VoterLens
New York State Assembly District 142
State University of New York Buffalo—Bachelor's in Political Science and Government
Data last updated 10/21/2026
Pat Burke is the Assemblyman for New York’s 142nd Assembly District and a South Buffalo/Buffalo native. He served as an Erie County Legislator from January 2014 to December 2018 and also serves as a political science instructor at Buffalo State College. His legislative work has included measures on microbead plastics, Sunday Blue Laws, opioid-crisis funding, broadband, child safety, conversion therapy, youth concussion protocols, and environmental protections.
Committee Assignments: Committee on Cities · Great Lakes Watershed Task Force · Committee on Banks · Committee on Governmental Employees · Committee on Science & Technology · Committee on Tourism, Parks, Arts and Sports Development
Patrick Burke, the Democratic incumbent for New York State Assembly District 142, has emphasized healthcare through sponsored legislation focused on mental health supports, Medicaid access, public-health safety, and therapeutic treatment options for veterans and first responders. His record shows support for expanding targeted healthcare access and state oversight in health-related areas.
Patrick Burke's economy and jobs record emphasizes reducing barriers and costs for small businesses, protecting workers from job displacement caused by automation, promoting trade and investment, and using public financing tools to support household stability and local economic activity.
Patrick Burke’s documented immigration-related position is opposition to New York’s 2019 Driver’s License Access and Privacy Act, also known as the Green Light bill, which allowed undocumented immigrants to obtain standard driver’s licenses and restricted disclosure of certain DMV information to immigration enforcement agencies. Burke stated that immigration should be handled federally rather than through state-level legislation of this kind.
Specific Actions & Proposals
Burke said the Driver’s License Access and Privacy Act was "flawed legislation" and that he would vote no when it reached the Assembly floor.
SourcePatrick Burke supports aggressive climate and environmental policy, including New York’s Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act, renewable-energy and greenhouse-gas reductions, weatherization/electrification projects, clean-fuel standards, and stronger environmental protections for waterways and plastics reduction. As a sitting Democratic Assemblymember for New York Assembly District 142, he has backed climate-related bills and publicly framed climate change as requiring structural action.
Patrick Burke’s education record centers on school safety, teacher workforce/retirement policy, and public higher-education governance. As Assembly District 142’s Democratic Assemblymember, he has sponsored measures requiring monitors on elementary school buses, creating a Pulaski Day school holiday, adding faculty/staff representation to SUNY campus councils, and improving NYSTRS recalculation rules to make it easier for retired teachers to return to classrooms.
Patrick Burke, the Democratic incumbent for New York State Assembly District 142, has emphasized public safety through pretrial dangerousness hearings for violent-crime defendants and support for law-enforcement and school-safety measures. His record includes prime sponsorship of bills on dangerousness hearings, law-enforcement mental-health support, Erie County park-ranger peace-officer powers, and school bus monitors.
Specific Actions & Proposals
Burke announced his intent to introduce Justice for Rachael legislation so prosecutors could request dangerousness hearings to decide whether defendants should be released pretrial.
SourceNew York State Assembly
https://assembly.state.ny.us/mem/?ad=142&sh=aboutFetched: biography, location, background
BallotReady
https://www.ballotready.org/people/patrick-b-burkeFetched: education, background, current office
New York State Assembly Member Directory
https://nyassembly.gov/mem/Patrick-BurkeFetched: votingRecord
New York State Assembly Member Directory - Office
https://www.nyassembly.gov/mem/?ad=142&sh=officeFetched: votingRecord
Transparency USA - Patrick B Burke
https://www.transparencyusa.org/ny/candidate/patrick-b-burkeFetched: campaignFinance
Sway
https://www.sway.co/race/new-york-state-assembly-district-142-36ffefd3-615d-444f-9b2d-c46a91a5b835Fetched: endorsements
Vote Smart
https://justfacts.votesmart.org/candidate/163719/pat-burke?categoryId=101&type=V%2CS%2CR%2CE%2CF%2CPFetched: endorsements
New York League of Conservation Voters 2025 State Scorecard
https://www.nylcv.org/wp-content/uploads/NYS-Scorecard-2025.pdfFetched: endorsements
New York League of Conservation Voters 2023 State Scorecard
https://nylcv.org/wp-content/uploads/NYLCV_2023_StateScorecard_092923-DRAFT-w-scores.pdfFetched: endorsements
Planned Parenthood Empire State Acts Assembly Scorecard 2024
https://www.plannedparenthoodaction.org/uploads/filer_public/b1/1e/b11e9b50-900f-45df-a922-1a3c9feff9a6/2024_ratings_assmb_oct.pdfFetched: endorsements
New York State Assembly member biography for Patrick Burke, Assembly District 142
https://assembly.state.ny.us/mem/?ad=142&sh=aboutFetched: issuePositions
New York State Assembly sponsored legislation page for Patrick Burke, Assembly District 142
https://www.assembly.ny.gov/mem/?ad=142&sh=sponsorFetched: issuePositions
New York State Senate Open Legislation bill page for A3514
https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2025/A3514Fetched: issuePositions
New York State Senate Open Legislation bill page for A3522
https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2025/A3522Fetched: issuePositions
New York State Senate Open Legislation bill page for A3845
https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2025/A3845/amendment/originalFetched: issuePositions
New York State Assembly Member Page
https://assembly.state.ny.us/mem/?ad=142&sh=aboutFetched: issuePositions
New York State Assembly Sponsored Legislation
https://www.assembly.ny.gov/mem/?ad=142&sh=sponsorFetched: issuePositions
New York State Senate Open Legislation
https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2025/A3719Fetched: issuePositions
New York State Senate Open Legislation
https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2025/A3546Fetched: issuePositions
New York State Senate Open Legislation
https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2025/A3776Fetched: issuePositions
New York State Senate Open Legislation
https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2025/A5286Fetched: issuePositions
New York State Assembly Member Page - Patrick Burke
https://www.nyassembly.gov/mem/Patrick-Burke/story/87333Fetched: issuePositions
New York State Assembly Bill Search - A03675B
https://nyassembly.gov/leg/?Floor%26nbspVotes=Y&Memo=Y&Summary=Y&Text=Y&bn=A03675&default_fld=&leg_video=&term=2019Fetched: issuePositions
New York State Assembly member page
https://www.assembly.state.ny.us/mem/Patrick-Burke/story/94974Fetched: issuePositions
New York State Assembly bill record
https://assembly.state.ny.us/leg/?Floor%26nbspVotes=Y%5C&Summary=Y&bn=S06599&default_fld=&leg_video=&term=2019Fetched: issuePositions
New York State Assembly member page
https://www.assembly.state.ny.us/mem/Patrick-Burke/story/94972Fetched: issuePositions
New York State Assembly member page
https://nyassembly.gov/mem/Patrick-Burke/story/100976Fetched: issuePositions
New York State Assembly member page
https://assembly.state.ny.us/mem/?ad=142&sh=bioFetched: issuePositions
New York State Senate Open Legislation - A3566
https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2025/A3566Fetched: issuePositions
New York State Assembly Bill Search - A03902
https://nyassembly.gov/leg/?Actions=Y&Memo=Y&Summary=Y&Text=Y&Votes=Y&bn=A03902&term=Fetched: issuePositions
New York State Senate Open Legislation - A10720
https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2025/A10720Fetched: issuePositions
New York State Assembly press release - NYSTRS legislation
https://www.assembly.ny.gov/mem/Patrick-Burke/story/110707Fetched: issuePositions
New York State Assembly member page
https://www.nyassembly.gov/mem/?ad=142&sh=sponsorFetched: issuePositions
New York State Assembly bill page - A03562
https://www.nyassembly.gov/leg/?Actions=Y&Memo=Y&Summary=Y&Text=Y&Votes=Y&bn=A03562&term=Fetched: issuePositions
New York State Assembly bill page - A03514
https://nyassembly.gov/leg/?bn=A03514&leg_video=Fetched: issuePositions
New York State Assembly press release
https://www.nyassembly.gov/mem/Patrick-Burke/story/89938Fetched: issuePositions
New York State Assembly bill page - A07529
https://nyassembly.gov/leg/?bn=A07529&leg_video=Fetched: issuePositions