The 48th annual New York State Black, Puerto Rican, and Asian Legislative Caucus weekend has even more meaning to many legislators and their constiuents, who have turned out because of the record number of diverse and minority lawmakers elected to their seats this year.

Not only in Washington D.C. but also at home in the Capital Region.

"I think the biggest thing that changes is who's at the table," said Assemblywoman Yuh-Line Niou, D-Lower Manhattan. 

Niou is the first-ever Asian-American woman elected to represent Lower Manhattan, and has been in office for a little more than two years. She says having someone who knows your community is key.

"When you have more women coming up, when you have more people of color coming up from all different communities, you get that layered perspective that policy needs to be complete," Niou said.

And New York's Civil Liberties Union agrees. 

"If you don't have people who look like you, who think like you, that come from the communities that you serve, you can't get real democracy," said Lee Rowland, NYCLU'd Policy director. "And so we need a diverse legislature that represents the diverse New York that we have."

Donald Hyman comes each year. He grew up in Brooklyn but lives in Albany now. He says the Caucus is a great opportunity for people from all across the state to come together and work on the issues.

"It means that there's hope and that there's a possibility because we can communicate, unify together, and have understanding. There will some solutions to some of these issues and problems in the near future," Hyman said.

And solving those problems is up to every New Yorker.

"Whether they're city or rural, everyone has a voice. Not only in the public but at our state legislature," Rowland said. "And we're getting a hell of lot better, and that's great for the state."

Also historic for the state and the Caucus is Sen. Andrea Stewart Cousins and Assemblywoman Crystal Peoples-Stokes as the first-ever African American women majority leaders for the Senate and the Assembly in New York State this year. 

Lawmakers at Caucus Weekend are hoping to highlight several issues including the budge, the opioid epidemic, marijuana legalization and predatory lending — all issues that lawmakers say are tackled differently for people of color.