Candidate Answers to JOLDC: Yuh-Line Niou for NY Senate District 29
Candidate Name: Yuh-Line Niou
Office Seeking Election for: New York State Senate District 29
Website: https://www.nioufornewyork.com
1. Explain, based on life experiences and accomplishments, why you believe you are best qualified to represent your district.
As the Assemblymember for the 65th District since 2017, I have spent years supporting my constituents and advocating for permanent progressive change — from winning historic tenant protections and criminal justice reform to moving the needle on environmental protection and worker justice.
The past two years have tested our communities in ways we never could have imagined, and exposed the dangers of the deep inequities that have long existed in our state and our economy. I'm running for State Senate because as we start down the long road to recovery, we need progressive leadership that will actively work to make sure that our recovery truly reaches those who need it most rather than simply seeking a short-sighted return to the pre-pandemic “normal.” We need strong voices who make it a priority to use this opportunity to build a city and a state that is more equitable, safer, and inclusive than it was before.
New Yorkers need more than a legislator. We need an activist and an advocate who can translate this huge moment into real, lasting progressive change. We have an opportunity to build a government that sees and protects all New Yorkers – including our working families who keep our city running and our
loved ones alive, only to be disproportionately hurt first by the pandemic and now by skyrocketing rents and the historic gap between the rich and the rest of us. We can’t seize our historic moment with more business as usual.
The pandemic made clear that our communities are not created equal. While wealthier areas could treat this pandemic like an inconvenience, many residents in my district struggled for equal access to everything from PPE to recovery money meant for small businesses. In response, I fought for and passed a law creating a new fund to help those who were excluded from our public assistance programs. I led the fight for and ultimately won better language access to government forms for non-English speakers, and directed millions of dollars in state funding to local nonprofits involved in the fight against
anti-Asian and antisemitic hate. Together, we can do better than patching over the damage caused by exclusionary policies: we can build a state that doesn’t exclude people in the first place.
I am ready to take our voices from the 26th Senate District up to Albany as their State Senator. The Brooklyn Waterfront and Lower Manhattan needs a strong and bold progressive leader to bring them out of this pandemic and onto the road of recovery, and if given the chance, I look forward to listening and working with our communities to ensure that all of our needs are fully met and represented.
2. Please identify any openly LGBTQ candidates for public office you have previously or presently endorsed?
Marti Allen-Cummings Cynthia Nixon
Tiffany Caban
3. If applicable what legislation directly affecting the LGBTQ community have you introduced or co-sponsored?
I am proud to have been part of the coalition that passed GENDA in 2019, which banned conversion therapy in New York State and expanded protections for the LGBTQ community under New York’s Human Rights Law.
I was very vocal and a main supporter of the repeal of the walking while trans ban. I am also very proud to be a lead on decrim.
4. What LGBTQ organizations have you been involved with, either on a volunteer or professional basis?
I have worked closely with a broad umbrella of LGBTQ organizations both during my time in the Assembly and prior to that as a progressive activist. These include the Trevor Project, where I have regularly headlined fundraisers and advocacy events to raise awareness about the terrible treatment of LGBTQ New Yorkers under the Trump administration and the continued, rising level of violence against trans New Yorkers. I have also partnered with students and faculty at the CUNY Center for LGBTQ Studies to raise awareness about the injustices faced by LGBTQ New Yorkers in our university system, alongside the NYC Commission on Human Rights.
I’ve been endorsed and have supported Jim Owles Democratic Club one of the largest lgbtq political organizations in New York. I’ve attended Stonewall Democratic Club meetings, marched in Pride Week festivities, and used my platform as an openly queer elected to ensure the organizations fighting for dignity and justice for LGBTQ New Yorkers are heard and respected in Albany. It is my highest priority to maintain an open door and proactive engagement with LGBTQ communities and organizations across the 29th Senate District, and I look forward to doubling down on my advocacy by building a larger grassroots coalition of LGBTQ New Yorkers to continue raising these vital issues in Albany.
5. If applicable, what LGBTQ organizations have you allocated funds to?
I have signed onto many budget letters for our LGBTQ community organizations with my colleagues asking for different amounts of funding throughout the years.
6. Do you consider yourself a member of the LGBTQ community?
Yes! I openly identify as a queer woman.
7. Have you marched in any Pride parades? Which marches and for approximately how many years?
I have marched in pride every year since I was in college. In New York, since 2010 and in Seattle since 2002.
8. Have you employed openly LGBTQ individuals previously? Do you employ any currently?
Yes. My campaign manager is a queer woman, and members of our digital team identify as LGBTQ. My office staff has multiple queer identified members and gender queer and gender non conforming members in our team.
9. If you receive the Jim Owles endorsement, do you agree to identify the club on all literature and electronic materials where you list endorsements?
Yes.
10. What press conferences, demonstrations, rallies and protests in support of LGBTQ issues, pro choice legislation, criminal justice reform issues and the Resist Trump Movement have you attended and/or participated in?
As I referenced in Question 4 above, I have been an active voice, an inspired fundraiser, and a staunch advocate of LGBTQ organizations who have fought against the dehumanizing, exclusionary language of the Trump administration. I have also led on criminal justice reform, and continue to stand behind the long-term promise of both bail reform and urgently-needed prison reform. I have not forgotten Layleen Polanco, the transgeender woman who died at the Rose M. Singer Center at Rikers Island, or the long list of transgender and LGBQ New Yorkers who have faced physical, psychological, and sexual abuse while detained pretrial at Rikers Island. That prison facility remains one of the most violent places a transgender or queer person can be sent, and I consider it one of New York’s most important missions to close that jail before even more marginalized people suffer preventable abuse and death.
Whenever the pro-choice or LGBTQ community has called on me to lend my voice or my passion to the fight, I have cleared time in my schedule to participate and provide organizing support. LGBTQ New
Yorkers know I am one of them, and they trust me enough to reach out to my office for help even when they do not live in my district. Our fight does not stop at the lines of Senate District 29, and I will continue to march, speak, and fight for greater social justice for all.
11. Have you ever been arrested in pursuit of legislation or for protesting an injustice? Please elaborate.
Yes, I was arrested alongside striking airport workers, and have been taken in multiple times for civil disobedience.
12. If you are an incumbent, what have you accomplished in your most recent term?
While I am not an incumbent for this State Senate race, in my most recent term in the Assembly, I was able to deliver $550 million in much-needed funding for NYCHA–and I am still fighting for more. My office has worked tirelessly to support my constituents over the course of the pandemic and resolved over 900 unemployment cases and over 550 housing-related issues. I have been working on the ground during the pandemic, doing everything I can to ensure that my constituents have the resources they need to survive our recent crises.
13. For the following pieces of legislation, please answer if you are currently a sponsor or co-sponsor (if you are an incumbent), or if you will co-sponsor (if you are not an incumbent):
A. Fair and Timely Parole (S.1415A / A.4231A): A bill pending in Albany that would ensure access to the parole release process for incarcerated people in New York State. This bill insures that decisions on parole are not solely based on the nature of the original crimes but includes incarcerated peoples’ record of rehabilitation and assessment of current risk to public safety.
I am currently a co-sponsor of this bill.
B. Elder Parole (S.15A / A.3475A): A bill pending in Albany that would allow elderly incarcerated people who have served at least 15 years in prison an opportunity to appear before the Parole Board for a chance at release.
I am currently a co-sponsor of this bill.
14. If you will not co-sponsor any of the above legislation, why not?
N/A
Yes.
15. Do you oppose the efforts to weaken bail reform as written
16. Do you commit to visiting constituents who are incarcerated in state prisons and city jails? If incumbent, when did you do so last?
I last visited Rikers Island on September 24, 2021, after months of working with jail administrators to even allow my visit at all. During my visit, those same administrators did everything possible to hide the true extent of the human rights crisis unfolding on Rikers Island, but I continued to push to speak with
the incarcerated and hear directly what they were experiencing. I spent nearly nine hours at Rikers that day, and came away horrified at the sheer scope of abuse and mismanagement at every level.
The incarcerated spoke to me about the dozen deaths that had already occurred there by that point, the routine lack of medical supplies, the often expired and rotting food they were given, and the way corrections officers often seemed like they were taking orders from the gangs that truly run Rikers.
There is no just way to reform a place as thoroughly corrupted as Rikers Island. It must be closed entirely.
17. Do you support legislation outlawing solitary confinement in all prisons statewide including city jails?
Yes.
18. When was the last time you were inside a correctional facility?
I visited Rikers in September 2021.
19. Do you believe sincere remorse and actions taken while incarcerated should be considered over the original crime in determinations of parole?
Yes.
20. What do you believe should be done to ensure more clemencies are granted every year?
Currently, the system that oversees clemency applications seriously lacks transparency. The legislature’s only tool is to lobby the governor’s office to grant clemency. I am proud to work alongside coalitions to apply pressure to the governor’s office, but we must go further. We need pass the bills that groups like RAPP, the Clean Slate NY coalition and others have been fighting for in order to prevent inhumane sentences in the first place.
21. Will you publicly call on the governor to use her clemency power for the many incarcerated New Yorkers who can safely return home? Will you tweet out your support for this or issue a public statement? Would you be willing to be critical of a governor who does not exercise their power to grant clemencies and commutations to those worthy of release? Have you ever spoken out in such a way?
Yes, to all of the above. Over the course of my career, time and again, I have been unafraid to call on powerful people when they are not serving the people who put them in office. It is no secret that I was a very vocal critic of Andrew Cuomo when he was in office, despite his reputation for retaliation. I hold all public servants to a very high standard, no matter who they are. On the issue of clemency, over the course of the pandemic, I joined with members of the Black, Puerto Rican, Hispanic & Asian Caucus calling for the governor to grant clemency to prevent COVID-19 infections and fatalities, as it was clear that incarcerated people–overwhelmingly people of color–had virtually no protections from COVID-19.
22. Have you participated in any demonstrations or protests concerning clemency and parole?
Yes. I have participated in a number of rallies and demonstrations alongside RAPP, Clean Slate NY, and others.
23. Will you affirmatively seek to hire formerly incarcerated individuals?
Yes!
24. Do you support legislation to prohibit discrimination against formerly incarcerated people in housing and employment?
Yes, without question. We should be offering increased resources to ensure that formerly incarcerated people have access to safe and dignified housing and employment opportunities.
25. Do you believe in the decriminalization of sex work? Are you or will you co-sponsor the bill introduced by Julia Salazar (S.6419 / A. 8230), which fully decriminalizes sex work?
Yes! I am a co-sponsor of this bill.
26. Will you actively oppose legislation (S.6040 / A.7069) that would implement the dangerous Nordic model instead of the decriminalization of prostitution? Explain in detail your views on full decriminalization, the Nordic model, legalization, and the existing criminalization approach.
Yes. Sex work is work. Under our existing system, sex workers are criminalized for simply doing their jobs, which overwhelmingly impacts women of color and LGBTQ individuals–people who are regularly discriminated against when it comes to housing and employment. My stance on decriminalization is informed by the advocacy of impacted communities. Sex workers and advocates have overwhelmingly organized in support of decriminalization–not the Nordic Model. As a legislator, it is my duty to listen to and represent the interests of my constituents and to prioritize the needs of our most marginalized with my voice, platform and votes.
27. Do you support ending qualified immunity for police and other law enforcement individuals?
Yes.
28. What proposals will you advocate for to protect immigrants and further New York as a “Sanctuary State”?
As an immigrant myself, I am proud to have built a reputation as an advocate for our immigrant communities. Every policy needs to be considered through an immigration justice lens. That said, in recent years, I am proud to have fought for the passage of the Excluded Workers Fund and the recent expanded protections of our delivery drivers. I am a strong advocate for comprehensive language accessibility on all government forms, websites, and resources.
29. Are you a sponsor of New York's Medical Aid in Dying Act (A.4321a/S.6471)? If not will you add your name and sponsor?
While I am not currently a sponsor of A.4321a, I support the right to die with dignity and believe individuals should be able to express their own preferences about end-of-life care.
29. Do you support the establishment of supervised drug consumption spaces?
Yes. Harm reduction practices such as this save lives.
30. Have you ever endorsed any member of the IDC or any candidates who challenged IDC members? Please identify all candidates.
No, I have never endorsed any members of the IDC. I endorsed all of the challengers. Alessandra Biaggi, Jessica Ramos, Julia Salazar, John Liu, and Robert Jackson.
31. Will you commit to ensuring diverse LGBTQ representation among your staff?
Yes! I am proud to have a diverse team on both my government and campaign teams. I understand that a diversity of voices makes for a better workplace, and also improves our perspectives on policy goals.
Diversity is our greatest asset in that regard.
32. Who did you support for office in the following primaries or special elections: A) Mayor in 2021 B) President in 2016 and 2020 C) Governor and Attorney General in 2018?
I supported the following candidates:
A. Stringer (I later rescinded my endorsement)
B. Bernie/Hillary Clinton in 2016; Elizabeth Warren in the primary/Biden in the general in 2020
C. Cynthia Nixon for governor and Tish James for Attorney General
33. Have you made an endorsement in the current bid for Governor? If so, who?
I have not made an endorsement in that race.
34. Do you support term limits for statewide office holders? For State Legislators?
I support term limits for statewide office holders. For state legislators, I am open to this and would like to discuss the issue further.
35. Describe any legislation and policy changes that you support in order to address the ongoing effects of slavery, racism, colonialism, and discrimination.
Unfortunately, racism is currently state-sanctioned. We must do more to reckon with our history of violence towards communities of color–from chattel slavery to the Chinese Exclusion Act to Japanese internment camps. On a national level, we are seeing incredible efforts to bury this history–this is dangerous. On a personal level, an Asian-American public figure, I have witnessed and been on the receiving end of racist attacks. Every piece of legislation must be seen and discussed through a racial justice lens. No bill should be passed without thoughtful consideration for how it will affect communities of color. Currently, communities of color, particularly black communities, are disproportionately affected by poverty and related issues. I am a champion for antipoverty legislation, which is designed to support our most vulnerable.
36. What legislation or other policy changes do you support in order to make college and graduate school affordable for poor, working-class, and middle-class Americans and to alleviate the crushing loan debt that many students and alumni are facing?
I believe SUNY and CUNY must be free, because economic status should not be a barrier to securing a good education. It’s as simple as that. I also believe we must do a far better job of bringing colleges and universities, as well as trade colleges, into the everyday lives of students in our public schools, especially those schools that lag behind their wealthier, better-funded counterparts. That means promoting stronger, more comprehensive ESL programs at the middle school and high school level to fully prepare students who speak English as a second language, many of whom come from
working-class or lower income families, to thrive in a university environment.
We currently have a system in place that leads to rigid economic segregation of college populations – this is a completely artificial system that we can reform by guaranteeing equity of access to higher education. I support federal student loan forgiveness, and have also fought to free New York’s students from the crushing burden of student loans wherever possible.
37. Do you support a single-payer universal health care system? Do you or will you co-sponsor the New York Health Act? Please elaborate.
Yes, I support single-payer healthcare. I am a co-sponsor of the NY Health Act.
38. Discuss your stance on reproductive rights, including access to contraceptives and abortion services.
I support universal access to abortion services and the full range of contraceptives. These services should be available for free, without government interference. In 2019, I fought for the passage of the NY Reproductive Health Act, which codified Roe v. Wade into state law.
39. Will you refuse money from individuals or Political Action Committees representing the real estate industry or law enforcement unions/associations?
Yes.
40. Will you refuse and refund any contributions from executives at corporations complicit in the Trump agenda?
Yes!
41. Will you cosponsor the legislation to prohibit evictions without good cause (S.3082 / A.5573)?
I am a proud co-sponsor of this bill.
42. Will you push for the passage of Home Stability Support (HSS) to bridge the difference between the public assistance shelter allowance and fair market rents for NY's 95,000 homeless? Will you co-sponsor S.856 / A.6032, which amends the Social Services Law to create a statewide rent supplement for families and individuals who are eligible for public assistance benefits and who face eviction, homelessness, or loss of housing due to domestic violence or hazardous living conditions?
Yes and yes, I am a cosponsor of A6032. Safe, dignified housing is a human right, full stop.
43. What should happen to 421-a? Would you end it, mend it, continue it?
As a member of the Committee on Housing, I am devoted to addressing issues that pertain to housing development and preservation. While 421a tax agreement was supposedly created to help relieve the brunt of the housing displacement that Lower Manhattan faces, it has failed to deliver. Instead it has incentivized developers to build more luxury housing while not providing good, union jobs.
We need to end 421a entirely. It serves as a huge giveaway to private developers, instead of expanding on affordable housing. We need to work on actual housing plans that realistically meet the needs of low-income New Yorkers who are being exploited under this tax break. In addition, we need to make
sure that public dollars are being used to not only fund truly affordable housing but also safe, prevailing wage construction jobs for members of our community.
44. Do you support legalizing accessory dwelling units?
Yes, we should legalize these units and ensure that they are safe for tenants.
45. Do you support more state funding for NYCHA? If so, how much?
Yes! Over this past session I was able to deliver $550 million in funding for NYCHA, and I am still fighting for more. We must cover the full cost of NYCHA repairs. I also support the Green New Deal for Public Housing, which recognizes public housing as a public good. When NYCHA buildings are not up to code, it is not just an issue of inconvenience–lives are at risk.
46. Do you, or will you, co-sponsor the Climate and Community Investment Act? (S.4264A / A.6967) If you are an incumbent and do not currently co-sponsor this bill, why not?
Yes, I am currently a cosponsor of this bill.
47. Do you support the New York Public Banking Act (S.1762A / A. 8290? If you are an incumbent and do not currently co-sponsor this bill, why not?
Yes, I am a cosponsor of this bill.
48. Do you support the New Deal for CUNY (S.4461 / A.5843)? If you are an incumbent and do not currently co-sponsor this bill, why not?
I currently cosponsor this bill. As a proud CUNY alumnus, I think we must do everything possible to offer CUNY students, faculty and staff the resources they need.
49. In view of the fact that Ed Koch has been documented to have caused the deaths of hundreds of thousands of people with AIDS, and was blatantly racist, would you support a city bill to rename the former Queensboro Bridge? Do you authorize the use of your name for such a purpose?
Yes and yes.
50. What is your position on removing the Christopher Columbus statue in Columbus Circle and if so, what should replace it?
Yes, I support its removal and any discussion of a replacement statue should be led by indigenous communities.
51. Do you support reducing the budget of law enforcement throughout the state, and if so, by how much?
I believe – and many law enforcement officers agree – that we ask police to perform social service tasks outside their expertise and training, and the result can be measured in preventable deaths and costly mistakes on behalf of law enforcement. If instead we redirected a portion of the NYPD’s swelling police budget towards social service crisis intervention and robust on-the-ground psychiatric crisis care services, our city would not only have a more flexible and adaptable emergency response network, we would also address the concerns of police who feel overworked and underqualified to respond to these kinds of crises.
I believe that we are long overdue for police reform in this country, and that New York State should take the lead. Incident after incident of police brutality, murder, and institutional racism has eroded the trust between law enforcement and communities of color. Nothing short of systemic reform can begin rebuilding that trust. We don’t have a broken system. Our system is working exactly how it was designed. The system is designed this way. Hurting certain communities while allowing other communities to gain from our hurt. Only by reforming all of our systems can we have real change. In 2020, my caucus, the New York State Black, Puerto Rican, Hispanic, and Asian Legislative Caucus, has called for the legislature to reconvene and pass a package of police reform and funding redirection bills that I proudly co-sponsored and fought for.
I have publicly supported redirecting police funding to these nonviolent forms of intervention, and
52. Are you in favor of removing police from any of the following? a) Schools; b) Mental health response calls; c) Homeless outreach and social services; or d) Traffic enforcement.
I support removing police from all of these. While traffic laws require enforcement to make sure our roads are safe for both drivers and pedestrians, these enforcement officers do not need to be carrying firearms.
53. Should law enforcement "Vice Squads" be eliminated?
Yes.
54. How would you recommend law enforcement officers be penalized for refusing to wear masks in public while on duty, in defiance of city and state rules?
I have publicly criticized the NYPD for refusing to wear masks. Nobody is above the law. Frankly, when we see public officials blatantly disobey the law, it erodes public trust in all government institutions.
Officers should be put on unpaid leave and face
55. What reforms would you make to the Civilian Complaint Review Board? Would you support state legislation to make CCRB disciplinary determinations binding?
We have seen that when properly implemented and given real enforcement powers, CCRBs can and do work to address corruption and push back against police abuses of power. I would fully support making disciplinary determinations binding, especially given the fact that thanks to distorted policies like qualified immunity there are actually remarkably few ways to hold police officers accountable for their
bad behavior. The answer here is more accountability and transparency and more community engagement, not less.
56. What will you do to support nightlife in New York State?
Our city nightlife is more than just a good time, it’s the economic backbone of our communities. And we’ve seen from COVID-19 just how quickly New York’s vibrant nightlife scene can go dark. I have made it one of my top priorities to ensure our local businesses including nightlife experience a fair and just COVID recovery, and have every opportunity to reopen in a post-pandemic city.
At the height of the pandemic, I pushed to ensure PPP funds were being distributed to actual local businesses run by New Yorkers, and not to the pockets of politically connected megacorporations operating within our communities. But let’s be honest: many small nightlife businesses were struggling even before the pandemic, and what they need goes beyond emergency recovery funding and support. They need an advocate lawmaker who will fight every day for their interests, someone who understands just how important those businesses are to the cultural and economic fabric of our neighborhoods. These businesses are a pathway to economic independence and community empowerment for our immigrant, minority, and LGBTQ business owners, and creating a space for them to thrive and pass on that wealth to the broader community is something I take very seriously.
57. Do you commit to speak with restaurant and nightlife industry representatives before taking a position on any policies that affect their businesses?
Yes. And as a former bartender, I understand that restaurants and nightlife businesses employ thousands of people. As an elected official, it is not appropriate to go over these representatives’ heads when it comes to policy issues.
58. Do you commit to speak personally with liquor license applicants and license
holders before opposing any bid for a liquor license? Likewise for an applicant seeking your support?
Yes and yes.
59. What are the top 3 issues you aim to address locally and legislatively?
Fighting for fully funded public housing and expanding and strengthening the development of our Naturally Occurring Retirement Communities, allowing our seniors to age in place while remaining in the communities they love.
Funding and supporting the significant expansion of state Community Development Financial Institutions that direct much needed investment towards communities of color and neighborhoods routinely overlooked or underserviced by multinational banks and lenders.
Further supporting local AAPI community organizations engaged in a broad range of activities, from providing social services to underserved neighborhoods to combating the rising tide of anti-Asian hate and violence.
60. How much money do you presently have in your campaign account?
We have raised $140K.
61. What additional information would you like members The Jim Owles Liberal Democratic Club to consider when we are making our endorsement decision concerning your candidacy?
Jim Owles Liberal Democratic Club has always been a leader in advocating for important legislation and policy specific to our LGBTQ community. At this moment, it is important that we have leaders who are not afraid to take bold stances and show up on behalf of our most marginalized. I would love to continue to partner with your organization to advance legislation that would significantly improve the lives of our community.