Senator Jeff Klein , the leader of a five-member Democratic faction that has teamed up with the 30 Republicans, says he knows many Democratic African-American and Latino senators are upset.

"They raised concerns about diversity, which I'm more than happy to address," Klein said.

Senator Klein says issues pushed by the new coalition, including raising the minimum wage and reforming New York City's Stop and Frisk policy, will help African-Americans and Hispanics, as well as other New Yorkers.

The senators spoke in Rockaway, Queens, where the coalition announced a Senate task force to help expedite Superstorm Sandy recovery efforts.

Senate GOP Leader Dean Skelos says he believes the coalition will be a success. Skelos says he and Senator Klein "have looked each other in the eye", and said "we're going to make this work".

The Senators say working together on storm cleanup is one example of how the new coalition can function.