D Sen. Brian Kavanagh
Key Issues
From committee hearings, floor debate, and bill sponsorship.
Legislative Activity (2025–2026)
Based on complete Senate roll call records.
Top Co-Sponsors
District 27 Profile
Voter Registration
Demographics
Voting Record
1 additional dissenting vote across other topics
From 1,443 recorded floor votes via OpenLeg API. Dissenting votes grouped by law section to reveal policy patterns.
Floor Speeches: In Support (7)
The bill sponsor emphasized that the federal food regulatory system has major gaps, particularly the GRAS loophole, and that New York should require disclosure of ingredients and their underlying science to consumers and the Department of Agriculture and Markets.
This is a necessary step that will give the Department of Financial Services tools to enforce federal and state credit and debt collection laws. The protections extend to the rest of the state what residents of 30 states and New York City already have.
The bill codifies the longstanding national standard that practices with disparate impact on protected classes constitute housing discrimination, effectively maintaining the status quo in New York law and upholding protections against discrimination in housing.
Praised Housing Access Voucher Program as five-year victory ensuring residents pay up to 30% of income toward rent, Mitchell-Lama tax cuts, and neighborhood preservation funding.
Housing sponsor highlighted $2.65 billion in housing and community development spending, including $306 million for public housing, $600 million for new construction in NYC, and programs for rural areas. Noted that specific labor standards will be determined through subsequent RFPs and program development.
Committee Hearing Engagement (1)
| Date | Committee | Engagement | Stance | Focus Areas | Summary |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-02-27 | Joint Legislative Hearing - Senate Finance Committee and Assembly Ways and Means Committee | high | supportive | City of Yes funding and allocation Mixed-income revolving loan fund Lead abatement program Public housing capital funding Infill housing and V-RIP programs Small rental housing development Affordable housing preservation and distress Captive insurance solutions TOPA and tenant opportunity to purchase Embodied carbon in construction | Sen. Kavanagh was highly engaged, asking substantive questions about program implementation, funding mechanisms, and capacity. He demonstrated deep knowledge of housing programs and asked follow-up questions about specific initiatives. He expressed support for TOPA and other tenant-focused policies and worked to understand the practical implementation of various proposals. |