Four New York State lawmakers haven’t been to the Capitol once all year — with two ailing 89-year-old boys among those with the most spotty attendance records.
asserted
boys → ail → records
Records show the 10 members of the Senate and Assembly with the most absences since January also include a Republican enrolled in the military who was deployed in the Middle East, a mom on maternity leave, and two entrenched New York City Democrats who offered no explanations for their chronic absences.
asserted
who → show → absences
Lawmakers can vote remotely but not participate in legislative sessions, but the 10 most absent lawmakers missed 442 combined with each missing more than 37% of the votes in Albany, according to to attendance records obtained by The Post through a public information request.
uncertain
each → vote → request
Although they only make up 5% of the entire state legislature, their 442 absences were 39% of all absences from January, the records showed.
asserted
records → make → January
Two of the four no-shows — Assembly members Vivian Cook (D-Queens) and David McDonough (R-Nassau County) — are each 89 years old, battling long-term illnesses and riding out the year as lame ducks after neither sought reelection.
asserted
neither → battle → reelection
Assemblyman Brian Maher (R-Orange County), a Navy reservist who missed every day of the session because he was deployed in the Middle East from November 2025 through last month, said extended absences from elderly lawmakers are a good argument for term limits.
asserted
absences → miss → limits
“People will say elections are term limits.
asserted
elections → say → ?
We know they’re not.
asserted
they → know → ?
We know that incumbency brings a lack of an even playing field,” said Maher, who is running unopposed in this year’s election.
asserted
who → know → election
McDonough hasn’t been to Albany in at least two years despite sailing to reelection with 65% of the vote in 2024, Newsday reported in February.
asserted
Newsday → sail → February
The seven-term incumbent announced he would not seek reelection the following week, but remains in office with state Senate staffer Shannon Fredericks running to replace him.
asserted
Fredericks → announce → him
He participated virtually eight times, records showed.
asserted
records → participate → ?
Meanwhile Cook, first elected to the state Assembly in 1990, landed in rehab in March, Assembly Majority Leader Crystal People-Stokes (D-Erie) announced on the floor of the state Assembly at the time.
asserted
Stokes → elect → time
Cook, who is battling an unspecified illness, participated in the session virtually only once, the records showed.
asserted
records → battle → session
And Rochester state Sen. Samra Brouk (D-Monroe) was out on maternity leave, being marked as “excused” through late April and taking advantage of the chamber’s remote voting capabilities for most of the remainder of session.
asserted
Brouk → mark → session
Brouk had her child in late December, she announced via an Instagram post at the time.
asserted
she → have → time
The lawmaker, who voted remotely 24 of 64 days of the session, is strongly favored to win her reelection bid.
asserted
who → vote → bid
State Sen. Sam Sutton (D-Brooklyn) and Assemblywoman Rodneyse Bichotte Hermelyn (D-Brooklyn) didn’t respond to requests for comment about their chronic absenteeism.
asserted
Sutton → respond → absenteeism
Sutton, 77, who won a May 2025 special election to fill a vacant Senate seat, missed 36 days and never participated remotely, records showed.
uncertain
records → win → days
Only he and Brouk, several weeks from giving birth, missed the first day of the Senate session.
asserted
he → give → session
Records show him taking off entire weeks and frequently showing up one or two days a week for lawmakers standard three to four-day workweeks, for the roughly six months a year they work in Albany.
asserted
they → show → Albany
Bichotte Hermelyn, who led the Brooklyn Democratic Party before she was resigned in the midst of a bitter intraparty power struggle, missed 23 days including nine remote days, according to records.
uncertain
she → lead → records
Medical and family crises…
State Sen. Samra Brouk (D-Monroe), was away from Albany the entirety of session after giving birth in December and suffering from complications, per sources.
asserted
Brouk → give → sources
While she began attending session remotely beginning in late April, racking up 24 remote days in all, the Rochester Senator never publicly announced her extended absence from the state Capitol.
asserted
Senator → begin → Capitol
The Senate Mental Health Committee, chaired by Brouk, didn’t meet once this year.
asserted
Committee → chair → Brouk
Assemblyman David McDonough (R-Nassau), hasn’t shown up to the state Capitol in two years amid health complications, per Newsday’s February analysis.
asserted
McDonough → show → analysis
The 89-year-old Zoomed into Assembly proceedings on eight days, the last of which was March 31.
asserted
last → zoom → which
“Dave is 89 years old and will step away having earned the respect of his constituents and his colleagues.
asserted
Dave → step → constituents
Legislative operations have evolved significantly since COVID.
asserted
operations → evolve → COVID
Despite limitations, he’s passed legislation, voted on bills, and done important work in the district,” Assembly GOP spokesperson Michael Fraser told The Post.
asserted
Fraser → pass → Post
Assemblywoman Vivian Cook (D-Queens), 89, also missed every day of session due to an unspecified illness.
asserted
Cook → miss → illness
The longtime Assemblywoman signed on remotely once to vote for a state budget bill on May 26.
uncertain
Assemblywoman → sign → May
State Sen. Leroy Comrie (D-Queens), who also represents Cook’s Jamaica, Queens district, said he was in regular contact with Cook during the session, regularly seeking her “decisive” “advice and consent.”
asserted
he → represent → advice
“I think she was still able to serve her community in a positive way during that time,” Comrie said.
asserted
Comrie → think → time
State Sen. Liz Krueger (D-Manhattan), suffered a stroke in early April, her office announced publicly in a statement a few days later.
asserted
office → suffer → statement
The episode left her hospitalized, causing her to miss session between April 7 and May 21, before attending remotely every day thereafter, state record showed.
uncertain
record → leave → April
Krueger, 68, told The Post in an interview she has luckily escaped major stroke symptoms and doctors cleared her to return home after only six days in the hospital and without any rehab.
asserted
doctors → tell → rehab
The doctors did however stipulate that she remain in close proximity to the hospital for the first 90 days after she was released, keeping her from Albany.
asserted
she → stipulate → Albany
Krueger said, were it not for the bright outlook for her recovery, the 12-term incumbent would’ve seriously considered retirement.
asserted
incumbent → say → retirement
“Pretty quickly, I realized I’m going to be able to keep doing what I need to do,” Krueger said.
asserted
Krueger → realize → what
…and 30 more, not listed.
The Aporia
