May 12 : New York Daily News : By Brad Hoylman and Nick Denis

It’s not yet legal in New York, but it could be soon — and professional cage fighting, or Mixed Martial Arts, is already big business across the country. In 2011, the sport’s leading promoter, Ultimate Fighting Championship, signed an estimated $700 million contract with Fox to broadcast MMA matches.

Using numbers like this one — and the immense popularity of the sport among those who would pay a pretty penny to see it in person — industry advocates claim that MMA events would generate at least $100 million across the state, providing a boost to the five boroughs, not to mention struggling upstate economies.

So, the argument goes: Why not just go ahead and legalize professional MMA?

There are many serious concerns about cage fighting, including its glorification of violence, that are beyond economic analysis. But one problem that can be quantified is also among the least discussed: the long-term health impact of MMA on pro fighters.
Read Full Article →

May 8, 2013 : Metro : By Alison Bowen

Discrimination against transgender people is costing New York millions, according to a new report.

The study, released yesterday by the UCLA’s Williams Institute, says that housing and employment discrimination cost the state millions of dollars as people lean on public assistance instead.

According to the study, workplace discrimination could cost the state about $7 million each year.

The report estimates about 58,000 New Yorkers are transgender and said 59 percent are covered under local anti-discrimination statutes.

But that leaves about 23,800 people unprotected, according to the study.

“It shocks the conscience that nearly 24,000 New Yorkers can be fired from their jobs or be evicted from their homes merely because of their gender identity or expression,” state senator Brad Hoylman said today.
Read Full Article →

May 2, 2013 : New York Daily News : By Greg B. Smith

Manhattan legislators want to make the Housing Authority dramatically increase public input into its plan to lease land for luxury housing. The officials filed a bill requiring NYCHA — which they charge has been secretive in pushing the proposal — to face the same tough scrutiny ordinary developers endure, the Daily News has learned.

NYCHA has been aggressively pushing its plan to lease land in eight Manhattan developments to build 4,300 apartments, most of them market rate.

The plan would raise $46 million annually.

But critics question why public land should be leased for private developments that include 80% market rate and 20% affordable apartments at a time when the city needs cheaper housing.

NYCHA, a public authority run by mayoral appointees, is not currently subject to the strict scrutiny other city agencies and ordinary developers face.

On Friday, Sen. Brad Hoylman and Assemblymen Brian Kavanagh and Keith Wright filed a bill that would make NYCHA obtain more public comment from tenants and surrounding communities.

Under the bill, NYCHA would also need city Planning Commission and City Council approval for its plan.

Hoylman said increased scrutiny is crucial because of NYCHA’s secretiveness: “They’ve been confusing and dismissive.”

Wright, chairman of the Housing Committee, said NYCHA appears to be “trying to ram [the plan] through in the remaining days of the Bloomberg administration.”

April 29, 2013 : Capital Tonight : by Nick Reisman

Democratic Sen. Brad Hoylman believes he’s found a way around the state constitutional argument against ending pension benefits for those lawmakers convicted of corruption.

Hoylman today introduced legislation that would tie the acceptance of per diem expenses for legislators to an agreement that would require pension forfeiture upon conviction of felony corruption.

The move closes what some are describing as a loophole in the 2011 ethics law that provides for end to pension benefits of state officials convicted of felony corruption, but only those elected after the law was approved.

At the same time, the bill would expand the 2011 law to include officials convicted in federal court, where many of the corruption cases have emanated from in recent years.

The debate over pension benefits for corrupt officials has been reignited in Albany in the wake of back-to-back bribery scandals resulting in the arrests of both Sen. Malcolm Smith and Assemblyman Eric Stevenson.

“We must take every opportunity available to help restore public confidence in state government, and I hope my colleagues in the State Senate will join me in supporting these two straightforward and common sense proposals,” Hoylman said in a statement.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo and legislative leaders have been skeptical of pension forfeiture proposals, suggesting they may be unconstitutional.

Lawmakers have introduced an amendment to the state Constitution, but the process is a lengthy one: The measure must pass both houses of the Legislature by two separately elected sessions and then approved by voters.

April 27, 2013 : New York Daily News : By Kenneth Lovett

ALBANY – The state Senate’s only openly gay lawmaker wants to outlaw a controversial therapy that attempts to make gay youth straight.

Legislation introduced Friday by Sen. Brad Hoylman (D-Manhattan) would bar mental health providers from trying to change the sexual orientation of anyone under the age of 18.

If enacted, a licensed mental health provider who ignored the law would be cited for unprofessional conduct and subject to licensing sanctions.

Hoylman will co-sponsor the bill in the Senate with Michael Gianaris (D-Queens). It is being carried in the Assembly by Deborah Glick, a Manhattan Democrat who is a lesbian.

Conversion therapy has been rejected by many in the mental health community.

Hoylman, who is married to a man and has a two-year-old daughter, said the controversial treatment is not good for the individual or society.

“It not only is impossible, but it is detrimental to young people to attempt to convert them,” he said.

“It also increases the stigma in society and creates a culture of unacceptance for young gay and lesbian people,” Hoylman added.
Read Full Article →

April 23, 2013 : WFUV-FM : by Claudia Morell

New York State Senator Brad Hoylman wants to make sure the state doesn’t lift its 16 year ban on professional cage fighting and Mix Martial Arts, or MMA.

Hoylman said the sport, which includes boxing, judo, wrestling and kickboxing, is not only too violent to watch, it is dangerous for the fighters involved.

“I’m concerned about the fighters,” said Hoylman, “I recently met a fighter named Nick Dennis who left the sport because of injuries to his brain, and is concerned about the long term health impact he is going to have to endure after he retires.”

Hoylman said the health consequences of the sport, haven’t been properly evaluated. He is co-sponsoring a bill with State Senator Liz Krueger that would put a two year moratorium on MMA until a health study is completed.

Read Full Article →

April 23, 2013 : State of Politics : By Nick Reisman

In the aftermath of GOP Sen. Greg Ball saying he would support the torture of the Boston Marathon bombing suspect in order to gain useful intelligence, Democratic Sen. Brad Holyman is calling attention to an anti-torture measure he introduced alongside Assemblyman Richard Gottfried earlier this year.

Holyman’s measure would prohibit the torture and improper treatment of prisoners by health care professionals.

In a statement, Holyman, D-Manhattan, said condemned Ball’s comments.

“I deplore the comments made in recent days by the Chairman of the New York State Senate Homeland Security Committee that the suspect in the Boston Marathon bombing should be tortured. Torture can never be justified to extract information or a confession from suspects,” Holyman said. “The law is clear: U.S. law, the U.N. Convention against Torture, and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights all impose an absolute ban torture, even during wartime.”

Read Full Article →

March 25, 2013 : Legislative Gazette : By Amanda Conto

Sen. Brad Hoylman, D-Greenwich Village, voiced support for legislation that would establish a pilot program to enforce maximum speed limits by means of “speed cameras,” in New York City.

The legislation (A.4327) was introduced earlier this year by Assemblywoman Deborah Glick, D-Manhattan. Sen. Andrew Lanza, R-Great Kills, is expected to introduce companion legislation in the Senate.

“I’m proud to add my strong support to this long-overdue bipartisan legislation. The data is clear: speed cameras save lives. They are a critical law enforcement tool and we’ll never get to zero traffic deaths without them,” said Hoylman.

Read Full Article →

March 14, 2013 : The Villager : By Brad Hoylman

Almost exactly four years ago, Community Board 2 held a forum on high-volume hydraulic fracturing. Few people had any idea what it was, but true to form, Villagers showed up en masse and quickly became vocal participants in the discussion.

I was chairperson of the community board at that time and I remember many of the questions that were asked. What is hydrofracking? What chemicals does it use? Is it safe to blast these chemicals into shale that could leak into watersheds? Why doesn’t the federal government regulate hydrofracking under the Clean Water Act?

Years later, we now know that there are no satisfying answers to these questions, or to the dozens of other questions that have arisen as catastrophes associated with natural gas drilling have occurred throughout the nation. In fact, many believe — and I agree — that hydrofracking is the most significant threat to our environment and our public health in decades. From flammable tap water to poisoned farm animals to ravaged rural communities to man-made earthquakes, the impacts of hydrofracking are becoming widely known thanks to films like “Gasland” and the work of environmental groups like Riverkeeper.

Read Full Article →

March 14, 2013 : Labor Press : By Senator Brad Hoylman

As President Obama so pointedly said in his recent State of the Union address, “corporate profits have rocketed to all-time highs, but for more than a decade, wages and incomes have barely budged.” The growing chasm between the rich and the poor has created a lopsided economy, and it’s patently unsustainable.

Unless we act now to increase the purchasing power of average Americans, our country will fall behind others that rely more heavily on exports than their own people to drive their economies.

The minimum wage is our government’s most targeted tool in the fight against the growth of income disparities. Raising it and, crucially, indexing it to inflation, will provided meaningful help to our struggling working families while boosting our economy.

Read Full Article →

March 5, 2013 : WCBS 880 : Reporter Pete Haskill

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) – New York State is planning to close a prison in a pricey Manhattan neighborhood and one local politician is against the move.

In a neighborhood of luxury apartments and high end galleries, it’s almost as if the Bayview Correctional Facility is hiding in plain sight.

But there it is at 550 West 20th Street in Chelsea.

“This prison has a low profile in the neighborhood, which speaks to its success,”

St. Sen. Brad Hoylman told WCBS 880 reporter Peter Haskell. “I’ve never heard of any constituent complaints about the facility at all.”
Read Full Article →

February 28, 2013 : The Villager : By New York State Senator Brad Hoylman

I heard a lot about Albany’s “pay-to-play” culture before I took office as a state Senator last month. Still, it was a culture shock to see it in action. For example, there is a practice that allows lobbyists to call senators off the Senate floor during session for face-to-face meetings about bills. Talk about being at the beck and call of special interests.

On the other hand, lobbyists can sometimes provide invaluable information. Plus, recent ethics reforms have imposed disclosure requirements and limited gifts to legislators. No more three-course steak dinners. Today a lobbyist is restricted to buying a legislator a cup of coffee.

Even with new ethics guidelines, however, Albany’s pay-to-play culture won’t change until we reform our campaign finance laws.
Read Full Article →

February 21, 2013 : Capital Tonight: by Nick Reisman

Last night Sen. Brad Hoylman joined me from New York City as part of our “Fresh Faces” series to highlight new members of the state Legislature.

Hoylman, the only openly gay member of the Senate, replaced the now retired Sen. Tom Duane in the very liberal Manhattan Senate district, and he’s pledged to take up many of the LGBT-rights issues that Duane championed.

In addition to discussing LGBT rights, Hoylman told me in the interview that he would be open to breaking out Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s abortion rights bill from a women’s equality package, but only if it meant securing quick passage of that legislation.

“I’m for getting it passed in the most expeditious way possible. If breaking it out were to achieve that then I would of course be supportive,” Hoylman said. ”The most important thing is this is now on the table. It’s been stalled for years by the former leadership of the state Senate and now I’m hopeful that we in the Dem conference with Andrea and deputy leadership we can provide the support and the leadership to make it happen.”
Read Full Article →

February 10, 2013 : NY Daily News : By Jennifer Cunningham

Chelsea officials and neighborhood preservationists are demanding the city block a greedy developer from desecrating the only known Underground Railroad stop in Manhattan.

An obscure city board will decide Tuesday whether to allow the owner of the building on W. 29th St. to add a fifth floor to the landmark townhouse, which sheltered countless runaway slaves and hosted prominent abolitionists Frederick Douglass and William Lloyd Garrison.

Co-owner Tony and Nick Mamounas started building the additional floor in violation of city landmark code — then kept building even after the Department of Buildings ordered them to stop in 2010.“For all of these reasons, its especially important that the (city) vote to … restore the building to the way it was a before he started attacking it,” said Assemblyman Richard Gottfried, who was set to rally in front of the building Sunday afternoon…

“Not only has the owner broken the law, by building the addition without a permit, but he is defacing history,” state Sen. Brad Hoylman said. “I would urge the (city) to have the illegal addition removed.”

To read the full article please click here.

February 5, 2013 : New York Post: By Jennifer Gould Keil and Bob Fredericks

The US Postal Service wants to unload the Old Chelsea Post Office on West 18th Street – but neighbors say they won’t give up the landmark without a fight.

“I love the Post Office! It’s an important part of the community and the community is saying they should not take it away,” fumed Barbara Ruether, 79, who lives in the Village but is a regular.

A top Manhattan commercial real estate appraiser told The Post the 40,000-square foot building in a prime Chelsea location could easily fetch more than $36 million – and far more if more stories can be added.

Ruether said she learned of the pending sale when she spotted a letter from postal authorities to state preservation officials posted on a bulletin board announcing the plan.

“Nobody knew what was happening,” said Ruether, who alerted Community Board 4 and state Sen. Brad Hoylman.

The sale is on CB4’s agenda when it meets at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday at the Hotel Trades Council Auditorium at 305 W. 44th St.

Hoylman said yesterday he was joining with other local, state and federal elected officials to fight to keep the facility open.

“Public spaces like Old Chelsea Post Office are critical to character of our community and we don’t want to lose it,” he said.

To read the full story, please click here.

February 4, 2013: Albany Times Union : By Rick Karlin

ALBANY — After several hours of hearings in which she was alternately criticized by Republicans and praised by Democrats, senators delayed until Tuesday morning a scheduled confirmation vote on Jenny Rivera, Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s nominee to the state Court of Appeals.

GOP Sen. John Bonacic, who chairs the Judiciary Committee, said there was too much material to go over in order to take a vote on Monday.

Typically, nominees are reviewed by their respective committees and senators vote later that day…

Rivera, 52, is a professor at the City University of New York’s law school, which bills itself as a public interest law school focusing on the needs of the underprivileged.

She is founder of the school’s Center on Latino and Latina Rights and Equality, and was a special deputy for civil rights for Cuomo when he was attorney general. She also clerked in 1993 for Sonia Sotomayor, who is now a U.S. Supreme Court Justice….

Democrats defended the nominee: “I think you are a top-drawer candidate,” said Sen. Brad Hoylman. Fellow Democrat Adriano Espaillat added that he had no doubts about Rivera’s capabilities.

To read the full article please click here.

February 4, 2013 : By William Browning

President Barack Obama, in a pre-Super Bowl interview Sunday on CBS, called upon the Boy Scouts of America to reverse a long-standing policy disallowing gays in the organization. The president joined a handful of other politicians across the nation who agreed it was time to end the discriminatory practice in the 113-year-old organization for boys and men…

Democratic New York state Sen. Brad Hoylman, the only openly gay senator on New York’s state level and an Eagle Scout, encouraged his constituents to petition the Boy Scouts in a letter-writing campaign. Hoylman wants the organization to “act forcefully and unequivocally” to end its ban on gays. The senator wrote his own letter to scouting executives calling the lifting of the ban “woefully inadequate” at the local level.

To read the full article please click here.

February 4, 2013 : by Daniel Geiger

A proposal floated last week to solve Pier 40′s long-running financial problems by allowing a residential tower to be built on a portion of the space has met with a cold response from two legislators whose approval would be necessary to implement the plan.

“I have a longstanding concern about housing on parkland,” said New York state Senator Daniel Squadron, whose district includes the West Side pier at the foot of West Houston Street. “Over time those who live there have a different relationship with the park than everyone else does.”

State Senator Brad Hoylman, whose West Side district includes another stretch of the Hudson River Park, expressed a similar view.

“I have serious reservations about residential development in any part of the park,” he said.

The reluctance among key legislators to endorse the residential plan, which was proposed by an organization of sports teams that play on athletic fields at Pier 40, would appear to sink what is only the latest in a series of attempts in recent years to find some way for the park to generate desperately-needed revenue.

Most recently, developer Douglas Durst, who stepped down as chair of the Friends of the Hudson River Park, a fundraising group for the park and pier, had suggested reconfiguring Pier 40′s existing buildings for office or academic use.

To read the full article please click here.

February 4, 2013 : Reuters : By Daniel Wiessner

ALBANY, N.Y., Feb 4 (Reuters) – Members of the New York State Senate Judiciary Committee on Monday grilled Court of Appeals nominee Jenny Rivera about her lack of judicial experience and her ability to remain objective as a judge.

Rivera, 52, was nominated last month by Gov. Andrew Cuomo to fill the vacancy left by Judge Carmen Beauchamp Ciparick, who retired at the end of 2012. Rivera has served on the faculty of CUNY for 15 years and has written extensively on social justice issues during her academic tenure.

During a confirmation hearing at the state Capitol in Albany, several Republican members of the Judiciary Committee expressed concerns that Rivera did not understand the nuts and bolts of everyday legal practice…

During the hearing, several Democratic senators on the committee praised her work in public service and academia.

Sen. Brad Hoylman, a Manhattan Democrat, said he was impressed that Rivera, who graduated from Princeton University and NYU Law School, decided to pursue a career in public service and academia instead of joining a private firm. He singled out her work with CUNY Law’s Center on Latino and Latina Rights and Equality, which she founded in 2008.

“You have not just been in the ivory tower, you’ve had some real practical, public service experience,” he said.

To read the full story, please click here.

As you may have read, the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) recently announced that it is considering rescinding its nationwide policy of banning gay young men from membership and gay and lesbian adults from leadership positions. However, rather than bringing discrimination within its organization to an end across the nation, BSA plans to authorize local chapters to establish their own discriminatory policies. As the only openly-gay New York State Senator and an Eagle Scout (Troop 70, Lewisburg, WV), I wrote to BSA to urge it to act forcefully and unequivocally to remove any and all barriers to participation in the organization based on sexual orientation. Please add your voice to mine, and pledge to withhold your support of BSA until this unjust policy is brought to an end for all chapters, by signing your name to the following letter.

Read Full Article →

January 23, 2013 : New York Press

Brad Hoylman reflects on his first week in the Capitol

A few years ago, Albany was named the most dysfunctional state legislature in the nation by a good-government group. But as I begin my career as the newest state senator from Manhattan, there are signs that the legislature may be beginning to shake this embarrassing moniker once and for all.

Before the legislative session began, I helped elect a new Democratic leader, Andrea Stewart-Cousins from Westchester. Sen. Stewart-Cousins represents a series of long-overdue firsts. She’s the first African-American woman to lead a conference and the first full-time legislator to serve as a leader in many years. Her singular focus on governing will help insulate her and the entire Democratic caucus from the special interests that have held Albany captive for decades.
Read Full Article →

January 21, 2013 : DNAinfo : by Andrea Swalec

GREENWICH VILLAGE — Two new middle schools and a special needs program could be on the way to the West Village, the New York City School Construction Authority announced.

Officials are considering constructing a 900-student facility in the seven-story building at 75 Morton St., which is currently used by the state Office for People with Developmental Disabilities, said SCA President Lorraine Grillo…

School representatives and members of Community Board 2 and the Community Education Council for District 2 said they were looking at several options for new schools within the 177,000-square-foot building. They hope to reduce pressure on area schools and keep children near their homes in the West Village, Greenwich Village, the Meatpacking District and Chelsea instead of sending them to schools all over the city…

CB2 and CEC members said in a joint presentation that the possibilities they have been considering include an elementary school and middle school with 600 to 700 seats, one large middle school with 700 to 900 seats, and a school that could house a 100-student capacity pre-kindergarten and kindergarten plus an 800-student middle and high school…

The opportunity to have such leeway in planning a school is rare, said newly instated State Sen. Brad Hoylman, who championed the creation of the school as CB 2 chairman.

“For the first time,” he said, “we’re building something from the ground up.”

To read the full article please click here.

 January 16, 2013 : West Side Spirit: by Megan Finnegan Bungeroth

We asked the state senators and assembly members from our neighborhoods to respond to Gov. Cuomo’s State of the State address

Last week, Gov. Andrew Cuomo delivered his annual State of the State speech, addressing a population that had recently been shaken by the devastation of Hurricane Sandy and the unthinkable violence of the school shooting in nearby Newton, Conn. The governor proposed a bevy of sweeping legislative changes to bolster the state’s economy, strengthen the public education system, and crack down on guns and assault weapons. We spoke to state legislators from Manhattan to find out how the governor’s proposals might affect New York City residents and how these leaders plan to follow through on these important issues…

Sen. Brad Hoylman, Chelsea and Hell’s Kitchen, Upper West Side, Midtown/East Midtown, the East Village and Lower East Side

“I am heartened by the governor’s renewed call for an assault weapons ban and other measures to fix New York’s porous gun laws, especially in light of the tragedy at Sandy Hook and the spate of gun violence across New York City last summer. The governor’s Women’s Equality Act, which includes support for pay equity, is a bold effort to end discrimination and inequality based on gender, and I appreciate his strong call for passage of the Reproductive Health Act to protect women’s right to choose. I was also pleased to hear his plan to lessen the harm caused by the NYPD’s stop-and-frisk policy by decriminalizing small amounts of marijuana and advance campaign finance reform through the public financing of elections.

“The creation of a $1 billion affordable housing fund appears promising, although we also need measures to strengthen rent regulation laws, which have been bottled up by special interests for many years. And while I’m pleased to hear of the governor’s support for increasing the minimum wage to help address the growing gap between the rich and poor in our state, working families will not see a lasting benefit if we fail to index any increase to inflation.”

January 11, 2013 : New York Observer : by Matt Chaban

Add a few more names to the growing list of people concerned about the speed with which the city is executing the Midtown East Rezoning—ones that carry some serious political clout. In addition to the community boards, a few civic groups and local Councilman Dan Garodnick (who’s vote will be crucial to get the rezoning through the City Council), four new Midtown reps have just sent a letter to the mayor saying the rezoning needs more time to be perfected.

“Because this rezoning is so important, it is critical that it is done correctly the first time and is responsive to the concerns of the area’s current stakeholders even as it lays the groundwork for the area’s future,” Congresswoman Caroline Maloney, Assemblyman Dan Qart and state senators Liz Krueger and Brad Hoylman write. They ask the Department of City Planning to withdraw the plan currently in the works, which is expected to be certified in the coming weeks, “in order to permit sufficient time for community input.”

To read the full article please click here.

January 13, 2013: Chelsea Now

Senator Brad Hoylman has opened a new chapter representing much of the heart of Manhattan — including the neighborhoods of Chelsea, Clinton/Hell’s Kitchen, Greenwich Village and parts of the Upper West Side, Midtown/East Midtown, the East Village and Lower East Side. On January 9, he headed to Albany for the first day of the 2013 legislative session. On Sunday, January 13, the public is invited to attend a swearing-in ceremony. It takes place from 2-4pm, at the Fashion Institute of Technology’s David Dubinsky Student Center (Eighth Ave. & W. 27th St., 8th Fl.). Refreshments will be served at a reception immediately following the ceremony.

December 20, 2012 : The Villager : Editorial

After the latest bloody mass shooting — last week at an elementary school in Newtown, Connecticut — we are once again left numb and feeling helpless at the senseless violence.

Twenty-six lives wiped out — 20 young children and six teachers and staff. The shooter — a low-functioning, troubled individual, unfortunately schooled in how to shoot automatic weapons by his survivalist mom — took his own life, but not before blowing away his instructor.

It seems like just yesterday that we were reading about and seeing shocking images of Gabbie Giffords, the Arizona congresswoman gunned down by a crazed shooter. Though severely and permanently injured, Giffords survived. Six others weren’t so lucky. Giffords has become a face of gun violence. Every time we see her on TV, we’re painfully reminded of our country’s gun insanity.

After Tucson there was a flurry of calls for stricter gun control, for a ban on automatic weapons, at least on high-capacity ammunition clips. However, politicians’ fear of the powerful gun lobby resulted in the same old inertia.

This time, though, it seems there is real momentum to achieve reform. The horror of little lives rubbed out by a disturbed individual is just too much to bear. A collective realization is sweeping the country that we must do something, and do it now.

President Obama, showing a refreshing resolve to take on the N.R.A. and try to sway the cowardly, self-interested politicians, has finally called for regulations on high-capacity clips and automatic weapons, as he must. That caliber firepower simply isn’t needed by average people.

Here in the Village, local spiritual leaders and community leaders gathered in Washington Square Park on a damp, dreary evening last weekend to mourn Newtown’s victims and pray for an end to the madness — and to demand reform.

They came together, Christians, Jews and Muslims, to decry our country’s culture of violence and the weapons with which that violence is perpetrated. They were joined by David Gruber and Corey Johnson, respective chairpersons of Community Boards 2 and 4; state Senator-elect Brad Hoylman; and Councilmember Margaret Chin.

It is time. Sensible people must rise up to limit the culture of violence.
Read Full Article →

December 17, 2012

Senate Democratic Conference Announces Senator Andrea Stewart Cousins as New Conference Leader

 First Female Legislative Conference Leader in State History

The Senate Democratic Conference has announced that Senator Andrea Stewart-Cousins has been selected by the Conference as leader. Senator Stewart-Cousins, from Yonkers, New York and representing the 35th Senate District would be the first female Conference Leader in the history of the State.

Leader Stewart-Cousins has long been an advocate for good government reform including campaign finance reform and has been one of the leading progressive leaders in New York pushing for raising the minimum wage, standing up for women’s health, help for small businesses, enacting common sense gun laws, and providing real mandate relief for local communities.

“I am truly humbled and honored to be selected by my colleagues for this position. I look forward to advocating for the progressive agenda that the people of New York have demanded. I will work with my colleagues in the Republican and IDC Coalition to ensure that the progressive issues that both the Governor and our conference believe in are advanced,” said Senate Democratic Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins. “I want to thank Senator Sampson for all his hard work and his dedication to the Senate Democratic Conference and to the people of New York.”

“I look forward to working with Leader Stewart Cousins as we move the Democratic Conference forward serving all New Yorkers. The people of New York want a progressive and democratic agenda and that is what the Democratic Conference under the leadership of Senator Stewart Cousins will provide,” stated Senator John Sampson…

Senator-Elect Brad Hoylman said, “I look forward to taking my place in the State Senate this January to begin representing the interests of all my constituents. I am proud to be part of an historic first for New York State Government. With Senator Stewart-Cousins as our leader, I am confident that together with my Democratic colleagues we will give New Yorkers the progressive government they deserve. I commend Senator Sampson for laying the groundwork for our conference’s further success.”