Since his election to the New York State Assembly in 1990, Joseph D. Morelle has authored more than 100 laws and established himself as a leader on the issues that matter most to New Yorkers: Economic growth and job creation, crime prevention, and ensuring the health and safety of our most vulnerable citizens.

Joe is particularly recognized for his efforts to improve New York’s business climate.  That is especially true in Upstate New York, which has experienced severe job and population losses since the early 1990s. Born in Utica, raised in the Rochester suburb of Irondequoit and the owner of small business himself, Joe is a lifelong Upstate resident who understands the region’s unique challenges.

Leading in Economic Development

In 2005, Joe addressed those challenges in a report entitled Creating A State of Innovation: Unleashing the Power of New York’s Entrepreneurial Economy that detailed the decline of New York as an economic power and offered numerous policy prescriptions for reversing that decades-long trend. Creating A State of Innovation has been widely praised by business and academic leaders, other elected officials and editorial boards across the state.

Joe’s report is the culmination of years of advocacy for new economic and tax policies.  His passion for job creation and making New York more competitive stems in part from his own experience as founder and president of MMI Technologies Inc., a software development firm.  He knows first-hand the difficulties small businesses face when attempting to make a profit while meeting the demands of the state’s high tax burden.

At Joe's request, the Speaker of the Assembly created the Subcommittee on Manufacturing, with Joe as chairman, as a means of providing New York’s manufacturing community a greater voice in state government. He also served on the Speaker's Task Force on Budget Reform and the Workers' Compensation Reform Task Force, and co-chaired the Assembly's Welfare Reform Task Force.

Tourism as an Economic Engine

Joe’s commitment to New York’s economic rebirth has also defined his chairmanship of the Assembly’s Standing Committee on Tourism, Arts and Sports Development, a position he has held since 2001. Tourism is the state’s No. 2 industry, and Joe has consistently worked hard to make sure that the New York’s vast cultural and natural resources are promoted and enjoyed by people around the world.

In 2004, Joe created the film production tax credit to encourage the making of motion pictures in New York. This has created thousands of jobs and billions of dollars in added economic activity, and in fact the tax credit has proved so successful that a five-year, $250 million extension was included in the 2006-2007 state budget.

Additional Legislative Priorities

Aside from economic issues, Joe’s recent legislative priorities include a broad range of anti-crime measures, including mandatory background checks for nursing home and home-health care workers, civil confinement for dangerous sexual predators even after release from prison, and the elimination of the statute of limitations in felony rape and sexual assault cases.

Joe is also a strong supporter of military veterans, authoring a bill earlier this year making it easier for former members of the armed forces to receive added exam credits when applying for civil service positions. In the past, Joe has also successfully fought to exempt veterans from certain licensing fees and to protect military gravesites from vandalism.

In June 2006, Joe announced major legislation aimed at reforming New York’s debt practices in order to reduce the annual cost of the state’s $49 billion public debt and spare future generations those costs as well.

In addition to the Tourism Committee, Joe holds standing assignments on the committees:

• Economic Development, Job Creation, Commerce and Industry
• Higher Education
• Local Governments
• Libraries and Education Technology

For Joe’s full legislative history, click here.

Personal & Professional History

Joe’s career in the Assembly is the latest phase in a long history of public service. In 1983, he was elected to the Monroe County Legislature, where he eventually served as vice president and assistant majority leader. He served there until his successful bid for the Assembly’s 132^nd District seat in 1990. The district today comprises the Charlotte, Maplewood and North Winton Village sections of the City of Rochester and the towns of Irondequoit and Brighton.

Joe, 49, is a graduate of Eastridge High School and received his bachelor's degree in political science from SUNY Geneseo. Joe is an inductee of the Eastridge High School Hall of Fame and the State University of New York Alumni Honor Roll.

Joe and his wife, Mary Beth, live in Irondequoit and have three children. Mary Beth teaches in the East Irondequoit School District, which all three Morelle children have attended.