Issues

Introduced legislation banning the sale for human consumption of animals too sick to walk;
Helped pass legislation banning “canned hunts” and increasing penalties for attending animal fights.

Supports increasing funding for the arts community and is particularly sensitive to the needs of the medium and small art institutions;
Opposes the loss of art and music cluster rooms for elementary schools;
Supports funding to NYS arts institutions through maintaining NYSCA funding;
Supports art education as an integral component of public school education;
Supports certified arts education teachers in the public schools.

Introduced legislation to crack down on unscrupulous practices by mortgage servicers;
Successfully fought to establish consumer-friendly regulation of tax preparers offering refund anticipation loans;
Supports increased regulation of the debt collection industry;
Helped pass groundbreaking foreclosure prevention legislation.

Introduced legislation requiring corporate recipients of economic development funding to demonstrate success in creating new jobs;
Supports Allowing Wine Sales in Supermarkets;
Worked with small business advocates to improve access to Minority and Women Owned Business Enterprise (MWBE) programs.

Supports small class sizes;
Supports the construction or leasing of additional schools to reduce overcrowding;
Supports an increased Charter School cap while also increasing financial accountability and transparency of these publicly funded schools.

Supports upstate farmers by advocating for the redesign of Hunts Point Produce Terminal Market in order to increase the sales of New York State fruits and vegetables;
Supports increasing the number of farmers markets and consumer supported agriculture in order to bring more local food to New York City residents;
Supports increasing access of food stamps for eligible participants.

Refuses to take a “lulu” salary stipend for committee or leadership position;
Sued the State Legislature to create a more equitable and transparent process;
Introduced more democratic Senate rules many of which many were adopted in 2009;
Sponsors campaign finance reform legislation;
Supports nonpartisan redistricting reform;
Helped pass Public Authority Reform, ethics reform and lobbying reform legislation;
Introduced responsible budgeting legislation.

Supported and voted for Governor Cuomo’s NY-SAFE Act, which included a nation-leading assault weapons ban, a strengthened ban and increased penalties for high-capacity magazines and rapid ammunition feeding devices, and other commonsense measures to tighten gun safety laws and make New Yorkers safer from gun violence.
Sponsors the Children’s Weapon Accident Prevention Act, S. 895-2011

Supports universal single-payer healthcare;
Supports expanding EPIC benefits to the disabled;
Helped pass Timothy’s law to provide equal insurance coverage for mental illnesses;
Supports legislation to restore the Dept. of Insurance’s authority to authorize health insurance premium increases.

Supports increased State investment in affordable housing preservation and development;
Sponsors numerous bills to increase protections for tenants including legislation to repeal Vacancy Decontrol, return control over rent regulation to New York City, reform the Major Capital Improvement System, and keep Mitchell-Lama housing affordable;
Worked to bring City and State together to free up $400 million from Battery Park City for affordable housing that had been delayed for decades;
Introduced legislation to eliminate illegal hotels;
Co-founded a taskforce with City and State elected officials to work to improve the State Division of Housing and Community Renewal;
Authored legislation creating a Co-op and Condo Ombudsman office to help co-op shareholders and condominium owners understand their rights and responsibilities and reduce the need for litigation;
Successfully fought for legislation to improve dramatically protections for homeowners facing foreclosure.

Supports enhancing the role of Community Boards and other neighborhood organizations regarding land use decisions and long-term planning;
Working to increase community open space and parkland;
Working to obtain funding to complete the East River Esplanade;
Introduced and passed legislation to strengthen regulation on construction projects.

Successfully fought for legislation creating the DRIE program;
Sponsors legislation waiving State Sovereign immunity from suits under the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Worked to pass legislation to enable implementation with Bus Rapid Transit, now in progress on the upper East Side;
Successfully fought for legislation to require public audits of MTA books;
Supports expanded bike lanes and pedestrian friendly street design;
Supports expansion of public transportation;
Supports congestion pricing;
Introduced legislation to crack down on bicycles on the sidewalks.

Supports reproductive rights – 100% Pro-Choice;
Supports Reproductive Health Act;
Introduced and passed legislation establishing a Breastfeeding Mothers Bill of Rights;
Helped pass the Women’s Health and Wellness Act which guarantees women coverage for breast and cervical cancer screenings.