Assembly, Hoyt served as Majority Whip. As a senior member of the Assembly, he chaired several Assembly committees. In 2007, Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver appointed Hoyt as the Chairman of the Assembly Local Governments Committee. Prior to becoming chairman of this committee, Hoyt was the Chairman of the Assembly Oversight, Analysis and Investigations Committee. He is also both a former Chairman of the Assembly Task Force on Demographics and Reapportionment, and the Assembly Alcoholism and Drug Abuse Committee. He also co-chaired both the Anti-Flipping and High Speed Rail Task Forces. Hoyt was also a member of the following committees: Ways and Means; Local Governments; Children and Families; Transportation; Energy; Tourism; Arts and Sports Development; Cities; Government Operations; Women's Issues Task Force; and the Puerto Rican/Hispanic Task Force. Political interests Some of Hoyt's political interests have included making state and local governments more efficient and accountable to taxpayers; revitalizing neighborhoods; increasing economic opportunity; and developing the Buffalo waterfront. Political positions Hoyt concentrated on the redevelopment of Upstate New York cities. The passage of the Smart Growth Public Infrastructure Policy Act; Land Bank Program; and State Historic Preservation Tax Credit are among his legislative accomplishments. In 2009, Hoyt sponsored legislation that was passed to allow the City of Buffalo school district to start the fourth phase of its Joint Schools reconstruction project. As a lifelong environmentalist, in 2008, Hoyt passed a new law to protect old growth forests. The same year, Hoyt sponsored a new law that passed to fund bike paths across New York State, and has worked for their protection. An advocate of marriage equality, Hoyt supported the Marriage Equality Act, which was passed in June 2011. This Act granted same-sex couples in New York State the freedom to marry under the law, as well as hundreds of rights, benefits, and protections that had been limited to married couples of the opposite sex. In 2006, Hoyt proposed that a land-locked area between the Peace Bridge to Canada and Porter Avenue be transformed into a park. The strip of land was owned by the New York State Thruway Authority, and its scenic value had been lost due to the development of both the Peace Bridge toll plaza and Interstate-190. That area of land had previously been part of Front Park, designed by Frederick Law Olmsted. Hoyt proposed in 2004 that a community-based group be created regarding the restoration of the H.H.