The Constitution of New York does not designate an official term for the two houses together; it says only that the state's legislative power "shall be vested in the senate and assembly".

[15] The Legislature is empowered to make law, subject to the governor's power to veto a bill.

However, the veto may be overridden by the Legislature if there is a two-thirds vote in favor of overriding in each House.

[citation needed] The New York State Legislature has had several corruption scandals during its existence.

[16][17] In the 1840s, New York launched the first great wave of civil procedure reform in the United States by enacting the Field Code.

[19] The first women elected to the legislature were Republican Ida Sammis and Democrat Mary Lilly, both in 1919.

[22] In 2008, when the U.S. Supreme Court reluctantly affirmed the constitutionality of a statute enacted by the New York legislature, Justice John Paul Stevens wrote in a concurring opinion: "[A]s I recall my esteemed former colleague, Thurgood Marshall, remarking on numerous occasions: 'The Constitution does not prohibit legislatures from enacting stupid laws.