Andrea Stewart-Cousins
The Democratic Party won a Senate majority in the 2018 elections. On January 9, 2019, Stewart-Cousins was elected Senate Majority Leader. She operates as the body's Majority Leader and Temporary President. In 2019, Stewart-Cousins sponsored the Housing Stability and Tenant Protection Act of 2019. This act overhauled the rules that had affected rent-controlled apartments in New York City. During Stewart-Cousins' first year as the Senate Majority Leader, New York passed a variety of progressive laws on issues. Those included climate change, voting rights, abortion rights, criminal justice reform, gender equality, gun control, marijuana decriminalization, LGBT rights and immigration. According to City & State New York, Stewart-Cousins employs a "consensus-driven approach" to leading the Senate Democratic Conference. This is what sets her "apart from her predecessors".