Joseph D. Morelle (/məˈrɛli/ mə-RELL-ee; born April 29, 1957)[1] is an American politician serving as the U.S. representative for New York's 25th congressional district since 2018.

[4] He got his political start working for State Senator John D. Perry as a constituent services representative in Rochester and legislative aide in Albany.

He sponsored bills to exempt veterans from certain state licensing fees, protect their grave sites, and assist them with the civil service application process.

[citation needed] In January 2001, Morelle was appointed chair of the Assembly Standing Committee on Tourism, Arts, and Sports Development.

[14] He later admitted that he allowed family members to sign the petitions for the individuals whose names appeared on them and did not personally witness the signatures, both of which are illegal.

[14] Morelle denied intentionally violating the law, but accepted a plea bargain in which he was found guilty of two counts of disorderly conduct.

[14] Because disorderly conduct is a violation of the law, rather than a misdemeanor or felony, Morelle's plea enabled him to avoid having a permanent criminal record as a result of the incident.

[14] After the death of Representative Louise Slaughter, Morelle announced his candidacy for New York's 25th congressional district; he won the Democratic Party's nomination on June 26, 2018.

[16] Morelle ran for reelection to a second full term, winning the Democratic primary against challenger and Brighton town councilwoman Robin Wilt.