The New York Legislature Last Overrode a Veto in 2006

New York’s constitution requires the approval of two-thirds of both houses of the legislature to override a veto by the governor. Democrats in the NYS Senate and Assembly will have such super majorities when the new legislature is seated in January 2027. This has spurred speculation in the press about the legislature potentially overriding some of Governor Hochul’s vetoes. Don’t hold your breath, the last time the legislature overrode a gubernatorial veto was in 2006, when Democratic super majorities overrode Republican George Pataki.

Not since 1982 has a Democratic governor’s veto been overriden. In the midst of a dire fiscal crises, Hugh Carey’ was overriden multiple times by bipartisan votes in the Republican Senate and Democratic Assembly. (1982 Senate: 35 GOP and 25 Dems. 1982 Assembly: 88 Dems and 62 GOP.) Notably, the bulk of these overrides were to sustain legislative additions to the state budget. If today’s Democratic super majorities in the senate or assembly were serious about confronting the governor’s dominance in the increasingly important budget process they could also override her veto of their proposed changes. Or, they could roll over and complain about how they were powerless because of the 2001 Silver vs Pataki decision.

Yes, the Democratic led legislature is meek. Nationally, state legislatures override about one in twenty vetoes in 2020 and it’s probably close to that today. In the 2025-2026 session, Governor Hochul vetoed 141 bills. If New York’s legislature was as assertive as other state legislatures, they would override about seven vetoes a year and have overriden about 140 vetoes, instead of zero, since 2026.