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Sen. Roxanne J. Persaud

District 19 Democrat Majority Conference Secretary First elected 2015

Roxanne J. Persaud, a Democrat first elected in 2015 and now in her tenth year representing the heavily Democratic SD-19 (D+70), chairs the Social Services Committee and has centered her 2025 legislative work on social services (21 bills), public health (17 bills), and education (7 bills), sponsoring 265 bills total, of which 7 were signed into law. Her 25 hearing engagements reflect active oversight across public assistance, shelter system performance, SNAP, transit reliability, and youth employment, and she has maintained a 99.9% party loyalty rate across 1,443 votes cast, though she broke with her caucus on two occasions. Persaud holds one of the safest seats in the chamber — rated Safe D across all 2026 electoral scenarios and uncontested in four of her last five general elections — representing a district that is 75.3% registered Democrat with a 19.8% poverty rate and 50.9% transit commute share. Her campaign finance total of $45,624 raised between 2022 and 2025 is relatively modest, with top donors including real estate figures The Durst Organization LP, Scott Rechler, and Marty Burger at $2,500 each, while the highest-volume lobbying contacts to her office concentrated in health insurance (306 contacts) and health professions (233 contacts), both flagged as committee overlap areas.AI

Topic Focus AI

Bus Service Reliability & Express Bus Operationshearinghearing Shelter System Oversight & Performancehearinghearing Transit Accessibility & Paratransit Expansionhearinghearing Cost-of-Living Adjustments (COLA) for Human Services Workershearinghearing Direct Support Professional (DSP) Wages & Workforce Retentionhearinghearing EBT Card Technology & Fraud Preventionhearinghearing Migrant Services Funding & Allocationhearinghearing Poll Worker Training & Voter Turnouthearinghearing Public Assistance & SNAP Benefits Administrationhearinghearing Home Health Attendant Compensation & Home-Delivered Mealshearing School Funding Equity & Charter School Colocationhearing Trafficking Victim & Witness ProtectionS3967B

Topics extracted by AI from floor speeches, committee hearing transcripts, and sponsored legislation. Bill and hearing citations link to source records for verification. Tag size reflects number of supporting citations.

Key Issues AI

Summer Youth Employment Program expansion 2025-02-12 2024-01-31
Migrant services funding allocation 2023-02-13 2023-02-13
Prison culture and accountability 2025-02-13
Marcy Correctional Facility closure 2025-02-13
CEO work in her district 2025-02-13
housing developments 2025-02-13
Raise the Age funding in NYC 2025-02-12
NYSSHP housing stock conditions 2025-02-12
HEAP cooling component funding 2025-02-12
Federal funding cuts preparation 2025-02-12
Benefits cliffs and Monroe County Ladders Program 2025-02-12
EBT chip card implementation timeline 2025-02-12
Temporary shelter operator authorizations 2025-02-12
Shelter system performance and oversight 2025-02-12
Wonderschool's resources and competitive advantage 2025-02-12

From committee hearings, floor debate, and bill sponsorship.

Legislative Activity (2025–2026)

Floor votes 2,836
Party alignment 99.9%
Hearing engagements 25
Bills sponsored 265
Floor debate appearances 4

Floor votes and party alignment from complete Senate roll call records. Hearing engagements and floor debate appearances from official transcript processing.

Bill Outcomes 2025 Session

Introduced 102
Reached floor 21 20.6%
Passed Senate 12 11.8%
Signed into law 7 6.9%
Vetoed 2

Covers Senate-sponsored bills only. Status from Open Legislation API.

Committee Assignments

Social Services Chair
Children And Families Member
Cities 1 Member
Codes Member
Disabilities Member
New York City Education Member
Transportation Member

Electoral History SD-19

General Elections

Year Winner Runner-up Margin
2024 Roxanne J. Persaud 100.0% (74,011) Uncontested —
2022 Roxanne J. Persaud 100.0% (44,772) Uncontested —
2020 Roxanne J. Persaud 100.0% (95,755) Uncontested —
2018 Roxanne J. Persaud 89.9% (69,320) Jeffrey J. Ferretti 10.1% (7,820) 79.7pts
2016 Roxanne J. Persaud 100.0% (90,219) Uncontested —
2015 Roxanne J. Persaud 87.7% (7,546) Jeffrey J. Ferretti 9.1% (779) 78.7pts
2014 John L. Sampson 86.1% (29,741) Elias J. Weir 8.2% (2,816) 77.9pts
2012 John L. Sampson 90.4% (78,974) Jane Neal 8.3% (7,226) 82.1pts
2010 John L. Sampson 93.4% (43,450) Rose Laney 6.6% (3,071) 86.8pts
2008 John L. Sampson 95.1% (69,811) Godfrey Jelks 4.9% (3,577) 90.3pts
2006 John L. Sampson 94.6% (31,471) Mary J. Vicino 5.4% (1,807) 89.1pts
2004 John Sampson 93.1% (60,172) A. Brinmore Britton 6.2% (4,018) 86.8pts
2002 John Sampson 88.4% (31,657) Walter Moseley 11.6% (4,138) 76.9pts
2000 John L. Sampson 100.0% (61,966) Uncontested —
1998 John Sampson 95.6% (40,607) Joachim А. Harris 4.4% (1,890) 91.1pts
1996 John Sampson 93.0% (44,182) Howard E. Babbush 4.1% (1,958) 88.9pts

Primary Elections

Year Winner Runner-up Margin
2020 (Democratic) Roxanne J. Persaud 75.0% (19,924) Keron Alleyne 25.0% (6,627) 50.1pts
2016 (Democratic) Roxanne J. Persaud 75.9% (10,358) Mercedes Narcisse 24.1% (3,284) 51.9pts
2014 (Democratic) John L. Sampson 54.4% (7,572) Dell Smitherman 29.6% (4,123) 24.8pts

Source: NYS Board of Elections certified results. ⚡ = margin under 10 pts.

Vulnerability Index SD-19

Base lean: D+78

Favorable D
Safe D
Neutral
Safe D
Favorable R
Safe D
  • District redrawn after 2020 Census — limited same-boundary history

Scenario model: ±5pt national environment shift applied to district base lean (D+78). Base lean blends voter registration (40%) with recent contested general election margins (60%), using up to the last 4 general elections with margins under 40 points. Ratings: Safe D/R = 20+ pts, Likely = 10–19 pts, Lean = 4–9 pts, Toss-up = within 3 pts. Generic ballot from Silver Bulletin (Nate Silver), as of 7/22/2026 — see current figure on the district map. Not a prediction — reflects structural competitiveness under different cycle environments.

Top Co-Sponsors

D Robert Jackson 33 bills D Brad Hoylman-Sigal 29 bills D Lea Webb 25 bills D Kevin S. Parker 25 bills D Nathalia Fernandez 23 bills D Leroy Comrie 22 bills D Gustavo Rivera 20 bills D Luis R. Sepúlveda 18 bills D Cordell Cleare 18 bills D Jessica Scarcella-Spanton 17 bills

District 19 Profile

Population 303,641
Median income $59,306
Median rent $1,490
Homeownership 30.6%
Education (BA+) 21.4%
Poverty rate 19.8%
Uninsured rate 5.5%
Unemployment rate 10.3%

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates (2024). Voter registration: NYS Board of Elections (latest available enrollment file).

Voter Registration

75%
19%
Dem 75.3% Rep 5.4% Ind/Other 19.3%

Campaign Finance (2022–2025)

Total raised $45,624
From individuals $39,374
From corporations/PACs $3,000
Other $3,250

Top Donors

The Durst Organization LP $2,500
Scott Rechler $2,500
Marty Burger $2,500
Roopnarine Singh $2,000
Anthony Argento $2,000
Kamla Millwood $1,250
Valarie Woodford $1,200
Ashook Ramsaran $1,050
Nervana Singh $1,000
Yoswein New York Inc. $1,000

Donor Industries top donors

Other Org $2,500
Legal / Consulting $1,000

Source: NYS Board of Elections via data.ny.gov. Itemized monetary contributions only. ↔ Bills = donor industry aligns with bill sponsorship focus area.

Data through 2026-03-28.

Lobbying Activity 2026

Counts reflect bi-monthly disclosure records filed with the Ethics Commission — not individual meetings.

Top Lobbying Issues

Budget/Appropriations ↔ Overlap bills → 1017 disclosures
Human Rights/Civil Rights 991 disclosures
Health – General ↔ Overlap bills → 842 disclosures
Criminal Justice – general 651 disclosures
Real Estate - Affordable Housing 534 disclosures
Health – Hospitals & Nursing Homes ↔ Overlap bills → 531 disclosures
Health - Health Professions ↔ Overlap bills → 530 disclosures
Health – Medicine/ Medicaid ↔ Overlap bills → 529 disclosures
Labor – General 527 disclosures
Labor - Labor Issues/ Unions 478 disclosures

Top Organizations Lobbying This Senator

The Business Council of New York State, Inc. 6466 disclosures
Public Employees Federation 4499 disclosures
Association on Independent Living, Inc.(NY) 1014 disclosures
FUND FOR THE CITY OF NEW YORK, INC. 752 disclosures
NEW YORK CIVIL LIBERTIES UNION, INC. 604 disclosures
NEW YORK STATE AFL-CIO 598 disclosures
MAKE THE ROAD NEW YORK 507 disclosures
SCHUYLER CENTER FOR ANALYSIS AND ADVOCACY, INC. 475 disclosures
BROOKLYN DEFENDER SERVICES 266 disclosures
Working Families Organization, Inc. 205 disclosures

Source: NY Commission on Ethics and Lobbying in Government via data.ny.gov. ★ Chair = lobbying issue overlaps with a committee this senator chairs. ↔ Overlap = matches committee membership or bill sponsorship focus.

Demographics

White 7.1%
Black 64.9%
Hispanic 18.6%
Asian 4.9%
Median age 39.6
Foreign born 38.8%
Limited English households 9.2%
Veterans 2.2%
Disability rate 13.7%

Commute Mode

Drive alone 29.0%
Public transit 50.9%

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates (2024). Race and ethnicity figures may not sum to 100% — Hispanic/Latino is an ethnicity category that overlaps with racial groups.

Voting Record

1400 Aye 2 Nay 41 Excused

2 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.

Votes through 2026-02-10.

Floor Speeches: In Support (2) AI

S3967B An act to amend the Penal Law 2025-06-11 PASSED

The bill protects trafficking victims and witnesses from criminalization when cooperating with law enforcement. Persaud emphasized the urgent need to address sex trafficking in her district, the Penn Track area, where victims as young as 10 years old are being trafficked but fear coming forward due to potential criminal charges.

S8097A An act to amend the Public Health Law 2024-06-06 PASSED

Sponsor of the bill who credited her staff member Michelle Edwin with bringing the issue to her attention. Emphasized that blood clots can be fatal and that people need to be informed about warning signs, particularly after surgery, and thanked colleagues for their input and support.

Committee Hearing Engagement (35) AI

Date Committee Engagement Stance Focus Areas Summary
2025-02-13 FINANCE neutral Prison culture and accountability Marcy Correctional Facility closure Sen. Persaud asked about prison culture and whether closing Marcy would address systemic issues.
2025-02-13 FINANCE supportive CEO work in her district housing developments Sen. Persaud expressed appreciation for CEO's work in her district and indicated support for their budget request, expressing interest in expanding their programs to additional housing developments.
2025-02-12 FINANCE skeptical Raise the Age funding in NYC NYSSHP housing stock conditions HEAP cooling component funding Federal funding cuts preparation Benefits cliffs and Monroe County Ladders Program EBT chip card implementation timeline Sen. Persaud engaged extensively with both commissioners, pressing for details on Raise the Age implementation, supportive housing preservation, HEAP adequacy, and EBT chip card rollout. She expressed particular skepticism about the Monroe County Ladders Program as a statewide solution and indicated ongoing concern about benefits cliffs, requesting data collection and broader policy changes.
2025-02-12 FINANCE supportive Summer Youth Employment Program expansion Temporary shelter operator authorizations Shelter system performance and oversight Sen. Persaud advocated for expanding youth employment opportunities and proposed allocating $1 billion to youth employment programs. She inquired about temporary shelter operator authorizations and asked commissioners to identify underperforming shelter systems, demonstrating commitment to both youth services and shelter oversight.
2025-02-12 FINANCE skeptical Wonderschool's resources and competitive advantage Wage rates for Wonderschool staff Fairness of allocating funds to well-resourced organizations Why Wonderschool should receive state funding over other nonprofits Sen. Persaud questioned why Wonderschool, with significant fundraising resources, should receive state funding from the same pool as organizations without comparable resources, and asked about wage rates for Wonderschool staff.
2025-02-06 Joint Legislative Hearing - Senate Finance Committee and Assembly Ways and Means Committee neutral Express bus service reliability Accessibility improvements Sen. Persaud asked limited questions, primarily thanking witnesses for their work and expressing appreciation for DOT responsiveness. She inquired about express bus service improvements and accessibility projects.
2025-02-06 FINANCE unclear Sen. Persaud was listed as present but did not ask questions in the transcript provided.
2025-02-06 FINANCE supportive Responsiveness of DOT staff to constituent issues Sen. Persaud publicly thanked Commissioner Dominguez and his staff for their responsiveness to constituent concerns, including issues with pigeons in her district, signaling a collaborative relationship.
2025-02-06 FINANCE opposed Express bus service reliability, specifically BM2 Bus scheduling and customer service Sen. Persaud raised concerns about chronic delays on the BM2 express bus and poor customer service, characterizing her district as a transit desert. She pressed for management accountability on bus scheduling and criticized the customer service call line.
2025-02-06 FINANCE supportive REAL ID compliance and outreach Mobile office program expansion County partnerships Sen. Persaud commended DMV efforts on REAL ID outreach and asked supportive questions about expanding mobile office services and county partnerships. She reinforced messaging about REAL ID compliance deadlines.
2025-02-06 FINANCE supportive Broadway Junction Station progress Elevator and accessibility work timeline Persaud sought specific updates on Broadway Junction Station accessibility work and thanked Greif for his advocacy efforts and regular communications.
2025-02-05 Senate Finance Committee and Assembly Ways and Means Committee supportive Mandatory overtime Workforce retention DSP compensation Sen. Persaud asked about mandatory overtime and workforce retention, expressing concern about the impact on service quality.
2025-02-05 FINANCE opposed Mandatory overtime in residential facilities Workforce adequacy Sen. Persaud expressed strong opposition to mandatory overtime practices, citing reports of workers required to work 2.5 shifts and concerns about service quality and worker safety. She indicated she would provide specific complaints to the commissioner's office.
2025-02-05 FINANCE supportive SAPIS funding and staffing Direct support professional (DSP) wages and retention Cannabis use among youth and strain on counselors Sen. Persaud asked pointed questions about SAPIS capacity and cannabis-related behavioral issues in schools. She expressed strong support for DSP wage advocacy, citing constituent Debbie Schwartz's advocacy, and emphasized the need to retain dedicated workers through adequate compensation.
2025-02-04 Joint Legislative Hearing - Senate Finance Committee and Assembly Ways and Means Committee neutral shelter oversight police staffing poll worker training voter turnout Sen. Persaud asked about shelter management, police precinct staffing, and election administration improvements.
2025-02-04 FINANCE supportive shelter system oversight Department of Investigations report overspending in shelters NYPD staffing in precincts Sen. Persaud, chair of the Social Services Committee, commended the mayor's team for keeping legislators informed while pressing for accountability on the DOI report findings. She advocated for increased NYPD staffing in her district's six precincts and two PSAs due to crime spikes.
2025-02-04 FINANCE neutral Removing silos between agencies Improving transparency and collaboration Outcomes-based systems Sen. Persaud asked both officials for specific ideas on removing government silos and improving inter-agency collaboration, seeking concrete solutions rather than general statements.
2025-02-04 FINANCE neutral Poll worker training Poll worker compensation Voter turnout Sen. Persaud asked practical questions about poll worker training enhancements, pay increases, and shift length reduction. Also inquired about strategies to increase voter turnout, suggesting a focus on operational improvements to election administration.
2025-01-29 FINANCE skeptical School funding equity Teacher retention Charter school colocation inequities Senator Persaud questioned why schools remain underfunded despite allocations and raised concerns about inequitable treatment of public school students in collocated spaces with charter schools. She appeared skeptical of current funding mechanisms.
2024-02-06 FINANCE neutral Migrant services funding Food assistance programs Prepaid card pilot program Sen. Persaud asked pointed questions about the cost of migrant services and the rationale behind shifting from food delivery to prepaid debit cards. She sought clarification on whether similar accommodations were being provided to other populations in temporary housing.
2024-01-31 FINANCE neutral Social Services oversight Persaud, Chair of the Senate Committee on Social Services, was present and participated in the hearing but did not ask questions during the transcript excerpt provided.
2024-01-31 FINANCE skeptical Public assistance application processing backlogs and denials Fiscal cliff task force and benefit cliffs Year-round youth employment program funding and expansion Summer Youth Employment Program expansion Sen. Persaud questioned Commissioner Guinn about rising denials despite reduced backlogs in NYC, requesting data on duplicate applications. She advocated for a fiscal cliff task force to understand benefit cliff issues and pressed for expanded year-round youth employment funding beyond the current 2,500-youth capacity.
2024-01-31 FINANCE supportive After-school program consolidation and student impact SNAP benefits increases and indexing Public Assistance benefits increases Cost-of-living adjustments (COLA) for human services workers Sen. Persaud advocated for broader SNAP and Public Assistance increases, noting that Public Assistance has not been increased in many years. She pushed for COLA across all human services populations and requested detailed data on after-school program consolidation impacts.
2024-01-31 FINANCE supportive Income disregards SNAP benefits increases Inflation adjustment for benefits School Meals for All Summer EBT Sen. Persaud expressed strong support for income disregard policies and advocated for increased SNAP benefits and inflation adjustments. He thanked testifiers for their support and encouraged continued advocacy for removing policy barriers for poor New Yorkers. He introduced S8374 and other benefit expansion proposals.
2024-01-31 FINANCE supportive immigration legal services catchment areas veteran funding domestic violence services child advocacy center funding and inclusion in decision-making SNAP outreach funding Sen. Persaud asked detailed questions about service catchment areas, expressed commitment to fighting for veteran and DV funding, and emphasized the importance of including service providers in budget allocation decisions. Indicated she is carrying the NOEP funding letter.
2024-01-24 FINANCE unclear Present at hearing but no questions or engagement recorded in transcript excerpt.
2024-01-24 FINANCE supportive OMNY system expansion to paratransit free bus line ridership results subway safety perception and messaging BM2 bus system improvements Sen. Persaud asked constructive questions about paratransit OMNY access and safety messaging, noting that he personally feels safe on trains and his constituents report the same. He requested specific follow-up on pilot timelines and study results.
2024-01-24 FINANCE neutral Bus electrification spending MWBE contract percentages Minority-owned business participation Technical assistance for zero-emission buses Sen. Persaud asked detailed questions about the allocation and spending of the $80 million bus electrification budget and requested a breakdown of MWBE contracts by minority ownership percentage. She noted that while overall MWBE percentages appear strong, minority-owned businesses may not be receiving proportional contracts.
2024-01-24 FINANCE supportive DMV mobile offices Data sharing practices Road safety legislation Sen. Persaud expressed interest in DMV mobile offices for underserved communities and inquired about data sharing practices. She indicated plans to introduce commonsense road safety legislation and sought Commissioner Schroeder's partnership.
2023-02-13 FINANCE supportive but critical COLA (Cost of Living Adjustment) equity across human services programs Stolen public benefits and EBT card fraud Chip-enabled card technology Supportive housing reimbursement rate disparities ERAP implementation and NYCHA tenant access TANF reimbursement disparity for NYC Migrant services funding allocation Sen. Persaud engaged extensively with both commissioners, expressing appreciation for their work while raising substantive concerns about equity issues. She questioned why COLA increases don't apply uniformly across human services programs, pressed for details on EBT fraud solutions, and challenged the long-standing 85% TANF reimbursement rate for NYC. She appeared supportive of the migrant services investment but sought detailed accounting.
2023-02-13 FINANCE skeptical Migrant services funding allocation National Guard role in migrant services Federal hot meals program status Minimum wage and COLA increases Worker dependency on social services Sen. Persaud asked pointed questions about how migrant services funding is allocated, the timeline for federal program approvals, and whether minimum wage increases adequately address worker poverty. He expressed concern that critical workers remain dependent on social services despite wage increases.
2023-02-13 FINANCE supportive Home health attendant compensation and 24-hour work rules Home-delivered meals waitlists SNAP and Medicare Savings Program outreach Sen. Persaud raised concerns about home health attendant compensation, noting workers are paid for only 13 hours of 24-hour shifts. She inquired about home-delivered meal waitlists and advocated for increased outreach on SNAP and Medicare Savings Program benefits to seniors.
2023-02-13 FINANCE skeptical Waiting lists for home-delivered meals Discrepancies in agency reporting Geographic variations in service delivery Sen. Persaud challenged testimony from Director Olsen by asking for clarification on waiting lists, noting a discrepancy between what Olsen said and what aging advocates reported. She followed up on specific numbers and geographic variations.
2023-02-06 FINANCE skeptical Bus service in Gateway area transit desert Access-A-Ride system reliability Express bus timeliness (BM1, BM2) Brooklyn bus routing system redesign Sen. Persaud raised concerns about bus service gaps in her district, particularly in the Gateway area, and criticized express bus reliability, noting the BM2 bus is on time only about 2 percent of the time. She also questioned improvements to the Access-A-Ride paratransit system for disabled riders.
2023-02-06 FINANCE neutral Sound barriers and noise mitigation Mill Basin Drawbridge noise impact Road safety education Sen. Persaud raised concerns about noise pollution from the Belt Parkway and Mill Basin Drawbridge, asking about the process for installing sound barriers. She also inquired about DOT's road safety education initiatives.