Brian Kavanagh: Policy Positions
Brian Kavanagh has built his legislative career around four core policy areas: Affordable housing and tenant protections, gun violence prevention, environmental sustainability, and democracy and election reform . His positions consistently align with the progressive wing of the Democratic Party, with a particular emphasis on housing policy as his defining issue .
Housing and Tenant Protections
Kavanagh views access to stable, affordable housing as a fundamental right and has made this the centerpiece of his legislative work . He led the effort to enact the Housing Stability and Tenant Protection Act of 2019, which he has described as the most comprehensive tenant protection law in the country . The legislation made rent regulation permanent, eliminated provisions that allowed landlords to remove apartments from rent stabilization through vacancy bonuses and capital improvement surcharges, and expanded the ability of municipalities outside New York City to adopt rent regulation .
Kavanagh championed Good Cause Eviction protections, which he pushed for beginning in 2019 and which were adopted in 2024 . The legislation provides protections for tenants in unregulated housing, requiring landlords to demonstrate good cause before seeking an eviction . He has framed this as a measure to prevent displacement and stabilize communities .
He has advocated for a large-scale Housing Access Voucher Program modeled on the federal Section 8 program, intended to provide rental assistance for New Yorkers experiencing homelessness or facing eviction . He also supports the REST Act, legislation introduced in 2025 that would modernize and expand the process by which municipalities outside New York City can adopt rent stabilization protections .
On public housing, Kavanagh has called for increased state and federal investment in maintenance, renovation, and security . He has also advocated for converting underused hotel properties into permanent affordable housing, a measure enacted in 2022 .
Gun Violence Prevention
Kavanagh has been one of the legislature's most active proponents of gun control measures . He founded and chairs both American State Legislators for Gun Violence Prevention and New York Legislators for Gun Violence Prevention . He played a leading role in crafting the NY SAFE Act of 2013, which required background checks on all gun sales, banned certain military-style assault weapons, and restricted high-capacity ammunition magazines .
He authored New York's red flag law, enacted in 2019, which empowers families, schools, and law enforcement to obtain Extreme Risk Protection Orders to temporarily remove firearms from individuals who present a danger to themselves or others . In 2022, following the U.S. Supreme Court decision in New York State Rifle and Pistol Association v. Bruen, Kavanagh led the Senate floor debate to enact replacement legislation imposing new training and background check requirements for concealed carry permits, designating sensitive locations where firearms are prohibited, and enhancing safe storage requirements .
He also enacted legislation in 2022 to establish the State Police as the point of contact for background checks on all gun and ammunition sales, replacing sole reliance on the federal system . He supported the nation's first statewide ban on the sale of body armor, with exceptions for law enforcement and other qualifying professions . He has also sponsored a voluntary firearm waiver bill, which would allow individuals to voluntarily surrender their right to purchase firearms .
Environmental Sustainability and Climate
Kavanagh positions himself as a leader on climate and environmental policy 6. He co-sponsored the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act of 2019, which mandated significant reductions in greenhouse gas emissions, required investment in clean energy sources, and directed funding toward environmental justice communities 6.
He was the lead sponsor of the All-Electric Building Act, first introduced in 2021 and enacted in 2023, which prohibits the use of fossil fuels in new building construction with limited exceptions for applications where all-electric systems are not feasible 6. He has framed this as a critical step toward meeting the state's climate targets, noting that buildings account for a significant share of energy use and emissions .
Kavanagh supported the Build Public Renewables Act to authorize the New York Power Authority to own and operate renewable energy projects 6. He has advocated for extended producer responsibility legislation covering products including carpeting, rechargeable batteries, mercury-containing lamps, mattresses, and textiles . He was an early champion of the ban on high-volume hydraulic fracturing for fossil fuels . He has also sponsored legislation to increase penalties for contaminating public water supplies and supported a 2023 program to eliminate lead hazards in homes where children have been exposed .
Democracy and Election Reform
Kavanagh has made modernizing New York's election laws a consistent priority . He chaired the Assembly Subcommittee on Election Operations and authored legislation for early voting, voter registration improvements, and campaign finance reform that repeatedly passed the Assembly but was blocked by the Republican-controlled Senate for years .
Following the 2018 Democratic Senate takeover, Kavanagh co-sponsored a comprehensive election reform package enacted as the first act of the 2019 legislative session . His bill to close the LLC loophole in campaign finance law, which he had championed since his Assembly tenure, was included in that package . He has characterized the LLC loophole as one of the most egregious weaknesses in New York's campaign finance system, as it allowed virtually unlimited contributions to political candidates through multiple limited liability companies with contributors' identities often obscured .
He co-chaired the Assembly Workgroup on Legislative Process, Operations, and Public Participation, which reformed aspects of the Assembly's internal rules and practices to increase transparency .
Social Services and Aging
Kavanagh serves on the Senate committees for Social Services and Aging . He has supported expansion of rent freeze programs for lower-income seniors and individuals with disabilities, including efforts to extend those programs to residents of former Mitchell-Lama buildings and Battery Park City .