NY lawmakers among nation's most educated

New York has the fourth most educated state legislature in the nation, according to a new survey.

The state Capitol is saturated with lawyers compared with other states, and more of New York's lawmakers attended private schools than their counterparts in other states.

Eighty-seven percent of the state's lawmakers have at least a bachelor's degree, according to the Chronicle of Higher Education report. That's just behind California (90 percent), Virginia (89 percent) and Nebraska (87.3 percent).

Nationally, three out of four state legislators had earned a bachelor's or higher.

Most lawmakers across the country attended public universities in their home state, the report found. Yet, in a revelation that might not shock college officials, having an alumnus in a state capitol does not translate into more state money, Chronicle editor Jeffrey J. Selingo said.

"When it comes to colleges, they're more supportive of the institutions in their backyard than where they went to college," he said.

The Chronicle gathered data on the nation's 7,400 local lawmakers, much of it self-reported and from biographical information or campaign literature.

-- Albany Times Union