Albany, New York – On June 8, 2016, New York State Assembly passed A9538, legislation sponsored by Assembly Member Rebecca A. Seawright that would identify how many policy-making positions are held by women as compared to men in New York State Government. The bill, if signed into law, compels 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 sits in 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 served in New York State as governor, attorney general, or comptroller and less than 30% 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 steps to promote equality 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.”