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Michael Gianaris

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Michael Gianaris
Deputy Majority Leader of the New York State Senate
Incumbent
Assumed office
January 9, 2019
LeaderAndrea Stewart-Cousins
Preceded byJohn DeFrancisco
Member of the New York State Senate
from the 12th district
Incumbent
Assumed office
January 1, 2011
Preceded byGeorge Onorato
Member of the New York State Assembly
from the 36th district
In office
January 1, 2001 – December 31, 2010
Preceded byDenis J. Butler
Succeeded byAravella Simotas
Personal details
Born (1970-04-23) April 23, 1970 (age 54)
Queens, New York, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
Residence(s)Queens, New York, U.S.
EducationFordham University (BA)
Harvard University (JD)
WebsiteCampaign website
Official website

Michael Gianaris (born April 23, 1970)[1] is an American politician and attorney from Queens, New York. He represented District 36 in the New York State Assembly from 2001 to 2010, and he has represented District 12 in the New York State Senate since 2011. A Democrat, Gianaris was appointed as Deputy Majority Leader of the New York State Senate in 2019.

Early life and education

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Gianaris was born in Astoria and is the son of Greek immigrants[2] Nicholas and Magdalene Gianaris. He graduated from New York City (NYC) public schools P.S. 84, Junior High School 141 and Long Island City High School. He received a B.A. summa cum laude in economics and political science from Fordham University and earned a J.D. degree from Harvard Law School.[3]

Career

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Gianaris has served as Associate Counsel to the Committee on Consumer Affairs and Protection, Governmental Operations, Veterans Affairs, and Agriculture and Markets of the Assembly, and also served as an aide to former Queens Congressman Thomas J. Manton, an aide to former Governor Mario Cuomo's Queens County Regional Representative, and as a member of Queens Community Planning Board 1 and Legal Counsel to the United Community Civic Association.[citation needed]

New York State Assembly

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In 2000, Gianaris was elected to the New York State Assembly[4] in District 36.[5] He is a Democrat.[6]

In September 2007, he was named one of City Hall's "40 under 40".[7]

New York State Senate

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In 2010, Senator George Onorato decided not to seek re-election,[8] and Gianaris was nominated to replace him.[9] Gianaris easily prevailed in the District 12 election.[10]

In 2019, following Senate Democrats' ascent to the majority, Gianaris was named Deputy Majority Leader of the Senate.[11]

According to The Guardian, Gianaris was principally responsible for scuttling a proposal to locate Amazon's HQ2 in New York City.[12] Gianaris has been noted for his support for antitrust enforcement, having introduced the "21st Century Antitrust Act" in the New York State Legislature and written in support of the federal American Innovation and Choice Online Act proposal.[13]

Other campaigns

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Gianaris ran for Attorney General of New York in 2018, but ended his campaign in May 2018 and endorsed fellow Democrat Letitia James.[14]

Political positions

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Education

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In May 2024, Gianaris and Andrew Hevesi secured $70 million for school safety equipment in religious and independent schools in the 2024-2025 state budget, they initially lobbied for $90 million but negotiated to $70 million. Gianaris cited this as their commitment to advocating for additional resources to schools amidst concerns about increases in anti semitic attacks from the Israel-Palestine tensions.[15]

Voting rights

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In 2018, he introduced legislation to automatically register eligible voters otherwise interacting with state government.[16]

In September 2023, governor Kathy Hochul signed his senate bill to expand early mail-in voting for all New Yorkers.[17] Republican groups, including republican congresswoman Elise Stefanik, attempted to challenge this expansion but a state appellate rejected it and affirmed the law.[18][19]

Gun control

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In the 2023-2024 legislative session, Gianaris sponsored a bill to prohibit openly carrying a rifle or shotgun.[20] Gianaris consponsored other bills such as S4818 which establishes a 10-day waiting period to buy a firearm.[21]

Congestion pricing

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Gianaris alongside Zohran Mamdani lobbied for $90 million in additional bus funding before congestion pricing took place to split half of it to fund more fare-free bus lines and the other half for increasing bus reliability.[22] In response to governor Kathy Hochul reversal on her support and implementation of congestion pricing, Gianaris opposed a payroll tax that was floated to replace the funding not generated by congestion pricing. He stated their reaction of her reversal "This whole thing was just dropped on us just yesterday and to expect us to have serious, substantive, deliberative discussion on such an important issue in 24 hours is unrealistic" and that "We put the burden on New York City to bail out the MTA just last year with this exact tax and I don’t think many of us who represent the city support doing it again".[23]

Policing reform

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Gianaris has supported bail reform and the elimination of cash bail.[24] In response to the Murder of Ahmaud Arbery, Gianaris called for the repeal of Citizen's arrest law in New York as a local prosecutor initially declined to bring charges because they thought the killer of Arbery was acting in accordance with Citizen's arrest law in Georgia.[25]

COVID-19

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During COVID-19, Gianaris fought for $1 billion for a small business recovery grant program in the 2021-2022 state budget.[26]

Personal life

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Gianaris is married and resides in Astoria.[1]

References

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  1. ^ a b "Legislative Preview: Meet The New Members". The Capitol. Manhattan Media. January 6, 2011. Retrieved March 13, 2011.[permanent dead link]
  2. ^ "Senate Deputy Leader Gianaris And New York's Greek-American Legislators Introduce Resolution Marking 200th Anniversary Of Greek Independence". NY State Senate. March 23, 2021. Retrieved September 8, 2021.
  3. ^ "Michael Gianaris: Biography". New York State Senate. Retrieved March 13, 2011.
  4. ^ Small, Eddie (February 1, 2020). "Amazon Adversary Mike Gianaris Talks About Real Estate Confrontations". The Real Deal.
  5. ^ Lippincott, E. E. (September 14, 2000). "Gianaris Takes Dem. Bid For 36th Assembly in Primaries". Queens Chronicle.
  6. ^ Daley, Elizabeth (December 23, 2010). "Gianaris to strategize for state Senate Dems". Queens Chronicle.
  7. ^ Rising Stars 40 Under 40: Michael Gianaris Archived 2014-02-01 at the Wayback Machine, City & State, September 17, 2007.
  8. ^ Belden, Willow (January 14, 2010). "Onorato drops out, Gianaris gears up". Queens Chronicle.
  9. ^ "Our Campaigns - NY State Senate 12 Race - Nov 02, 2010". www.ourcampaigns.com. Retrieved January 30, 2019.
  10. ^ "New York State Legislature - Election Results 2010 -". archive.nytimes.com. Retrieved September 29, 2023.
  11. ^ Williams, Zach (January 9, 2019). "State Sen. Michael Gianaris has big plans for 2019". City & State NY.
  12. ^ Durkin, Erin (February 15, 2019). "'Amazon isn't bigger than New York': meet the man who killed the deal". the Guardian.
  13. ^ "Gianaris Urges Feds to Take Action on Competition Reform". The National Herald. June 23, 2022. Retrieved June 23, 2022.
  14. ^ Bragg, Chris (May 17, 2018). "Gianaris drops out of Attorney General race, back James". Capitol Confidential.
  15. ^ Medina, Anthony (May 17, 2024). "Queens elected officials secure $70 million from New York State Budget for school safety equipment in religious and independent schools – QNS". qns.com. Retrieved June 8, 2024.
  16. ^ Wilson, Reid (November 20, 2018). "New York's election laws come under attack by Dems". The Hill. Retrieved November 21, 2018.
  17. ^ "Senate Deputy Leader Gianaris Announces Governor Hochul Signs His Vote Early By Mail Legislation | NYSenate.gov". www.nysenate.gov. Retrieved June 8, 2024.
  18. ^ "New York Appellate Court Rejects GOP Challenge to Mail-In Voting Expansion". Democracy Docket. May 9, 2024. Retrieved June 8, 2024.
  19. ^ Balk, Tim (February 5, 2024). "Albany judge OKs law allowing more New Yorkers to vote early by mail". New York Daily News. Retrieved June 8, 2024.
  20. ^ "NY State Senate Bill 2023-S9137A". www.nysenate.gov. Retrieved June 8, 2024.
  21. ^ "State Senate Acts to Protect New Yorkers from Gun Violence | NYSenate.gov". www.nysenate.gov. Retrieved June 8, 2024.
  22. ^ "State lawmakers want to boost bus funding before congestion pricing". City & State NY. February 28, 2024. Retrieved June 8, 2024.
  23. ^ "State lawmakers reject Hochul's NYC business tax proposal". spectrumlocalnews.com. Retrieved June 8, 2024.
  24. ^ Whitford, Emma (August 10, 2017). "Momentum Builds For Ending Cash Bail System That Punishes The Poor". Gothamist.
  25. ^ "Gianaris & Gilliard Op-Ed in the Daily News: Ban Citizen's Arrests Once And For All | NYSenate.gov". www.nysenate.gov. Retrieved June 10, 2024.
  26. ^ "Senate Deputy Leader Gianaris, Who Fought for $1 Billion in Small Business Relief in This Year's State Budget, Encourages Queens Small Businesses To Start Applying | NYSenate.gov". www.nysenate.gov. Retrieved June 10, 2024.
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New York State Assembly
Preceded by New York State Assembly, 36th District
2001–2010 		Succeeded by
New York State Senate
Preceded by New York State Senate, 12th District
2011–present 		Incumbent
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