Sen. José M. Serrano
José M. Serrano is a Democratic state senator representing New York's 29th Senate District, a heavily Democratic district (D+67) encompassing parts of the Bronx and East Harlem, where he has served since 2009. In the 2025 legislative session, Serrano has sponsored 63 bills with a primary focus on environmental conservation, education, and public health, and has voted with the Democratic caucus 100% of the time across 1,443 recorded votes. He accepted no corporate or PAC contributions in the 2022–2026 campaign cycle, raising all $12,000 of his itemized donations from individual donors.AI
Topic Focus AI
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
From committee hearings, floor debate, and bill sponsorship.
Legislative Activity (2025–2026)
Based on complete Senate roll call records.
Bill Outcomes 2025 Session
Covers Senate-sponsored bills only. Status from Open Legislation API.
Committee Assignments
Electoral History SD-29
General Elections
| Year | Winner | Runner-up | Margin |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Jose M. Serrano 81.9% (65,717) | Tanya Carmichael 18.1% (14,556) | 63.7pts |
| 2022 | Jose M. Serrano 100.0% (40,546) | Uncontested | — |
| 2020 | Jose M. Serrano 87.9% (88,643) | Jose A. Colon 12.1% (12,175) | 75.8pts |
| 2018 | Jose M. Serrano 92.9% (68,681) | Jose A. Colon 7.1% (5,237) | 85.8pts |
| 2016 | Jose M. Serrano 87.7% (56,194) | Jose A. Colon 9.6% (6,158) | 78.1pts |
| 2014 | Jose M. Serrano 89.5% (30,502) | Kevin Barrett 10.5% (3,589) | 78.9pts |
| 2012 | Jose M. Serrano 94.0% (72,650) | Robert Goodman 4.4% (3,382) | 89.6pts |
| 2010 | Thomas K. Duane 85.2% (71,645) | Joseph A. Mendola 14.8% (12,475) | 70.3pts |
| 2008 | Thomas K. Duane 85.7% (114,103) | Debra Leible 14.3% (19,008) | 71.4pts |
| 2006 | Thomas K. Duane 89.0% (80,076) | Dan Russo 11.0% (9,923) | 77.9pts |
| 2004 | Thomas K. Duane 83.7% (112,133) | Emily Csendes 14.8% (19,858) | 68.9pts |
| 2002 | Thomas K. Duane 81.6% (62,399) | Danniel Maio 17.7% (13,528) | 63.9pts |
| 2000 | David A. Paterson 96.0% (77,853) | Alphonzo Mosley 4.0% (3,252) | 92.0pts |
| 1998 | David А. Paterson 96.5% (52,344) | Zelda S. Owens 3.5% (1,908) | 93.0pts |
| 1996 | David A. Paterson 98.1% (63,510) | Alphonzo Mosley 1.9% (1,255) | 96.1pts |
Source: NYS Board of Elections certified results. ⚡ = margin under 10 pts.
Vulnerability Index SD-29
Base lean: D+76
Scenario model: ±5pt national environment shift applied to district base lean (D+76). 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" refers to national partisan polling used to model favorable/unfavorable cycle environments. Not a prediction — reflects structural competitiveness under different cycle environments.
Top Co-Sponsors
District 29 Profile
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates (2024). Voter registration: NYS Board of Elections (Nov. 2025).
Voter Registration
Campaign Finance (2022–2026)
Top Donors
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 2025
Top Lobbying Issues
Top Organizations Lobbying This Senator
Source: NY Commission on Ethics and Lobbying in Government via data.ny.gov. Counts reflect bi-monthly disclosure records filed with the Ethics Commission — not individual meetings. ★ Chair = lobbying issue overlaps with a committee this senator chairs. ↔ Overlap = matches committee membership or bill sponsorship focus.
Demographics
Commute Mode
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
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 (12) AI
The bill creates arts and cultural districts statewide to nurture growing arts communities in areas historically lacking state support. The arts are transformative, serve as an economic engine, and promote social discussion and unity.
Emphasized that access to healthy food is foundational and that chip technology on EBT cards will prevent benefit skimming in communities like East Harlem and the South Bronx. Thanked Assemblymember González-Rojas for Assembly leadership on the measure.
As parks committee chair, praised the capital funding for the state park system, noting its importance for public health and outdoor recreation, particularly post-pandemic.
The bill is important for supporting arts and culture throughout New York State, which are foundational to society and the economy. It will help create criteria for arts and cultural districts and provide technical assistance to help them grow.
Argued the bill addresses health disparities in underserved communities by promoting cultural awareness and competency in the medical profession, leading to better health outcomes and community-healthcare connections.
Committee Hearing Engagement (7) AI
| Date | Committee | Engagement | Stance | Focus Areas | Summary |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-01-27 | Senate Finance Committee and Assembly Ways and Means Committee (Joint) | high | supportive | Parks accessibility and community connections NY BRICKS, NY PLAYS, NY SWIMS programs Capital improvements at flagship parks Lake algal blooms and water quality Park stewardship and volunteer engagement | Chair Serrano asked about expanding park access to underserved communities and connecting people to parks. He expressed concern about infrastructure needs and algal bloom management, signaling support for parks investment. |
| 2024-01-30 | FINANCE | low | neutral | Arts and culture | Chair of the Senate Committee on Cultural Affairs, Tourism, Arts and Recreation, Sen. Serrano was present but did not ask questions during the testimony portion captured in the transcript. |
| 2024-01-30 | FINANCE | high | supportive | Arts funding levels and trends Operating grant funding reductions Arts as economic engine Capital funding for arts infrastructure | Sen. Serrano strongly advocated for increased arts funding, noting that grant funding has remained stagnant at $40-42 million annually for 20 years despite increased costs. He expressed concern about the reduction in operating grants back to pre-pandemic levels and called for arts funding to be treated as a priority investment. |
| 2023-02-14 | FINANCE | high | supportive | Park visitation and overcrowding management Diversity in park usage Group camps for inner-city youth Lake Welch water quality and algal blooms Capital investment in parks Climate change impacts on parks | Sen. Serrano expressed strong support for parks as foundational to state budgets and emphasized their transformational value. He focused on managing record visitation, increasing diversity of park users, and addressing water quality issues, particularly at Lake Welch. His questions were collaborative and solution-oriented. |
| 2023-02-14 | FINANCE | moderate | supportive | park staffing and deployment cultural competency in park services visitor experience | Sen. Serrano focused on operational details of park staffing increases, asking how new hires would be deployed across trails, concessions, and beaches. She emphasized the importance of cultural competency and ensuring park staff reflect the diversity of visiting communities. |
| 2023-02-09 | FINANCE | high | supportive | Arts funding and NYSCA budget reductions Grant application process expansion Regional arts council funding mechanisms Grant distribution timelines | Sen. Serrano strongly advocated for arts funding, emphasizing the arts' role in healing post-pandemic, social justice, and economic development. He expressed concern about the proposed reduction from $85 million pandemic relief to $41 million baseline funding and questioned how NYSCA could expand access while facing budget cuts. |
| 2023-02-09 | FINANCE | moderate | opposed | NYSCA capital grants elimination Arts organization funding needs | Sen. Serrano questioned the elimination of $40 million in capital funding for small and mid-sized arts organizations, noting the pandemic-related needs for ventilation upgrades and ADA compliance. He expressed concern about the impact on the majority of grantees with budgets under $3 million. |
Floor Amendments (7)
| Date | Bill | Description | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-06-11 | S1162A | Amendments offered by Sen. Serrano (specific details not provided in transcript) | received |
| 2025-06-06 | S274A | Amendments offered to S274A (specific details not provided in transcript) | unknown |
| 2025-05-14 | S2627 | Amendments offered by Sen. Serrano (specific content not detailed in transcript) | received |
| 2025-05-12 | S4728 | Amendments offered to S4728 (specific details not provided in transcript) | received |
| 2023-05-31 | S2330 | Amendments to the aforementioned bills (specific details not provided in transcript) | received |
| 2023-05-24 | S2515A | Amendments offered but specific details not provided in transcript | received |
| 2023-05-18 | S2099B | Amendments to S2099B and related bills | received |