Joseph D. Morelle
DemocratU.S. Representative, NY-25| Age | 69 (b. 1957-04-29) |
| Gender | Male |
| In office since | 2018-11-13 (~7 yrs) |
| Race / ethnicity | White (Italian American) |
| Religion | Catholic (raised Roman Catholic) |
| Education | Attended Eastridge High School in Irondequoit, NY; earned a B.A. in Political Science from the State University of New York at Geneseo (1986) |
| Prior occupation | Small business owner / sales manager for a drycleaning and laundry business; earlier worked as a constituent services representative for a state senator and a legislative aide in Albany |
| Military service | No |
| Birthplace | Utica, New York |
| Marital status | married — Mary Bauer (Morelle) |
| Children | 3 |
| Residence | Irondequoit, New York |
| Notable relatives | Son Joseph Morelle Jr. is a member of the Monroe County (NY) Legislature |
Pending research: languages · openly lgbtq.
Career & politics
| First elected | 2018 |
| Previous offices | Monroe County (NY) Legislature (elected 1983, served two terms, c. 1984-1990) · New York State Assembly, 136th/138th District (1991-2018) · Majority Leader, New York State Assembly (2013-2018) · Acting Speaker, New York State Assembly (briefly, February 2015) · Chair, Monroe County Democratic Committee (2005-2014) |
| Committees | House Committee on Appropriations (Vice Ranking Member; Subcommittees on Commerce, Justice, Science and Related Agencies, and Defense) · Committee on House Administration (Ranking Member) · Joint Committee on Printing · Joint Committee on the Library |
| Caucuses | New Democrat Coalition · Congressional Equality Caucus · Congressional Ukraine Caucus · House Pro-Choice Caucus · Labor Caucus · Congressional Caucus for the Equal Rights Amendment · Congressional Coalition on Adoption · Congressional Taiwan Caucus |
| Leadership | Ranking Member, Committee on House Administration (since January 3, 2023) · Vice Ranking Member, House Committee on Appropriations (119th Congress) |
| Ideology | Member of the centrist New Democrat Coalition; reported to have voted in line with President Biden's stated position 100% of the time in the 117th Congress per FiveThirtyEight |
| Signature legislation | Authored 200+ laws as a New York State Assemblymember, including reforms to the workers' compensation system and a statewide carbon monoxide detector requirement |
Financial
Net worth: disclosed + (2025) · estimate
| American Funds - New Perspective Fund-F1 (NPFFX) | fund · –$500,000 · 2025 |
| Fidelity Money Market Premium Class | fund · –$50,000 · 2025 |
| Invesco Dynamic Leisure and Entertainment ETF | fund · –$50,000 · 2025 |
| M&T Bank | stock · –$50,000 · 2025 |
| Vanguard Mid-Cap Index Fund ETF | fund · –$50,000 · 2025 |
Scandals & crimes ledger
resolved — 1990 election nominating-petition fraud; guilty plea to disorderly conduct
A 1990 New York State Supreme Court ruling found that Morelle had fraudulently obtained several signatures on nominating petitions to qualify for an independent ballot line during his 1990 New York State Assembly campaign against Republican Mark S. Ogden; family members signed petitions he did not personally witness. In 1991 he was charged with seven misdemeanor counts of violating state election law. He accepted a plea bargain and in January 1992 pleaded guilty to two counts of disorderly conduct, which under New York law is a violation rather than a misdemeanor or felony, so it left him without a criminal record. He was sentenced to 32 hours of community service and a $25 fine and was allowed to remain on the ballot. Morelle has never contested that the signatures were obtained fraudulently.