How to Pass a Bill

BREAKING: NYS Assembly has passed Medical Aid in Dying! Now we turn to the Senate!

The Assembly, with its 150 members, and the Senate, with its 62 members, make up the New York State Legislature. Members of both houses are up for election every two years.

In the Assembly, the member presiding over the legislative session is known as the Speaker. In New York, the Speaker of the Assembly is Carl Heastie. The Speaker is elected for a two-year term by their colleagues.

In the Senate, the lieutenant governor presides, but the Senate Majority Leader is the person whose work most closely parallels that of the Speaker of the Assembly. New York's Senate Majority Leader is Andrea Stewart-Cousins. Both the Speaker and the Majority Leader have the power to create committees and appoint legislators to serve on those committees, while also holding various other responsibilities.

The Legislature attends session in Albany until its business for that year is concluded, usually in June. Lawmakers release a calendar for the upcoming session in mid-December.

Click here to view the 2025 Legislative calendar!

So how does a bill become law in New York?

NOTE: This is the conventional way a bill becomes law, but there is room for variation in this process.

This is why it is so crucial that you are tuned in with us for frequent updates about the status of this bill!

An idea for a bill is submitted to the Bill Drafting Commission, where it is translated into formal language.
Then the legislation is introduced and assigned a bill number.
The bill is assigned to an appropriate committee for discussion and analysis. If a majority of members on the committee support it, the bill is reported to the floor. If not, it is said to have “died in committee.” Committees are an essential part of the state Legislature, and both houses use the committee system to accomplish work. You can think of the committee system as a screening process during which smaller groups of legislators closely scrutinize bills. Bills are assigned to committees based on the subject they address. For example, the Medical Aid in Dying Act would go first before the Health committees in both houses.
A final version of the bill must age for at least three days before being voted on, unless the governor authorizes and the Assembly/Senate accepts a Message of Necessity for that bill.
The bill reaches the floor for debate and vote.
If a bill passes the Assembly, it is sent on to the Senate, or vice versa, where it goes through a similar process. If both houses pass an identical bill, it is then sent to the governor for their signature.
The governor can sign a bill, veto it, or give it “pocket approval,” which means if the governor fails to act on a bill within 10 days of receiving it, the bill is automatically approved. If the governor vetoes a bill, it can still become a law if a two-thirds majority of both houses votes in favor of the bill. This is known as an override.
The bill, once signed by the governor, becomes law.

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So how does a bill become law in New York?

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