New York state Assemblymember Helene Weinstein, the first woman to chair the influential Assembly Ways and Means Committee, has announced she will retire at the end of this legislative session. Weinstein, the longest-serving incumbent in the state Legislature's lower chamber, joins her state Senate counterpart, Neil Breslin, in planning to retire.

In a statement on X, formerly known as Twitter, announcing her decision to retire, the Brooklyn Democrat said “it has been the greatest honor to serve” and thanked current and former staffers.

Weinstein was first elected to the Assembly in 1980. Weinstein and her father, Murray, have represented the southern Brooklyn district for nearly half a century.

In her decades of public service, Weinstein has made history multiple times by being the first woman to chair the Assembly Judiciary and Ways and Means Committee, two of the most senior committee assignments.

Weinstein is an addition to a growing list of legislative retirements this election cycle. Breslin, the dean of the state Senate, announced his retirement earlier this year. In the Assembly, chamber regulars Jeffrion Aubry and Andy Goodell have also announced their retirements.