VoterLens
New York State Senate District 53
SUNY Brockport—Bachelor’s degree in political science
Data last updated 10/21/2026
Joseph A. Griffo represents New York State Senate District 53, covering Oneida, Madison and parts of Chenango and Herkimer counties, and has served in the New York State Senate since 2007. Before joining the Senate, he served as Oneida County Executive from 2003 to 2006 and was elected three times as mayor of Rome beginning in 1991. His earlier public-service roles included Oneida County legislator, director of community relations for Rome, administrative assistant to the mayor, and an internship in Assemblyman James Hurley’s office.
Committee Assignments: Higher Education · Cities 2 · Finance · Rules · State-Native American Relations · Transportation
Joseph A. Griffo, Republican New York State Senator for District 53, emphasizes improving access to rural healthcare, senior care, mental health treatment capacity, and healthcare affordability. His recent healthcare record includes sponsoring a signed senior-care facility bill, advocating funding for district healthcare providers, and proposing mental-health system changes including inpatient capacity and crisis-hotline reforms.
Specific Actions & Proposals
Griffo announced and said he advocated for Rural Community Health Integration Initiative funding for Community Memorial Hospital, Madison County Rural Health Council, Mohawk Valley Health System, Oneida Health, Rome Memorial Hospital, Trustees of the Masonic Hall & Asylum Fund, and Upstate Caring Partners to improve rural healthcare access.
SourceGriffo called for expanding inpatient psychiatric capacity, reopening or reimagining psychiatric facilities, strengthening community services, investing in the mental-health workforce, expanding youth mental-health resources, and increasing support for first responders’ mental health.
SourceJoseph Griffo emphasizes reducing taxes, regulations, mandates, and energy costs as ways to improve New York’s business climate, support small businesses, and create jobs. His 2026 materials also highlight regional economic-development projects in Central New York and the Mohawk Valley, including Griffiss, Wolfspeed, Chobani, and other investments.
Specific Actions & Proposals
Griffo and Senate Republicans proposed cutting personal income taxes, freezing property taxes, lowering utility costs, cutting business taxes, and reducing regulations to improve affordability and economic opportunity.
SourceGriffo’s campaign says he supports private-sector job creation and regional investments, citing Griffiss, Wolfspeed semiconductor expansion, Chobani growth, Wynn Hospital, and the Nexus Center as economic-development results.
SourceJoseph Griffo supports federal immigration reform and welcoming refugee communities, but he opposes sanctuary-city policies and New York state policies he says impede federal immigration enforcement. He voted against and publicly criticized New York’s Green Light Law allowing undocumented immigrants to obtain standard driver’s licenses, citing law-enforcement and public-safety concerns.
Specific Actions & Proposals
Griffo publicly opposed legislation allowing undocumented immigrants to apply for standard driver’s licenses, saying Democrats were pushing the bill despite law-enforcement, county-clerk, and public concerns.
SourceGriffo said his district benefits from immigrants and refugees and should continue welcoming them, while also arguing that sanctuary cities violate federal law and should risk losing federal funding without state backfill.
SourceGriffo joined Senate Republican colleagues in a letter requesting public reporting and oversight information from the State Comptroller regarding state spending connected to the migrant crisis.
SourceGriffo and the Senate Republican Conference announced a 2025 legislative agenda that included a policy goal to "End the migrant crisis."
SourceJoseph A. Griffo, Republican/Conservative state senator for New York Senate District 53, frames climate and energy policy around affordability, grid reliability, and consumer choice. He supports delaying or rolling back parts of New York's CLCPA clean-energy mandates, opposing mandates he says raise utility and transportation costs, while backing a diversified energy portfolio that includes natural gas, nuclear, hydroelectric, hydrogen, and renewables.
Specific Actions & Proposals
Griffo supported a Senate Republican energy package that would delay CLCPA mandates by 10 years, expand natural gas infrastructure in rural areas, support hydroelectric plants, prohibit personal vehicle electrification mandates, and create a hydrogen vehicle task force.
SourceGriffo backed bills to pause green-energy mandates, disclose CLCPA costs on utility bills, repeal the All-Electric Buildings Act, study reopening Indian Point, and block electric vehicle mandates.
SourceGriffo urged the governor to veto S.8417/A.8888, arguing that eliminating the 100-foot gas-service rule would shift thousands of dollars in costs to property owners and accelerate an impractical move away from natural gas.
SourceJoseph Griffo is the Republican/Conservative New York State Senator for District 53 and serves as the ranking member of the Senate Higher Education Committee. His education-related record emphasizes school-district mandate relief and funding concerns, anti-bullying parent notification, combating antisemitism in educational settings, higher-education workforce incentives, and engagement between local superintendents and the State Education Department.
Joseph Griffo, the Republican incumbent state senator for New York Senate District 53, emphasizes a public-safety agenda centered on tougher criminal penalties, more resources for law enforcement, changes to bail and discovery laws, school safety, and opposition to early-release or record-sealing policies he says weaken accountability.
Specific Actions & Proposals
Griffo opposed New York's Clean Slate Act, arguing that it shields serious criminal histories from employers and other entities and does not make New Yorkers safer.
SourceGriffo opposed Senate proposals that would allow large prison sentence reductions and create a presumption favoring parole release, while supporting his own bill to let the Parole Board require violent felony offenders to serve maximum terms if release would pose an imminent threat.
SourceNYSenate.gov
https://www.nysenate.gov/senators/joseph-griffo/aboutFetched: biography, education, location, committees
Vote Smart
https://justfacts.votesmart.org/candidate/biography/68810/joseph-griffoFetched: biography, age, education, location, committees
MyRepTracker
https://myreptracker.com/new-york/legislators/ny-senate-53-joe-griffo/voting-recordFetched: votingRecord
Transparency USA
https://www.transparencyusa.org/ny/race/new-york-state-senate-district-53-74494Fetched: campaignFinance
Detectives’ Endowment Association Political Endorsements
https://nycdetectives.org/political-endorsements/Fetched: endorsements
New York State Board of Elections 2026 Primary Certification
https://elections.ny.gov/system/files/documents/2026/05/accessible-june-23-2026-primary-certification-amended-5.13.26_0.pdfFetched: endorsements
Vote Smart Joseph Griffo Biography
https://justfacts.votesmart.org/candidate/biography/68810/joseph-griffoFetched: ratings
Vote Smart Joseph Griffo Political Summary
https://justfacts.votesmart.org/candidate/68810/joseph-griffoFetched: ratings
New York State Senate member page
https://www.nysenate.gov/senators/joseph-griffoFetched: issuePositions
New York State Senate - S9943
https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2025/S9943/amendment/originalFetched: issuePositions
New York State Senate - Rural healthcare funding press release
https://www.nysenate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/2026/joseph-griffo/griffo-healthcare-entities-53rd-senate-district-receiveFetched: issuePositions
New York State Senate - S8567
https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2025/S8567Fetched: issuePositions
New York State Senate - Mental health system press release
https://www.nysenate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/2026/joseph-griffo/griffo-buttenschon-and-miller-push-changes-new-yorksFetched: issuePositions
New York State Senate - S8562
https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2025/S8562Fetched: issuePositions
NYSenate.gov - Joseph A. Griffo 2026 legislative agenda
https://www.nysenate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/2026/joseph-griffo/griffo-senate-republicans-announce-2026-legislative?page=0Fetched: issuePositions
NYSenate.gov - Senate Bill S10082
https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2025/S10082Fetched: issuePositions
NYSenate.gov - Senate Bill S9895
https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2025/S9895Fetched: issuePositions
NYSenate.gov - Griffo and Buttenschon draft retirement incentive legislation
https://www.nysenate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/2020/joseph-griffo/griffo-and-buttenschon-draft-retirement-incentive?page=0Fetched: issuePositions
NYSenate.gov - Joseph A. Griffo profile
https://www.nysenate.gov/senators/joseph-griffoFetched: issuePositions
NYSenate.gov - 2019-S1747B bill page
https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2019/S1747Fetched: issuePositions
NYSenate.gov - Green Light Bill press release
https://www.nysenate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/2019/joseph-griffo/griffo-picente-maciol-deperno-and-carpinelli-outlineFetched: issuePositions
NYSenate.gov - Immigration executive order statement
https://www.nysenate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/2017/joseph-griffo/sen-griffos-statement-concerning-president-trumpsFetched: issuePositions
NYSenate.gov - Comptroller migrant letter PDF
https://www.nysenate.gov/sites/default/files/press-release/attachment/comptroller_re_migrants_0.pdfFetched: issuePositions
NYSenate.gov - Liberate New York 2025 agenda
https://www.nysenate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/2025/joseph-griffo/griffo-and-senate-republicans-unveil-liberate-new-york?page=6Fetched: issuePositions
New York State Senate - Senator Joseph A. Griffo profile
https://www.nysenate.gov/senators/joseph-griffoFetched: issuePositions
New York State Senate - S5436
https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2025/S5436Fetched: issuePositions
New York State Senate - S9422
https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2025/S9422Fetched: issuePositions
New York State Senate - 2024 energy package press release
https://www.nysenate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/2024/joseph-griffo/griffo-senate-republicans-unveil-energy-package-ensuringFetched: issuePositions
New York State Senate - 2025 rising energy costs package press release
https://www.nysenate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/2025/joseph-griffo/griffo-pushes-package-legislation-would-help-alleviateFetched: issuePositions
New York State Senate - veto request on S.8417/A.8888
https://www.nysenate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/2025/joseph-griffo/griffo-urges-governor-veto-s8417a8888Fetched: issuePositions
NYSenate.gov press release
https://www.nysenate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/2023/joseph-griffo/griffo-arranges-meeting-between-school-superintendentsFetched: issuePositions
LegiScan
https://legiscan.com/NY/people/joseph-griffo/id/1417?chamber=senate&record=all&type=billFetched: issuePositions
NYSenate.gov - Senator Joseph A. Griffo profile
https://www.nysenate.gov/senators/joseph-griffoFetched: issuePositions
NYSenate.gov - 2025-S7337 bill page
https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2025/S7337Fetched: issuePositions
NYSenate.gov - Griffo and Hunter bill signed into law by governor
https://www.nysenate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/2024/joseph-griffo/griffo-and-hunter-bill-signed-law-governorFetched: issuePositions
NYSenate.gov - Griffo and Buttenschon introducing legislation to address gun violence in New York
https://www.nysenate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/2023/joseph-griffo/griffo-and-buttenschon-introducing-legislation-addressFetched: issuePositions
NYSenate.gov - Griffo statement on Clean Slate Act
https://www.nysenate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/2023/joseph-griffo/griffo-statement-clean-slate-actFetched: issuePositions
NYSenate.gov - Griffo, Senate Republicans push back pro-criminal legislation
https://www.nysenate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/2025/joseph-griffo/griffo-senate-republicans-push-back-pro-criminalFetched: issuePositions