VoterLens
New York State Assembly District 5
St. Joseph’s University—degrees in Mathematics and Adolescent Education
Data last updated 10/21/2026
Doug Smith was elected to represent New York State Assembly District 5 on April 24, 2018, and represents portions of Brookhaven and Islip in Suffolk County. Before his election, he served seven years as Chief of Staff to Assemblyman Al Graf, worked as an aide at the Social Security Administration, taught adult education and supported youth education programs, and operated a website design and hosting business. He is also described as a former high school mathematics teacher and serves as Ranking Member of the Assembly Education Committee.
Committee Assignments: Committee on Aging · Committee on Education · Committee on Higher Education · Committee on Judiciary · Committee on Mental Health · Committee on Rules · Commission on Future of the Long Island Power Authority
Doug Smith’s healthcare positions emphasize oversight of New York’s health bureaucracy, protection of vulnerable seniors and disabled people, and access to community health information. He has opposed cuts to at-home care, supported investigations into COVID-19 nursing-home deaths, and called for restructuring the state Department of Health after audit findings of improper health-care payments.
Specific Actions & Proposals
Smith called for the state Department of Health to be re-evaluated, restructured, and subjected to further oversight after a comptroller report found nearly $1 billion in payments to health care providers not qualified to bill.
SourceSmith signed on with Assembly Minority members requesting hearings to review and investigate New York’s COVID-19 testing and isolation policies for nursing homes.
SourceSmith joined a press conference opposing a proposed $75 million cut to CDPAP and said the state should better fund the program for disabled people, seniors, and families needing at-home care.
SourceSmith helped organize and publicly supported a Department of Health community meeting on a regional cancer study affecting communities in Assembly District 5.
SourceDoug Smith emphasizes affordability, lower taxes, small-business support, and reopening/getting people back to work. His record includes co-sponsoring tax-relief and small-business innovation legislation, calling for budget priorities such as middle-class tax cuts and help for small businesses, and pushing for local business reopening during COVID-era restrictions.
Specific Actions & Proposals
Supported allowing malls, movie theaters, gyms, fitness centers, and other mom-and-pop businesses to reopen with appropriate precautions rather than continued state delays.
SourceSupported Assembly Minority budget priorities including keeping middle-class tax cuts on track, providing help to small businesses, increasing infrastructure funding, and mandate relief.
SourceDoug Smith's immigration-related record emphasizes opposition to state benefits or protections for undocumented immigrants and increased scrutiny of migrants/refugees. He has criticized New York budget funding for migrant services, criticized tuition benefits for undocumented immigrants, questioned driver-license access for undocumented immigrants, and co-sponsored a bill requiring refugee registration and background screening.
Specific Actions & Proposals
Smith shared a claim criticizing the enacted state budget for allocating funding he characterized as free health care and debit cards for "illegal immigrants," reflecting opposition to that migrant-services spending.
SourceIn a 2019 budget statement, Smith criticized the budget for spending more than $27 million on free and reduced college tuition for "illegal immigrants" after 30 days in New York.
SourceDuring Assembly debate on the Driver's License Access and Privacy Act, Smith questioned whether licenses issued under the bill could be distinguished for citizenship purposes and cited Suffolk County examples of noncitizens registering and voting.
SourceDoug Smith’s Climate & Energy record emphasizes energy affordability, reliability, consumer choice, Long Island utility reform, and selective support for solar and grid-resilience measures. He supports solar as a cost-lowering alternative to the PSEG/LIPA structure, but opposes full-electrification mandates and what he calls unaffordable, unrealistic state climate mandates.
Specific Actions & Proposals
Smith stated that he supported a bill to promote solar energy on Long Island because solar could lower costs, help the environment, and provide an alternative to the PSEG/LIPA monopoly.
SourceSmith criticized the draft State Energy Plan, saying full electrification would kill consumer choice, raise rates, hurt union jobs, and reduce reliability.
SourceDoug Smith emphasizes public education and school safety, drawing on his background as a certified math teacher and his Assembly Education Committee role. His education record includes sponsoring bills on education funding, school/library opioid antagonists, scholarships, and Long Island school solar panels, plus stated support for decoupling evaluations from Common Core exams and expanding school-safety resources.
Specific Actions & Proposals
Smith endorsed Assembly Minority Task Force proposals including statewide school safety agents, expanded emergency response plans, more financial support for child-development mental health professionals and social workers, and a higher building-aid incentive for school safety projects.
SourceSmith spoke in favor of legislation to decouple teacher and principal evaluations from state ELA and math assessments for grades 3-8, arguing students and teachers are more than test scores.
SourceDoug Smith emphasizes support for law enforcement and tougher criminal penalties, including measures affecting assaults on officers, obstruction of police, police equipment funding, and crimes involving body armor. He also supports school-safety measures such as more mental-health resources, hardened infrastructure, and increased law-enforcement presence in schools.
Specific Actions & Proposals
Smith endorsed recommendations from the Assembly Minority Task Force on School Safety and Security, including a statewide School Safety Agent program, stronger emergency response plans, more mental-health support, and increased reliable law-enforcement presence in schools.
SourceNew York State Assembly Member Directory
https://www.nyassembly.gov/mem/Doug-SmithFetched: biography, location, education, background
New York State Assembly Committee Membership
https://www.nyassembly.gov/mem/Doug-Smith/comm/Fetched: committees
Assemblyman Doug Smith for New York
https://www.smithfornewyork.com/Fetched: biography, education, background, location
Open States
https://open.pluralpolicy.com/vote/0dcb4396-3c94-4b0d-adbe-0335a6f76136/Fetched: votingRecord
Open States
https://open.pluralpolicy.com/vote/4df8b9a3-967f-46c6-ab5f-011c686614b6/Fetched: votingRecord
Transparency USA
https://www.transparencyusa.org/ny/race/new-york-state-assembly-district-5-74604Fetched: campaignFinance
New York State United Teachers
https://www.nysut.org/resources/special-resources-sites/voter-guide/endorsementsFetched: endorsements
Detectives' Endowment Association
https://nycdetectives.org/political-endorsements/Fetched: endorsements
New York State Assembly - Doug Smith biography
https://assembly.state.ny.us/mem/Doug-SmithFetched: issuePositions
New York State Assembly - Smith Calls For Further Oversight, Reform Of State Health Department
https://www.nyassembly.gov/mem/Doug-Smith/story/101704Fetched: issuePositions
New York State Assembly - Smith Signs on For Legislative Hearings Investigating Covid-19 State Nursing Home Deaths
https://nyassembly.gov/mem/Doug-Smith/story/92461Fetched: issuePositions
New York State Assembly - Assemblyman Smith Joins Assembly Members At Press Conference To Fight For At-Home Care
https://nyassembly.gov/mem/Doug-Smith/story/85080Fetched: issuePositions
New York State Assembly - Smith: Ditch Cuomo’s Tax-And-Spend Policies and adopt The Penny Plan
https://nyassembly.gov/mem/Doug-Smith/story/90582Fetched: issuePositions
New York State Assembly - Assemblyman Smith Thanks State Health Officials For Community Meeting
https://nyassembly.gov/mem/Doug-Smith/story/83621Fetched: issuePositions
New York State Assembly member profile
https://www.nyassembly.gov/mem/Doug-SmithFetched: issuePositions
New York State Senate Open Legislation - A7504
https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2025/A7504Fetched: issuePositions
New York State Senate Open Legislation - A7663
https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2025/A7663Fetched: issuePositions
New York State Assembly - Emergency Small Business Task Force
https://nyassembly.gov/mem/Doug-Smith/story/92233Fetched: issuePositions
New York State Assembly - The State Continues to Punish Business Owners
https://nyassembly.gov/mem/Doug-Smith/story/93075Fetched: issuePositions
New York State Assembly - Budget Blueprint priorities
https://nyassembly.gov/mem/Doug-Smith/story/85387Fetched: issuePositions
New York State Senate legislation page
https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2025/A2046Fetched: issuePositions
PolitiFact
https://api.politifact.com/article/2024/may/30/state-taxpayers-offer-flexible-funding-for-migrant/Fetched: issuePositions
New York State Assembly member statement
https://nyassembly.gov/mem/Doug-Smith/story/86120Fetched: issuePositions
New York State Assembly floor transcript
https://www2.assembly.state.ny.us/write/upload/transcripts/2019/6-12-19.htmlFetched: issuePositions
New York State Assembly Member Directory - Doug Smith
https://www.nyassembly.gov/mem/Doug-SmithFetched: issuePositions
New York State Assembly Legislation - A02160
https://assembly.state.ny.us/leg/?Actions=Y&Memo=Y&Summary=Y&Text=Y&Votes=Y&bn=A02160&term=Fetched: issuePositions
New York State Senate Legislation - A4621
https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2025/A4621Fetched: issuePositions
FastDemocracy - New York A3312
https://fastdemocracy.com/bill-search/ny/2025-2026/bills/NYB00165161/Fetched: issuePositions
New York State Assembly - Smith Supports Long Island Solar
https://assembly.ny.gov/mem/Doug-Smith/story/83617Fetched: issuePositions
New York State Senate - State Energy Plan Press Release
https://www.nysenate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/2025/steven-d-rhoads/senate-and-assembly-republicans-urge-public-input-new?page=0Fetched: issuePositions
New York State Assembly member biography
https://www.nyassembly.gov/mem/Doug-SmithFetched: issuePositions
New York State Assembly sponsored legislation page
https://www.assembly.ny.gov/mem/Doug-Smith/sponsor/Fetched: issuePositions
New York State Assembly A02234 bill text
https://assembly.state.ny.us/leg/?Text=Y&bn=A2234&sh=printbill&term=2025Fetched: issuePositions
New York State Assembly A03301 bill summary
https://www.assembly.ny.gov/leg/?bn=A03301&leg_video=Fetched: issuePositions
New York State Assembly A03340 bill text and memo
https://nyassembly.gov/leg/?Memo=Y&Summary=Y&Text=Y&bn=A03340&default_fld=&leg_video=&term=Fetched: issuePositions
New York State Assembly school safety press release
https://www.nyassembly.gov/mem/Doug-Smith/story/105606Fetched: issuePositions
New York State Assembly Common Core evaluation press release
https://assembly.ny.gov/mem/Doug-Smith/story/83604Fetched: issuePositions
New York State Assembly Member Directory - Doug Smith Sponsored Legislation
https://assembly.state.ny.us/mem/Doug-Smith/sponsor/Fetched: issuePositions
New York State Senate - Assembly Bill A3274
https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2025/A3274Fetched: issuePositions
New York State Senate - Assembly Bill A3281
https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2025/A3281Fetched: issuePositions
New York State Senate - Assembly Bill A3329
https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2025/A3329Fetched: issuePositions
New York State Senate - Assembly Bill A3316
https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2025/A3316Fetched: issuePositions
New York State Assembly - Smith Presents Proposals for Improved School Safety Measures
https://nyassembly.gov/mem/Doug-Smith/story/105606Fetched: issuePositions
Branch - Douglas Smith 2026 New York Assembly District 5 Public Safety
https://www.branch.vote/races/2026-new-york-general-election-ny-state-state-representative-ny-state-house-5/candidates/douglas-smithFetched: issuePositions