John J. Bonacic (born June 14, 1942 in
New York City) is a retired politician from New York. A Republican, Bonacic represented
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 ...
District 42 District 42 may refer to:
* California's 42nd congressional district
* Maryland Legislative District 42
* Pennsylvania Senate, District 42
* Texas's 42nd House of Representatives district
* School District 42 Maple Ridge-Pitt Meadows
School Di ...
(which includes all or parts of
Delaware,
Sullivan,
Orange, and
Ulster Counties) from November 1998 to 2018. Prior to his Senate service, Bonacic served in the New York State Assembly.
Personal life and education
Bonacic's grandparents were immigrants from
Croatia.
[Dnevno.hr](_blank)
Ratko Martinović: Loš PR u dijaspori - Koje su svjetski poznate osobe podrijetlom Hrvati, a da to niste ni znali, 28. listopada 2012. (Croatian) He received his
Bachelor of Arts from
Iona College
Iona University is a Private university, private Catholic Church, Roman Catholic university with a main campus in New Rochelle, New York. It was founded in 1940 by the Congregation of Christian Brothers and occupies a campus of in New Rochell ...
in 1964, majoring in
Economics. He received his
JD at
Fordham University School of Law in 1968.
Political career
On February 20, 1990, Bonacic was elected to 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 ...
, to fill the vacancy caused by the election of
Mary M. McPhillips
Mary M. McPhillips is a politician from Middletown, Orange County, New York.
Political career
She entered politics as a Democrat, and was a member of the New York State Assembly (94th D.) from 1983 to 1989, sitting in the 185th, 186th, 187 ...
as Orange County Executive. Bonacic was re-elected four times and remained in the Assembly until 1998, sitting in the
188th,
189th,
190th,
191st and
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.
Backgr ...
s. In November 1998, he was elected to 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 ...
.
Bonacic, a Republican, was the Chair of the Senate Racing, Gaming, and Wagering Committee. He sponsored a bill that would legalize online poker. He supported the opening of a casino in Sullivan County, New York.
While Bonacic cast a procedural vote against a 2013 bill that would have expanded abortion rights, he expressed support for the Reproductive Health Act in 2016. At a January 25, 2016 gathering of abortion advocates in Albany, the Senator commented, "'Both my daughter and my bride of 50 years believe in pro-choice and we should never deprive women of access of health care that they choose and their medical providers say is best for them.'" In 2015, Bonacic introduced a bill to legalize physician-assisted suicide.
In 2011, Bonacic voted against allowing same-sex marriage in New York in a roll-call vote on the Marriage Equality Act, which passed in a close 33-29 vote.
On May 6, 2018, Bonacic announced that he would not seek re-election in November 2018.
See also
*
List of Croatian Americans
*
List of Fordham University School of Law alumni
*
List of Iona College alumni
The following is a list of notable graduates of Iona University:
Academics
* Abraham V. M, Vice-chancellor of Christ University, Bangalore.
* Regis J. Armstrong, professor at The Catholic University of America, expert on St. Francis of Assis ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bonacic, John
1942 births
Living people
Fordham University School of Law alumni
Iona College (New York) alumni
Republican Party members of the New York State Assembly
Republican Party New York (state) state senators
People from Mount Hope, New York
County legislators in New York (state)
American people of Croatian descent
21st-century American politicians