New York State Senator Lea Webb Celebrates The Opening Of The 2025 Legislative Session

ALBANY, NY - On Wednesday, Senator Lea Webb (SD-52) returned to Albany for the opening of the 2025 Legislative Session in the NYS Senate, which counts a historic 22 women in its ranks. Senator Webb was sworn into office, surrounded by her family,  to begin her second term representing Senate District 52. Webb represents Cortland County, Tompkins County, and part of Broome County. 

“I am grateful to continue to serve in this chamber under the esteemed leadership of Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins, as we work together to make New York more affordable for working families ,” said Senator Webb. “I am honored to continue to serve as Chair of the Women’s Issues Committee, where I will continue to prioritize legislation that addresses the maternal mortality crisis, improves health outcomes for mothers and infants, and ensures that every family in New York thrives.”

Senator Webb continued, “As we face uncertainty in Washington,. It is more important than ever that we here in New York work to uphold our Democracy, strengthen voting rights, and protect the most vulnerable members of our community. I am ready for the work ahead and look forward to collaborating with my colleagues to center the needs of working families across New York.”   

In her second term, Webb will continue to serve as Chair of the Senate’s Committee on Women’s Issues. She also serves on the Committees of Agriculture, Cities 2, Health, Higher Education, Mental Health, and Procurement & Contracts. During her first term in office, Webb passed ## bills through her committee, legislation addressing a wide range of issues impacting women, including menstrual product accessibility, improved maternity health services, reinforced reproductive rights, enhanced protection against fibroids and ovarian cancer, and stringent measures to prevent human trafficking. 

During her successful first term in the Senate, Senator Webb introduced 74 bills, 43 of which passed through both houses and more than 40 of which have been signed into law by the Governor. These include: 

• Four bills to extend protections against human trafficking in New York.
• Legislation to save Roosevelt Elementary in Binghamton
• $750,000 secured in the 2024 FY NYS Budget to fund the NYS BIPOC Task Force on Missing and Murdered Women and Girls (S4266A Webb/A5088A Reyes), which passed unanimously through both houses of the legislature
• The Ithaca Car Share Bill (S5959B), which saved a local, NYSERDA funded non-profit from closure, ensuring that not-for-profit carsharing operations services statewide can expand and continue to operate.
• Webb’s Move-Over Bill (S.5129) expanded the existing Move Over Law to cover all non-emergency vehicles stopped on the road, providing increased protection for motorists and emergency responders alike. This legislative action underscores Senator Webb’s commitment to prioritize the safety of its citizens, making roads safer for everyone who uses them.

Just before the New Year, the Governor signed one of Webb’s most high-profile pieces of legislation (A8866/ S8357) that bans drilling and fracking for natural gas and oil using carbon dioxide (CO2). The simple bill, which passed the legislature in March with bipartisan support, closes a loophole in the state’s existing water-based fracking ban to include a prohibition on the fossil fuel industry using carbon dioxide, which poses the same harm to public health and the environment, along with other dangers. 

Over the course of her first term, Webb has delivered on her promise to make her office widely accessible to her constituents in Broome, Cortland, and Tompkins Counties. Webb’s District Office is located in the State Office Building in Binghamton and she also opened a second office in the historic Crescent Building in the heart of downtown Ithaca, the first New York State Senate office located in Tompkins County in more than a decade. Additionally, Senator Webb and her team hold weekly satellite office hours in Cortland County and community office hours throughout the 52nd district.