Establishes term limits for the offices of governor, attorney-general and comptroller; limits the amount of time any person can act as governor; limits terms of office of members of the legislature.
STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
1587
2025-2026 Regular Sessions
IN SENATE
January 10, 2025
___________
Introduced by Sens. GRIFFO, GALLIVAN, ORTT, WALCZYK -- read twice and
ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on
Judiciary
CONCURRENT RESOLUTION OF THE SENATE AND ASSEMBLY
proposing an amendment to section 1 of article 4 of the constitution, in
relation to term limits for the office of governor; proposing an
amendment to section 1 of article 5 of the constitution, in relation
to term limits for the offices of comptroller and attorney-general;
and proposing an amendment to section 2 of article 3 of the constitu-
tion, in relation to limiting the terms of office as a member of the
legislature any person may serve
1 Section 1. Resolved (if the Assembly concur), That section 1 of arti-
2 cle 4 of the constitution be amended to read as follows:
3 Section 1. The executive power shall be vested in the governor, who
4 shall hold office for four years; the lieutenant-governor shall be
5 chosen at the same time, and for the same term. The governor and lieu-
6 tenant-governor shall be chosen at the general election held in the year
7 nineteen hundred thirty-eight, and each fourth year thereafter. They
8 shall be chosen jointly, by the casting by each voter of a single vote
9 applicable to both offices, and the legislature by law shall provide for
10 making such choice in such manner. The respective persons having the
11 highest number of votes cast jointly for them for governor and lieuten-
12 ant-governor respectively shall be elected. No person shall be elected
13 to the office of the governor more than twice, and no person who has
14 held the office of governor or acted as governor for more than two years
15 of a term to which another person was elected governor shall be elected
16 more than once. The limitation on the terms of office that any person
17 can be elected to the office of governor shall not apply to any person
18 holding the office of governor on the effective date of this sentence.
19 Provided, further, that a person who has been twice elected to the
20 office of governor and who is in the line of succession to such office,
21 pursuant to section six of this article, shall be passed over in the
22 line of succession and the next person in the line of succession shall
23 act as governor.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD89023-01-5
S. 1587 2
1 § 2. Resolved (if the Assembly concur), That section 1 of article 5 of
2 the constitution be amended to read as follows:
3 Section 1. The comptroller and attorney-general shall be chosen at the
4 same general election as the governor and hold office for the same term,
5 and shall possess the qualifications provided in section 2 of article
6 IV. The legislature shall provide for filling vacancies in the office of
7 comptroller and of attorney-general. No election of a comptroller or an
8 attorney-general shall be had except at the time of electing a governor.
9 No person shall be elected to the office of comptroller or attorney-gen-
10 eral who has previously been elected to such office more than once. The
11 limitation on the terms of office that any person can be elected to the
12 office of comptroller or attorney-general shall not apply to any person
13 holding the office of comptroller or attorney-general on the effective
14 date of this sentence. The comptroller shall be required: (1) to audit
15 all vouchers before payment and all official accounts; (2) to audit the
16 accrual and collection of all revenues and receipts; and (3) to
17 prescribe such methods of accounting as are necessary for the perform-
18 ance of the foregoing duties. The payment of any money of the state, or
19 of any money under its control, or the refund of any money paid to the
20 state, except upon audit by the comptroller, shall be void, and may be
21 restrained upon the suit of any taxpayer with the consent of the supreme
22 court in appellate division on notice to the attorney-general. In such
23 respect the legislature shall define the powers and duties and may also
24 assign to [him or her] the comptroller: (1) supervision of the accounts
25 of any political subdivision of the state; and (2) powers and duties
26 pertaining to or connected with the assessment and taxation of real
27 estate, including determination of ratios which the assessed valuation
28 of taxable real property bears to the full valuation thereof, but not
29 including any of those powers and duties reserved to officers of a coun-
30 ty, city, town or village by virtue of [sections seven and eight]
31 section one of article nine and section thirteen of article thirteen of
32 this constitution. The legislature shall assign to [him or her] the
33 comptroller no administrative duties, excepting such as may be inci-
34 dental to the performance of these functions, any other provision of
35 this constitution to the contrary notwithstanding.
36 § 3. Resolved (if the Assembly concur), That section 2 of article 3 of
37 the constitution be amended to read as follows:
38 § 2. The senate shall consist of fifty members, except as hereinafter
39 provided. The senators elected in the year one thousand eight hundred
40 and ninety-five shall hold their offices for three years, and their
41 successors shall be chosen for two years. The assembly shall consist of
42 one hundred and fifty members. The assembly members elected in the year
43 one thousand nine hundred and thirty-eight, and their successors, shall
44 be chosen for two years.
45 No person shall serve as a member of the legislature for more than six
46 two-year terms, whether such service is as a senator, assembly member,
47 or terms as a senator and an assembly member; provided that any partial
48 term of office held as a member of the legislature prior to the election
49 to a two-year term shall not be used to calculate any term limitation
50 imposed pursuant to this paragraph.
51 § 4. Resolved (if the Assembly concur), That the foregoing be
52 referred to the first regular legislative session convening after the
53 next succeeding general election of members of the assembly, and, in
54 conformity with section 1 of article 19 of the constitution, be
55 published for 3 months previous to the time of such election.
