Kristen Gonzalez: Policy Positions
Artificial Intelligence Regulation
Gonzalez has emerged as one of the leading state legislators in the country on artificial intelligence policy . As Chair of the Senate Committee on Internet and Technology, she has sponsored and advanced a series of AI-related bills collectively described as the Safe and Responsible Artificial Intelligence legislative package . The centerpiece of her AI agenda is the New York AI Act (S1169A), which would require companies to disclose when they use AI tools in high-stakes decision-making processes such as hiring, housing applications, school admissions, and healthcare eligibility, while establishing standards for transparency, risk assessment, and accountability . She has also championed legislation requiring licensed AI professionals, bills regulating automated decision-making systems, and measures to protect minors from unsafe AI chatbot features . She has publicly opposed federal proposals to impose a moratorium on state and local AI regulation, co-authoring a joint letter with state legislators from across the country urging Congress to preserve the authority of states to enact their own AI safeguards .
Technology and Data Privacy
Gonzalez has consistently advocated for stronger data privacy protections, particularly in the context of reproductive health . She passed legislation safeguarding private health data following the Supreme Court's reversal of federal abortion protections, seeking to prevent law enforcement in other states from accessing New Yorkers' reproductive health records . She has also advanced bills protecting elections from deceptive AI-generated media, including deepfake regulation . Her cybersecurity legislation requires governmental entities to use multifactor authentication for network access and mandates that public websites encrypt all exchanges .
Data Centers and Energy
Gonzalez has positioned herself as a leading voice on the environmental and economic impacts of large-scale data center development . She introduced the Responsible Data Center Development Act, which imposes a one-year moratorium on new permits for hyperscale data centers exceeding 20 megawatts of peak load, requires environmental impact assessments, creates new electric and water rate classes for data centers, and establishes renewable energy benchmarks . The legislation also mandates prevailing wage requirements and apprenticeship programs for data center construction . The bill passed both legislative chambers in June 2026 and awaits the governor's signature. Governor Hochul subsequently signed an executive order on July 14, 2026, establishing a data center moratorium at a higher threshold of 50 megawatts, which Gonzalez has described as an important first step while continuing to advocate for the full bill to be enacted . She has argued that the wealthiest technology companies in the world should be required to invest in renewable energy sources to power their facilities rather than straining existing energy grids and driving up utility bills for consumers .
Climate and Renewable Energy
Gonzalez has championed the Build Public Renewables Act, which authorizes the New York Power Authority to build and own new energy-generating projects, requires NYPA to serve as the sole electricity provider for all state and municipal buildings, and mandates 100 percent renewable energy for those facilities by 2030 . She has framed climate justice as inseparable from economic justice, pointing to the health effects of fossil fuel infrastructure in communities like western Queens, where residents have long dealt with elevated asthma rates from proximity to power plants and industrial facilities . She has opposed the construction of new fossil fuel power plants in her district and supported legislation advancing building electrification and weatherization programs .
Housing and Tenant Protections
Gonzalez has supported Good Cause Eviction legislation, the Housing Access Voucher Program, and the Tenant Opportunity to Purchase Act . She has advocated for community land trusts as a model for keeping housing permanently affordable and has sponsored legislation increasing penalties for landlords who willfully file late rent registrations . She co-founded the Western Queens Community Land Trust before entering office and has described housing as a human right . She has worked to strengthen tenant protections during each legislative session and has cited her own experience as a renter as informing her approach to housing policy .
Workers' Rights and Labor
Gonzalez has aligned closely with organized labor, sponsoring legislation that establishes labor protections against AI-driven job displacement and requires transparency in the use of automated decision-making systems in the workplace . The LOADinG Act, which she passed in two successive sessions, was developed in partnership with the New York State AFL-CIO and the New York State United Teachers . She has advocated for prevailing wage requirements on data center construction and supported first-in-the-nation labor protections for government workers and teachers . Her campaign has rejected corporate and fossil fuel donations, relying instead on small-dollar contributions .
Healthcare
Gonzalez has made healthcare access a district-level priority, leading the fight against the closure of Mount Sinai Beth Israel Hospital in Lower Manhattan . She described the closure as devastating to the community and introduced legislation requiring the Department of Health to produce reports on statewide hospital data and identify areas at risk of future closures . She supports single-payer healthcare at the state level and has called for greater public investment in community hospitals to prevent the migration of critical services toward wealthier neighborhoods .
Elections and Democracy
As Chair of the Senate Elections Committee, Gonzalez has worked to strengthen election integrity and protect the democratic process from emerging technological threats . She has passed legislation addressing the use of deceptive AI-generated media in elections and has advocated for expanded voter access . She has described defending democracy as a central obligation of her office, particularly in the context of federal-level political developments she views as threatening to democratic norms .