STATEN ISLAND SENATORS ANDREW LANZA & DIANE SAVINO TO HEAD UP SENATE CODES COMMITTEE IN 2017

State Senator Andrew Lanza has been selected to serve as Chairman of the powerful New York State Senate Codes Committee and his Staten Island Colleague, Senator Diane Savino, named Vice Chair. The appointments were announced Tuesday by Senate Republican Majority Leader John Flanagan.

The Codes Committee is one of the most important and active committees in the State Senate and has jurisdiction over all aspects of criminal justice policy.  Hundreds of bills are reviewed each session by the influential Committee through which all criminal justice legislation must pass before it can reach the floor of the Senate.

A Fordham University School of Law graduate and former Assistant District Attorney in Manhattan, Senator Lanza brings tremendous experience on criminal justice issues and an a record of fighting for laws to protect crime victims and punish criminals. Lanza previously served as Chairman of Investigations and Government Operations Committee and Vice Chairman of the Codes Committee.

Senator Lanza said, “The opportunity to serve as Chairman of the Influential Senate Codes Committee is a great honor and a responsibility that I take very seriously. In this capacity, I will continue my efforts to enact tougher laws for violent criminals and sex offenders, reinforce laws to protect women and children from domestic violence, combat drug use and trafficking and strengthen protections for crime victims and first responders. I look forward to working with my Staten Island colleague, Vice Chair Savino, and the other members of the Committee to strengthen our State’s criminal justice laws,” said Senator Lanza.

“I am thrilled to join my Staten Island colleague, Senator Lanza, as Vice Chair of the Senate Codes Committee,” Said Diane Savino (Staten Island/Brooklyn).  “We plan to ensure a robust agenda to make New York the safest state we possibly can. From tackling important issues such as the heroin epidemic and ‘raise the age’, I am excited to work hand-in-hand with Senator Lanza for a productive session.”
 
In addition to chairing the Senate Codes Committee, Senator Lanza will also serve on the following Committees: Rules; Finance; Judiciary, Investigations and Government Operations, Civil Service and Pensions and Insurance. In addition to serving as Vice Chair of both the Codes and Finance, Senator Savino is also a member of the Committee on Rules, Judiciary, Labor, Children and Families, Civil Service and Pensions, Insurance and Banks.

“Sharing six committees with one of my most familial colleagues is a testament to something I strive daily to achieve in the Senate: working in a bi-partisan fashion to create a stronger, safer, and less burdensome New York for all. I am excited for what the 2017-2018 session has before us.”

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