flatbush, Midwood and Canarsie. Biography First elected in 1980, ...

(Dem.), a lawyer of

—were re-elected. Nancy Calhoun (Rep.), of Blooming Grove; Joan Christensen (Dem.), of

; Vivian E. Cook (Dem.) of

; Deborah J. Glick (Dem.), of

Manhattan Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...

; Susan V. John (Dem.), of

Rochester Rochester may refer to: Places Australia * Rochester, Victoria Canada * Rochester, Alberta United Kingdom *Rochester, Kent ** City of Rochester-upon-Medway (1982–1998), district council area ** History of Rochester, Kent ** HM Prison ...

; and

Frances T. Sullivan Frances T. Sullivan ( Taylor) is an American politician from New York. Life She was born Frances Taylor in Volney, Oswego County, New York, the daughter of Elmer E. Taylor (died 1994) and Marion (Foster) Taylor (1922–2014). She graduated B.A ...

(Rep.), of

Fulton Fulton may refer to: People * Robert Fulton (1765–1815), American engineer and inventor who developed the first commercially successful steam-powered ship * Fulton (surname) Given name * Fulton Allem (born 1957), South African golfer * Fult ...

; were also elected to the Assembly. The New York state election, 1991, was held on November 5. Three vacancies in the Assembly were filled. Assemblywoman Helen M. Marshall was elected to the

New York City Council The New York City Council is the lawmaking body of New York City. It has 51 members from 51 council districts throughout the five Borough (New York City), boroughs. The council serves as a check against the Mayor of New York City, mayor in a may ...

. On January 28, 1992, Joni A. Yoswein (Dem.), of

, was elected to fill a vacancy in the Assembly. Thus the 189th Legislature began and ended with 28 women members, setting a new record.

Sessions

The Legislature met for the first regular session (the 214th) at the State Capitol in Albany on January 9, 1991; and recessed indefinitely in the early morning of July 4.

Mel Miller Melvin Howard Miller (July 24, 1939 – March 8, 2019) was an American lawyer and politician. Life Miller was born on July 24, 1939, in Brooklyn, New York City. He graduated from Brooklyn College in 1961 and the New York University School of La ...

(Dem.) was re-elected Speaker of the Assembly.

Ralph J. Marino Ralph John Marino (January 2, 1928 – April 6, 2002) was an American lawyer and politician from New York. He was Temporary President of the New York State Senate from 1989 to 1994. Life Marino was born on January 2, 1928, in Rochester, New Y ...

(Rep.) was re-elected Temporary President of the Senate. On December 13, 1991, Speaker Mel Miller was convicted of a

felony A felony is traditionally considered a crime of high seriousness, whereas a misdemeanor is regarded as less serious. The term "felony" originated from English common law (from the French medieval word "félonie") to describe an offense that resu ...

, and thus vacated his seat in the Assembly. On December 16, 1991, Saul Weprin (Dem.) was elected Speaker. The Legislature met for the second regular session (the 215th) at the State Capitol in Albany on January 8, 1992; and recessed indefinitely on July 3. In June, the Legislature re-apportioned the legislative districts. On June 24, 1992, the

U.S. Department of Justice The United States Department of Justice (DOJ), also known as the Justice Department, is a federal executive department of the United States government tasked with the enforcement of federal law and administration of justice in the United State ...

approved the redrawn districts with one exception. On June 30, 1992, the

New York Court of Appeals The New York Court of Appeals is the highest court in the Unified Court System of the State of New York. The Court of Appeals consists of seven judges: the Chief Judge and six Associate Judges who are appointed by the Governor and confirmed by t ...

also validated the new apportionment. The Legislature met again from July 28 to 30, 1992.''Albany Approves Fiscal Package for Suffolk and Jobs Bond Act''
by Sarah Lyall, in ''The New York Times'' on July 31, 1992

State Senate

Senators

The asterisk (*) denotes members of the previous Legislature who continued in office as members of this Legislature. Joseph R. Holland, William J. Larkin Jr., Stephen M. Saland and William R. Sears changed from the Assembly to the Senate. Note: For brevity, the chairmanships omit the words "...the Committee on (the)..."

Employees

* Secretary:

Stephen F. Sloan Stephen or Steven is a common English given name, first name. It is particularly significant to Christianity, Christians, as it belonged to Saint Stephen ( grc-gre, Στέφανος ), an early disciple and deacon who, according to the Book of Ac ...

State Assembly

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 (the)..."

Employees

Clerk A clerk is a white-collar worker who conducts general office tasks, or a worker who performs similar sales-related tasks in a retail environment. The responsibilities of clerical workers commonly include record keeping, filing, staffing service ...

Francine Misasi Francine M. Misasi (May 25, 1944 – June 10, 2001) was an American politician from New York. Life She was born on May 25, 1944, in Glasco, Ulster County, New York. She graduated from Saugerties High School in 1962. In 1973, she moved to Alba ...

Notes

Sources

''The 1990 Elections: New York; The Legislature; G.O.P. Adds to Senate Majority While Democrats Keep Control of Assembly''
by Kevin Sack, in ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' on November 7, 1990
Members of the New York State Assembly 1991
at

UCSF The University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) is a public land-grant research university in San Francisco, California. It is part of the University of California system and is dedicated entirely to health science and life science. It condu ...

library {{NYLegislatures 189 1991 establishments in New York (state) 1992 disestablishments in New York (state) 1991 politics in New York (state) 1992 politics in New York (state) 1991 U.S. legislative sessions 1992 U.S. legislative sessions