Zellnor Myrie: Policy Positions
Zellnor Myrie's policy agenda as a New York State Senator and 2025 mayoral candidate has centered on affordable housing, voting rights, gun safety, criminal justice reform, healthcare equity, and education. His positions reflect a progressive orientation that he has at times described in pragmatic rather than ideological terms, telling interviewers that voters care more about whether he can make the city affordable and safe than about what label he carries .
Housing and Tenant Protections
Housing affordability has been one of Myrie's signature issues since entering the State Senate. He was a vocal supporter of the Housing Stability and Tenant Protection Act of 2019, which strengthened rent regulations and expanded protections for tenants across New York State . He has also championed legislation to combat deed theft, create new pathways to homeownership, and protect vulnerable tenants from displacement 3.
During his 2025 mayoral campaign, Myrie proposed increasing New York City's housing supply by 700,000 homes by relaxing zoning restrictions in neighborhoods with stringent land-use rules . His candidacy was widely characterized as aligned with the YIMBY movement, advocating for more housing construction across the five boroughs to address the city's housing shortage . He also proposed building one million total housing units as a long-term target .
Voting Rights and Election Reform
As chair of the Senate Elections Committee, Myrie has been the legislature's leading voice on voting access. His first bill to pass the legislature expanded early voting statewide, a reform New York had long lacked . He also led efforts to close the LLC loophole, which had allowed wealthy donors to circumvent campaign contribution limits by routing donations through limited liability companies 8.
Myrie's landmark achievement in this area is the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Act of New York, signed into law in June 2022 . The law establishes rights of action for voters whose access to the ballot is denied or diluted based on race or language, provides assistance to language-minority groups, and requires certain jurisdictions with histories of discrimination to receive preclearance before changing election rules . Myrie has continued to refine the law through follow-up legislation addressing technical amendments and enforcement provisions .
Gun Safety
Myrie supports expanding gun safety measures and has positioned himself as an advocate for holding the firearms industry accountable. He authored the nation's first state-level gun industry liability law, signed in July 2021, which classifies negligent gun sales and marketing as a public nuisance and opens manufacturers and dealers to civil lawsuits . He has also introduced legislation to prohibit the sale of pistols that can be easily converted to automatic firearms and to allow victims of gun violence to sue manufacturers .
Myrie authored the Community Violence Intervention Act in 2021, which declared gun violence a public health crisis and directed state funding to hospital-based violence intervention programs and community-based violence interruption initiatives . He supports financial institutions having the right to deny lending capital to ammunition and gun industries .
Criminal Justice Reform
Myrie has been a consistent supporter of criminal justice reform, including New York's 2019 bail reform law, which eliminated cash bail for most misdemeanors and nonviolent felonies . He has defended the law against conservative rollback efforts while acknowledging that constituent concerns about public safety require serious engagement .
The Clean Slate Act, which Myrie championed over several legislative sessions and which was signed into law in November 2023, automatically seals certain criminal conviction records after designated waiting periods for individuals who remain crime-free . Misdemeanor records are sealed after three years and felony records after eight years, with exclusions for serious offenses including murder and sex crimes . Myrie has framed the legislation as both a moral imperative and an economic measure, citing estimates that conviction-related barriers to employment cost New York up to $12.6 billion annually in lost wages .
He has also pursued legislation to end mandatory minimum sentencing, eliminate qualified immunity for police officers, broaden compensation for crime victims, and make it easier for formerly incarcerated individuals to find employment .
Healthcare
Myrie led the fight against the proposed closure of SUNY Downstate University Hospital in East Flatbush, Brooklyn, arguing that shutting the facility would devastate healthcare access in communities of color that already face significant disparities in provider availability . He has advocated for increased Medicaid reimbursement rates for safety-net hospitals and has pushed for the creation of a world-class women's and children's hospital in Central Brooklyn to address the borough's maternal health crisis .
Education
During his mayoral campaign, Myrie proposed a universal afterschool guarantee for New York City students, expanded hours for 3-K and Pre-K programs, and universal summer youth employment through an expansion of the city's existing Summer Youth Employment Program . He has also advocated for universal afterschool programming at the state level as part of annual budget negotiations .
Immigration and Civil Rights
Myrie has been a vocal advocate for immigrant communities, drawing on his own background as the child of Costa Rican immigrants 26. He supported the Reproductive Health Act, which codified abortion rights in New York State law during his first legislative session in 2019 27. He has also been described as a strong advocate for LGBTQIA equality 28.
On the Israel-Palestine conflict, Myrie released a statement after the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack affirming Israel's right to self-defense while expressing hope for an eventual lasting peace . He has condemned protest actions that have targeted Jewish New Yorkers while defending the right to peaceful demonstration .