What's happening
This bill proposes a constitutional amendment requiring New York state and local officials to resign before running for U.S. president.
Why it matters
Could limit the pool of presidential candidates from New York. By requiring current state and local officials to resign before running, this amendment might discourage some from seeking the presidency due to the personal and professional risks of leaving their existing roles with no guarantee of winning higher office.
Impacts political strategy and succession planning. Elected officials would need to weigh the consequences of leaving their posts mid-term, which could lead to shifts in local or state governance and potentially trigger special elections or appointments to fill vacancies.
Aims to prevent conflicts of interest and divided attention. The proposal addresses concerns that state and local officials might use their current office or resources to advance a presidential campaign, or that their official duties could suffer due to campaign demands.
Makes New York’s rules stricter than federal requirements. The U.S. Constitution does not require state officials to resign to run for president, so this amendment would hold New York politicians to a higher standard than those in many other states, potentially affecting New York’s influence in national politics.
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Who cares
Headline styles
Resign to Run for President
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
No co-sponsors yet.
History
- Opinion referred to judiciary
- To attorney-general for opinion
- Referred to judiciary
- Opinion referred to judiciary
- To attorney-general for opinion
- Referred to judiciary
Full text
1 pageUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
6138
2019-2020 Regular Sessions
IN SENATE
May 16, 2019
Introduced by Sen. LANZA -- 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 the constitution, in relation to eligibility to run for president of the United States
Section 1. Resolved (if the Assembly concur), That the constitution be amended by adding a new article XIII-A to read as follows:
ARTICLE XIII-A
RUNNING FOR PUBLIC OFFICE
Section 1. No individual currently serving in an office of the state or local government representing the state of New York may concurrently run for the office of president of the United States. Such individual may first declare the intention to run for the office of president of the United States; provided that upon such declaration such individual must thereafter resign his or her official position. For purposes of this section the terms "office of the state or local government" shall include, but not be limited to: governor, lieutenant governor, comptroller, attorney general, members of the state legislature, and local and state officers.
§ 2. Resolved (if the Assembly concur), That the foregoing amendment be referred to the first regular legislative session convening after the next succeeding general election of members of the assembly, and, in conformity with section 1 of article 19 of the constitution, be published for 3 months previous to the time of such election.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD89137-05-9
Reflowed for reading: line numbers and page breaks removed. Cite the official text.
Sponsor's memo
Title of bill
CONCURRENT RESOLUTION OF THE SENATE AND ASSEMBLY proposing an amendment to the constitution, in relation to eligibility to run for president of the United States
Purpose or general idea of bill
Relates to eligibility requirements to run for the office of president of the United States.
Summary of specific provisions
Section one amends the state constitution by adding a new article XIII-A, Running for Public Office.
Section two is the effective date.
Justification
This bill would require any person in New York State currently holding an local or state office and runs for President of the United States of America that they must resign their office or position. Running for election for the Presidency of the United States requires a candidate to spend nearly all of their time, sometimes for a period of years outside of the State of New York. This time constraint places an individual in direct conflict with their local or state government responsibilities. New Yorkers deserve to have state and local public officers represent them and expect them to do the job they were selected to do.
Legislative history
New bill.
Fiscal implications
None.
Effective date
Resolved if the Senate / Assembly concur, That the foregoing amendment be referred to the first regular legislative session convening after the next succeeding general election of members of the assembly, and , in conformity with section 1 of article 19 of the constitution, be published for 3 months previous to the time of such election.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.