Shahana Hanif: Policy Positions
Immigration and Workers' Rights
Hanif has made immigrant protection and workers' rights a central focus of her legislative agenda. As former chair of the Council's Immigration Committee, she authored the Immigrant Workers Bill of Rights (Local Law 161 of 2023), which compiles federal, state, and local worker protections into a single document distributed to employees in multiple languages . She championed the creation of Promise NYC, a childcare program serving undocumented immigrant families, and successfully advocated for $10 million in city funding for that initiative . She supports sanctuary city policies and has introduced legislation (Intro 214) that would create a right for individuals detained in violation of sanctuary protections to sue for civil damages . She has also introduced legislation prohibiting the city from contracting with entities engaged in immigration enforcement 6. Hanif has called for a coordinated government response to the asylum-seeker crisis at all levels rather than reliance on a patchwork of mutual aid organizations .
Reproductive Rights and Gender Justice
Hanif co-authored the NYC Abortion Rights Act (Local Laws 75 and 76 of 2022), which expanded funding for abortion services, established legal protections for providers, and launched a public outreach campaign that included billboards in states with restrictive abortion laws . She successfully advocated for expanding the NYC Abortion Access Fund from $250,000 to $1 million . She authored the Affirm Act (Intro 1201-A), which extends safe-harbor protections to gender-affirming care facilities and broadens the private right of action against interference with reproductive or endocrine medical care 910. She supported the Protect Trans Futures legislative package and has called for $10 million for the trans equity initiative, $15 million for gender-affirming care, and $10 million for LGBTQ youth housing in the city budget 10.
Housing and Affordable Development
Hanif has positioned herself as a champion of affordable housing, citing the Gowanus rezoning as a model that will bring 8,500 new units, including 3,000 affordable units, alongside $450 million in infrastructure investments . She voted in favor of the City of Yes for Housing Opportunity proposal in December 2024, supporting the broader citywide rezoning to increase housing production 12. In 2025, she negotiated the Arrow Linen rezoning in Windsor Terrace, securing 100 affordable units at 40 percent affordability with a community benefits agreement, which she described as one of the highest proportions of affordability for a private land use application without public subsidies in city history . She supports expanding community land trusts and has pressed developers for deeper affordability requirements in exchange for rezoning approvals .
Environment and Climate
Hanif is the lead sponsor of Local Law 85 of 2023, which mandates universal residential composting across the city . She has pushed for full and timely implementation of Local Law 97, which requires emissions reductions for large buildings, and sponsored legislation (Intro 1180) to eliminate loopholes in that law 14. She launched the city's first climate justice-focused Participatory Budgeting cycle, investing $1.5 million into community-chosen resiliency projects in District 39 14. She has advocated for flood mitigation infrastructure, particularly in flood-prone areas of her district such as Gowanus and Carroll Gardens 12.
Disability Justice and Healthcare
Drawing on her personal experience with lupus, Hanif chairs the Committee on Disabilities and has framed disability justice as integral to her broader policy agenda 15. She led passage of Resolution 550, designating May as Lupus Awareness Month in New York City . She supports Medicare for All at the federal level and the New York Health Act at the state level 14. She has called for ADA-accessible transit and free public healthcare 15.
Public Safety and Criminal Justice Reform
Hanif co-chairs the Task Force to Combat Hate and has led advocacy for ending solitary confinement in New York City jails . She advanced the How Many Stops Act, a measure requiring the creation of a database tracking police stops for greater transparency . She has called for the defunding of police and reinvestment in community-based alternatives, a position that drew criticism during her 2025 reelection campaign . She has also advocated for expanding street safety infrastructure, establishing the 4th Street Plaza in Park Slope, expanding Kensington Plaza, and creating a protected bike lane on 2nd Avenue and 9th Street in Gowanus .
Education and Childcare
Hanif supports universal childcare beginning at age two through pre-K, with culturally responsive meal options including kosher and halal meals in local schools 14. She has advocated for fully funded public schools and the integration of queer history into school curricula . She secured funding for Brooklyn's Prospect Park, libraries, playgrounds, and schools through the city's discretionary budget process .