R Sen. Thomas F. O'Mara
Key Issues
Financial services industry job losses
Corporate tax competitiveness
Excelsior Jobs Program
Film Tax Credit return on investment
Pass-through entity tax timing
Manufacturers tax parity
City of Yes program vagueness and detail
Sustainable Futures Program funding
Upstate energy capacity and housing development
Corrections officer workplace safety and HALT Act impacts
Double and triple shift requirements and labor law violations
Department of Labor engagement in prison safety
Hiring Pennsylvania residents as correction officers
Criminal justice reform legislation consequences
cannabis enforcement and unlicensed operators
From committee hearings, floor debate, and bill sponsorship.
Legislative Activity (2025–2026)
Floor votes
1,443
Party alignment
91.8%
Hearing engagements
0
Bills sponsored
0
Floor mentions
7
Based on complete Senate roll call records.
Top Co-Sponsors
District 58 Profile
Population
326,334
Median income
$63,542
Median rent
$873
Homeownership
73.3%
Education (BA+)
25.1%
Poverty rate
13.9%
Voter Registration
Demographics
White
91.3%
Black
2.7%
Hispanic
2.6%
Asian
1.3%
Voting Record
1030 Aye
413 Nay
0 Excused
Dissenting Votes by Topic
Environmental Conservation
28 nay
Public Health
26 nay
General Business
22 nay
Resolutions, Senate
22 nay
Election
21 nay
Education
19 nay
Executive
18 nay
Public Service
16 nay
Tax
15 nay
Correction
13 nay
Labor
12 nay
Real Property Taxation
12 nay
Criminal Procedure
11 nay
Public Authorities
11 nay
Civil Practice Law and Rules
10 nay
General Municipal
9 nay
Taxation
8 nay
Budget Bills
6 nay
Penal
6 nay
Real Property Tax
6 nay
Social Services
6 nay
Vehicle and Traffic
6 nay
Judiciary
5 nay
Real Property Actions and Proceedings
5 nay
Real Property
5 nay
Cannabis
4 nay
Insurance
4 nay
New York City Administrative Code
4 nay
Workers' Compensation
4 nay
Banking
3 nay
Civil Rights
3 nay
Estates, Powers and Trusts
3 nay
General Obligations
3 nay
Legislative
3 nay
Multiple Dwelling
3 nay
Public Housing
3 nay
Surrogate's Court Procedure Act
3 nay
Arts and Cultural Affairs
2 nay
Domestic Relations
2 nay
Emergency Tenant Protection Act of 1974
2 nay
Energy
2 nay
Energy
2 nay
Environmental Conservation
2 nay
Family Court Act
2 nay
Lien
2 nay
Public Officers
2 nay
Public Services
2 nay
Transportation
2 nay
33 additional dissenting votes across other topics
From 1,443 recorded floor votes via OpenLeg API. Dissenting votes grouped by law section to reveal policy patterns.
Floor Speeches: In Support (1)
While supporting the extender to ensure state workers are paid, expressed concern about the lack of detail on $45 million in salary allocations and the need for greater transparency in extenders passed under message of necessity.
Floor Speeches: In Opposition (7)
A8193
An act in relation to authorizing the assessor of the Town of Brookhaven to accept an application for a real property tax exemption
2025-06-13
PASSED
Voted in the negative on the measure.
S8421
Customer Savings and Reliability Act (formerly New York HEAT Act) - An act to amend the Public Service Law
2025-06-12
PASSED
Questioned the timing given NYISO's recent warnings about grid adequacy and the incomplete State Energy Plan. Expressed concern about involuntary disconnections after 2030 and the lack of clear definitions for 'region,' 'community,' and 'neighborhood.' Noted the premature closure of Indian Point has increased peaker plant emissions and questioned whether the bill adequately addresses backup power needs.
Voted in opposition to the measure.
Criticized the rushed process, noting the financial plan was received at 3 a.m. with only hours for review. Argued that spending has increased 50-65% over seven years under one-party control and questioned the lack of preparation for potential federal cuts.
S3005C
Public Protection/General Government Budget Bill - an act to amend Chapter 887 of the Laws of 1983
2025-05-07
PASSED
Criticized the exclusion of corrections officers from pension enhancements given their dire staffing needs and unsafe working conditions. Noted NYC corrections has lost half its staff since 2019 and questioned why corrections officers were not included in the pension improvements.
Committee Hearing Engagement (9)
| Date | Committee | Engagement | Stance | Focus Areas | Summary |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-02-27 | Senate Finance Committee and Assembly Ways and Means Committee (Joint) | high | opposed | Financial services industry job losses Corporate tax competitiveness Excelsior Jobs Program Film Tax Credit return on investment Pass-through entity tax timing Manufacturers tax parity | Sen. O'Mara expressed concern about New York losing financial services jobs to Texas and questioned whether higher corporate taxes are driving businesses away. He challenged the Commissioner's assertion that corporate tax reforms have helped, noting that Texas now has more financial services jobs than New York. He advocated for the Excelsior Jobs Program and questioned the Film Tax Credit's negative return on investment. |
| 2025-02-27 | Joint Legislative Hearing - Senate Finance Committee and Assembly Ways and Means Committee | moderate | skeptical | City of Yes program vagueness and detail Sustainable Futures Program funding Upstate energy capacity and housing development | Sen. O'Mara expressed concern about the lack of detail in the City of Yes program and other large budget allocations. He called for more specific spending plans and highlighted upstate concerns about energy capacity for housing development. |
| 2025-02-26 | Senate Finance Committee and Assembly Ways and Means Committee | high | opposed | Corrections officer workplace safety and HALT Act impacts Double and triple shift requirements and labor law violations Department of Labor engagement in prison safety Hiring Pennsylvania residents as correction officers Criminal justice reform legislation consequences | Sen. O'Mara was highly critical of the DOL's lack of engagement with corrections officer safety issues, arguing that extended shifts and unsafe conditions violate labor laws. He blamed criminal justice reforms (particularly HALT) for exacerbating conditions and called for more proactive DOL involvement. |
| 2025-02-26 | New York State Senate Finance Committee and Assembly Ways and Means Committee | moderate | supportive | cannabis enforcement and unlicensed operators OCM organizational structure LECOM support for rural healthcare | Sen. O'Mara praised OCM's enforcement efforts and LECOM's commitment to rural healthcare, while seeking clarification on OCM's organizational structure for enforcement and compliance functions. |
| 2025-02-06 | Joint Legislative Hearing - Senate Finance Committee and Assembly Ways and Means Committee | moderate | supportive | CHIPS funding increases Electric vehicle infrastructure Railcar manufacturing in New York Advanced Clean Truck Rule implementation | Ranking Member O'Mara focused on upstate infrastructure needs and manufacturing. He advocated for CHIPS funding increases and questioned the feasibility of EV charging infrastructure for heavy-duty vehicles. He expressed support for New York-based railcar manufacturers. |
| 2025-02-05 | Senate Finance Committee and Assembly Ways and Means Committee | moderate | skeptical | COLA adequacy Workforce pay disparity Rural mental health services Drug courts | Sen. O'Mara questioned the adequacy of the 2.1 percent increase and expressed frustration about the persistent gap between state and nonprofit worker pay. He noted the recurring nature of these budget discussions. |
| 2025-02-04 | Joint Legislative Hearing - Senate Finance Committee and Assembly Ways and Means Committee | moderate | skeptical | unfunded mandates Medicaid eFMAP funding | Sen. O'Mara asked about county unfunded mandates and Medicaid funding issues, seeking commitment to property tax reduction if mandates funded. |
| 2025-01-28 | FINANCE | high | skeptical | Advanced Clean Trucks impact Peanut the Squirrel investigation Greenidge Power Plant litigation CLCPA costs and transparency utility rate increases Champlain Hudson Power Express costs | Ranker O'Mara expressed skepticism about CLCPA implementation and costs, questioning whether ratepayers understand what they're paying for and advocating for greater transparency. |
| 2025-01-27 | Senate Finance Committee and Assembly Ways and Means Committee (Joint) | high | skeptical | Apple Growers Association funding cuts Farm Viability Institute funding ORDA ski resort funding and private sector competition Industrial hemp support | Ranker O'Mara questioned significant line-item cuts to agricultural programs and raised concerns about fairness of state funding to ORDA ski facilities versus private ski operations. He expressed support for hemp industry development. |