Candidate Answers to JOLDC: Jessica Ramos for NY Senate District 13
Candidate Name: Jessica Ramos
Office Seeking Election for: New York State Senate District 13
With the possibility of Donald J. Trump winning (stealing) the next Presidential election and ending democracy and civil rights in the United States, it is more important than ever that we elect progressive, dynamic leaders to the New York State Senate and New York State Assembly.
1. Based upon your life experiences and accomplishments why should we believe you would be a dynamic, progressive leader who would stand up for Civil Rights and Democracy? I am a single, working mother. I am a renter. I am the daughter of immigrants. I was born, raised, and am currently raising my two children in the district. I firmly believe we all do better, when we all do better. I have been fighting to make that a reality my whole life. During my time as the State Senator representing District 13, we have endured the unthinkable. We were the national epicenter of an unprecedented pandemic. Then Hurricane Ida came and tore through East Elmhurst, leaving our community to pick up the pieces again. Through it all, Queens remained resilient, and each of our neighbors stepped up to care for each other in a way that reminds me why I stepped up to run in 2018. As the most diverse place in the world, our neighborhoods set a vision for the future - one that is rooted in a deep, mutual care for each other and the understanding that we are only as secure as the most vulnerable among us. 2024 presents a new opportunity - the world looks different than when I was first granted the honor of representing District 13. I want to take on the important work of raising the standard of living for all of us, to ensure that we are building a recovery that works for all of us, not just those who are waiting for a return to normal.
2. What is your involvement in the LGBTQ Civil Rights movement? What candidates have you or are you supporting who are openly LGBTQ? What legislation have you/do you support to further LGBTQ rights? Do you /will you have an LGBTQ liaison in your office? What LGBTQ organizations have you been involved with, either on a volunteer or professional basis? I am proud to represent the largest Transgender population in New York State and have worked side by side with advocates to pass meaningful legislation to protect and expand LGBTQ rights like lifting the ‘Walking While Trans Ban’ and securing historic first time funding for Trans health equity. I do not have an LGBTQ liaison at the office, but we do employ members of the LGBTQ community who work directly with our constituents and take pride in creating an inclusive environment for anyone who walks through the door. We work closely with Voces Latinas, CITGNY, Love Wins, New Pride Agenda, Equality New York, and Make the Road NY Trans Immigrant Project. This year, I am championing legislation that would update temporary disability insurance that would expand coverage to include a broader definition of family so that more LGBTQ families can qualify for paid family leave to care for their injured loved ones.
3. What demonstrations, rallies, and protests have you participated in support of LGBTQ issues, African-American, Hispanic, Asian-American Civil Rights, pro-choice legislation, criminal justice issues, and Resist Trump? Any and all that fit on my calendar.
4. Do you support reparations to compensate African Americans for the history of slavery, Jim Crow, and systemic racism in this country? Yes, I proudly voted yes on the Sanders/Solages bill to create a reparations task force in New York State.
5. What are your concrete proposals to address current systemic racism in terms of employment, housing, voting rights, and the criminal justice system in the U.S.? As the Labor Chair of the New York State Senate, I have been actively fighting to undo systemic inequality to ensure every New Yorker regardless of race is reflected and protected in our labor laws and beyond. In the past five years, I have fought and passed historic legislation to grant farm and domestic workers basic labor protections and secured $2.1B to create a fund for workers who have been excluded from pandemic-related relief.
6. Will you advocate for elder parole where incarcerated individuals aged 55 and older who have serviced in excess of 15 years obtain parole hearings? Are you a sponsor of the Elder Parole Bill, Senate 2423? Yes, I am a vocal cosponsor.
7. Do you sponsor the Earned Time Act, Senate S774, which strengthens and expands “good time” and “earned time” to support rehabilitation efforts? Yes, I am a cosponsor.
8. Do you sponsor Eliminate Mandatory Minimum Bill Act, S6471 which reduces excessive sentences and enables judges to look at individual factors and mitigating circumstances? Yes, I am a cosponsor.
9. Do you sponsor the Second Look Act, S7872, which allows for reconsideration of prison sentences based on changes in law and circumstances? Yes, I am a cosponsor.
10. Have you participated, and will you participate in demonstrations and protests in relation to the issues of clemency and parole? Yes I have participated in demonstrations, protests, and rallies in support of clemency and parole reform and I will continue to do so.
11. Will you affirmatively seek to hire formerly incarcerated individuals? Yes.
12. Have you and will you visit incarcerated constituents to learn of their conditions? In my current role, I have made many surprise visits to Rikers and the Orange County Detention Center and have seen the horrible conditions first hand.
13. What are your proposals to have prisons focus more on rehabilitation and less on punishment? I currently carry a bill to expand access to treatment and diversion courts for those who have mental health and/or substance use disorders called the Treatment not Jails Act. I have been carrying the bill since 2020, and this year, the Governor included aspects of the bill in her State of the State proposal.
14. Do you support ending the cruel punishment of solitary confinement, such as was recently mandated by the New York City Council? Yes.
15. What are your proposals to facilitate individuals who have recently entered the U.S. to be able to live decently with employment and housing? As a daughter of two immigrants who came to this country, this is personal to me. I believe that every person has the right to self-determination, and part of that is being able to safely and humanely earn a living with which you can support yourself and your family. I have championed budget initiatives that create a child care safety net for episodic and undocumented workers in an effort to ensure that every child has a safe place to be while their parents go to work. I carry legislation to remove a work requirement to qualify someone for child care subsidies, which typically excludes undocumented workers. Additionally, I won the first raise in the minimum wage since 2019, and champion wage theft legislation to ensure that every dollar a low-wage worker earns makes it to their pocket. I proudly cosponsor Coverage for All and the Access to Representation Act, and will be active this session to ensure we secure a deal to defend tenants and build affordable housing so we can move the City towards a housing first approach.
16. What proposals do you advocate to combat the cruel and inhumane immigration policies that the Trump Administration commenced and which, to some degree, are still in effect? Even though much needed immigration reform can only happen at the federal level there are ways we can ensure our state is safe for all who call it home, regardless of immigration status. We must keep families together by codifying the detainer law in the city and beyond that prohibits law enforcement from collaborating with ICE. We should expand access to free, quality immigration legal services. And we can expand opportunities for work for undocumented families by formalizing the underground street vendor market and doing away with the e-verify mandate at a state level, which would allow our day laborers to join unions.
17. Do you believe in the decriminalization of sex work? Yes.
18. Do you oppose legislation that promotes the Nordic model? Yes.
19. What concrete proposals do you support to lift up women after four years of Trump being President? I have been a long time supporter of the Equal Rights Amendment, pro choice and women’s health legislation, and I saw a law I championed recently implemented to mandate salary transparency so we can finally begin to close the gender pay gaps. Over the past three budget cycles, I have used my Early Learning Child Care Act to increase the eligibility level for child care subsidies. This session, I am pushing three pieces of legislation that are targeted to beat back the feminization of poverty. First, the Mothers and Infants Lasting Change allowance (MILC) would create the first statewide guaranteed income pilot for new and expectant mothers. Next, my temporary disability insurance reform would increase the wage replacement amount for the first time since 1989 and add insurance and job protections for workers using TDI for paid family leave purposes. Finally, the Nail Salon Minimum Standards Council would create a state-level regulatory body that brings employers, workers, and the Department of Labor together to create sector-wide standards to protect this predominantly female workforce from the occupational health and safety hazards that historically result in negative reproductive health outcomes.
20. Do you support a single-payer universal health care system? Please elaborate. Yes. As the co-prime sponsor of the New York Health Act, I believe when everyone has access to quality health care, the health of everyone is protected. With Medicaid spending only going up, it becomes that much more budgetarily feasible to create a sustainable, single payer solution that better protects the health of New Yorkers.
21. What have you done to facilitate reproductive rights, including access to contraceptives and abortion services? I have attended rallies, signed onto letters, marched, and supported legislation that expands access to contraceptives and abortion services. The first piece of legislation I cosponsored when I was sworn in in 2019 was the Reproductive Health Act.
22. Will you refuse contributions from individuals or Political Action Committees representing the Real Estate industry, from police or correction communities? No, I am open to taking money from good union employers.
23. Will you refuse and refund any contributions from executives or corporations complicit in the Trump anti-American agenda? Yes.
24. How do you propose that we address the current surge of Islamophobia and anti-Semitism? As the Senator for the most diverse district in the world, we actively show the world how to co-exist amongst difference. We must continue to always lead with love and compassion. This requires that we call out hate in all of its forms. In the wake of the October 7th attacks, my office organized an interfaith bystander intervention and self-defense workshop so that neighbors in my community had the tools to stand up to bigotry and protect each other from hate.
25. Did you or would you have voted for the censure of U.S. Representative Rashida Tlaib? No.
26. Do you support an immediate ceasefire in the Middle East? Yes.
27. Should we condition further aid to Israel? What conditions should we stress that Israel abides by? We should not be aiding and abetting anyone who openly commits war crimes.
28. Will you refuse funds from Trump-supporting AIPAC? Yes.
29. What are your concrete proposals to prevent Trump and his cult from taking over this country and ending democracy? Getting people out to vote and participating in our current democracy.
30. How can we combat the movement in this country to ban books, prevent colleges from discussing issues and demonizing intelligence as “woke”? We can ensure that doesn’t happen here by fully funding our public education system and ensuring our teachers have the ability to teach our students inclusive curriculums.
31. As Christopher Columbus caused the death/slavery of thousands, should we replace the Christopher Columbus statue in Columbus Circle, and if so, what should replace it? Do you authorize the use of your name for such a purpose? As a proud indigenous woman and the author of the bill to do away with Columbus Day, I support efforts to remove statues of a man who is a known murderer.
32. As Edward I Koch caused the deaths of hundreds of thousands of people with AIDS and was blatantly racist, should we rename the former Queensboro Bridge? Do you authorize the use of your name for such a purpose? Yes
33. What will you do to support nightlife in New York State? Do you commit to speaking with liquor license applicants and restaurant/nightlife industry representatives before taking a position on policies affecting their businesses? Yes. I regularly advocate for small businesses in my community in the liquor license application process, and even sponsored legislation making it easier for restaurants in NYC to access a temporary liquor license. This session I am sponsoring legislation with AM Epstein to close the loophole that excludes restaurants that opened after 2020 from access to temporary liquor licenses. Restaurants and nightlife are a huge economic driver in my community, and we need thriving retail corridors to keep the influence of mega-corporations like Amazon at bay.
34. What is your opinion of Eric Adams as New York City Mayor? Are you involved in finding someone to run for Mayor of New York City? I think that Eric Adams and his administration have shown us a level of incompetence that is actively putting New Yorkers in harm's way. I am very involved in finding someone to run against him and will continue to be outspoken every time his administration makes decisions that will harm my neighbors.
35. How can we mandate that every community do its share to have affordable housing and care for the recently arrived people? We need our Executives to put their egos aside, have some courage to do the right thing, communicate and collaborate with other elected officials in a meaningful way so we can get our newest New Yorkers the support they need.
36. Are you a sponsor of Good Cause Eviction S305 legislation? Yes, I am a cosponsor.
37. Do you support allowing legal Immigrants to vote in local elections? Yes, and was supportive of the local efforts to do so.