Senate Bill S9293

                                 
BILL NUMBER: S9293

SPONSOR: SANDERS
 
TITLE OF BILL:

CONCURRENT RESOLUTION OF THE SENATE AND ASSEMBLY proposing an amendment
to section 2 of article 3 of the constitution, in relation to increasing
the terms of office of members of the senate to four years

 
PURPOSE::

To amend article III of the New York State Constitution to establish
four-year terms of office for state senators, reflecting the modern
workload and institutional responsibilities of the Senate and aligning
New York with national and state precedents for effective governance.

 
SUMMARY OF SPECIFIC PROVISIONS::

Section 1 - This concurrent resolution proposes to amend section 2 of
article III of the State Constitution to provide that state senators
shall be elected to four-year terms, beginning with the general election
in November 2028. The amendment applies prospectively and will be
              

submitted to voters for approval at the next general election following
passage by two consecutively elected Legislatures.

Section 2 provides the effective date.

 
JUSTIFICATION:

The New York State Senate serves as the upper chamber of the Legisla-
ture, patterned on the federal model where U.S. Senators serve staggered
six-year terms to promote institutional continuity and long-term
perspective. If the federal design recognizes the need for extended
terms in an upper legislative body, it is appropriate that New York's
Senate, with comparable responsibilities in budget oversight, complex
statutory frameworks, and multi-year policy implementation, be permitted
a longer term than the current two-year cycle. For the U.S. Senate,
six-year terms help stabilize governance and reduce perpetual campaign
pressures.

Across the states, a clear majority of upper chambers already operate
with four-year terms: 30 states have four-year state senate terms,
demonstrating broad precedent for this approach (e.g., California, Penn-
sylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin, Kentucky, West Virginia, Ohio, Washing-
ton, Oregon, and others).

Two-year terms were historically designed for smaller, part-time legis-
latures. Today's legislative workload encompassing oversight of multi-
hundred-billion-dollar budgets, emergency responses, extended regulatory
authority, and fiduciary oversight, requires extended tenures to ensure
meaningful continuity, institutional memory, and accountability. Extend-
ing terms will reduce perpetual campaign cycles that impede sustained
policy development and constituent service, while preserving robust
democratic accountability through regular elections.

 
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY::

New bill.

 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS::

None.

 
EFFECTIVE DATE::

Upon approval by the voters of the state; applicable to elections held
beginning in November 2028.