Albany, New York – On June 6, 2018, Assembly Bill 5487, legislation introduced by Assembly Member Rebecca A. Seawright that would identify how many policy-making positions are held by women in New York State Government passed the Senate and will be delivered to the Governor for consideration and action. The bill would compel the Secretary of State to compile a list of positions subjected to the Public Officers Law Section 73-a and a representation of policy-making positions held by women compared to policy-making positions held by men. The compilation will track the length of time an individual maintains his or her position and compare the amount of positions held by men and women on the Department of State’s website. Making this information available will allow us to continue to push for gender equality in government, exposing where more work needs to be done to enable women to achieve leadership positions.

“No woman has ever been elected in New York State as governor, attorney general or comptroller, and less than 30 percent of members of the New York State Legislature are women,” Seawright said. “It is time to identify where in government gender equality is lacking, and pursue the necessary adjustments to better reflect gender realities in our society. I am hopeful that, by tracking this information and making it publicly available, our state will clear the path of inequities and enable all women to achieve their fullest potential.”