June 9, 2025: The New York State Senate passed the Medical Aid in Dying Act by a vote of 35 to 27 late this evening. Although passage was virtually assured in advance, the final vote could not be predicted.
The day began with a gathering of advocates from around the state at a press conference. The bill’s Senate sponsor, Brad Hoylman-Sigal led the event. In the photo, Senator Jessica Scarcella-Spanton (the prime cosponsor) is on the left, and Assemblymember Amy Paulin (the sponsor in the Assembly) is just right of center. Campaign Director Corinne Carey is on the right.
The Senate’s session began at 2:30 PM, but consideration of the bill did not begin until about 7:00 PM. Advocates were present in both galleries overlooking the Senate floor, as were some members of an opposition group. The debate consisted mostly of Senators who opposed the bill asking pointed questions of Senator Hoylman-Sigal. This was followed by a voting period in which some Senators rose to explain their vote.
An official video of the session is available on Youtube HERE, beginning at time marker 2:15:20. Among local senators,
• Senator Ashby asked very pointed questions for more than 15 minutes, indicating that he would vote against the bill, beginning at 3:02:53
• Senator Tedisco explained some reasons why he was voting against the bill, beginning at 4:31:55
• Senator Fahy said that the decision was very difficult for her, and she explained why she voted for the bill, beginning at 4:34:10
The session ended with Senator Hoylman-Sigal, the bill sponsor, explaining his vote for the bill beginning at 4:45:13. This was immediately followed by the announcement of the count of the votes.
As in the Assembly, no Republicans voted for the bill — although several had indicated that they would. Six Democrats voted against the bill. Toward the end of the campaign, phone-banking operations involving advocates and staff targeted six or seven Senators whose support was uncertain. All but one of these Senators voted for the bill.
Having passed the Assembly on April 29, the bill — now officially referred to by the Assembly number (A.136) — will eventually be sent to and received by the Governor. The process by which the Governor considers whether to sign the bill, or not, is governed by formal rules and less-formal procedures.
As written, the bill will become law and go into effect as soon as the Governor signs the bill. Knowledgeable observers think that this will happen much later in the year.