 Tonko was also a member of standing committees on Agriculture, Transportation and Education, where he was the original sponsor and a chief proponent of the College Tuition Savings Program that was signed into law in 1997.Tonko sponsored Timothy's Law, a 2006 law which requires health insurers to provide coverage for mental health treatment.Tonko was also a sponsor of the Northeast Dairy Compact, and the Chairman of the Legislative Commission on Rural Resources, 

Tonko resigned his Assembly seat in June 2007 to become President and CEO of the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority.