Brian Kavanagh: Legislative Record
Brian Kavanagh has served in the New York State Legislature since January 2007, first as an assemblymember and then as a state senator . His legislative record is anchored by major enacted legislation in housing, gun violence prevention, environmental policy, and election reform .
Committee Assignments
As of 2026, Kavanagh chairs the Senate Committee on Housing, Construction and Community Development, a position he has held since January 2019 . He also serves as a member of the committees on Aging, Codes, Elections, Energy and Telecommunications, Environmental Conservation, and Social Services . He previously chaired the Assembly Subcommittee on Election Day Operations and Voter Disenfranchisement and served on the Assembly committees for Housing, Environmental Conservation, Corporations/Authorities/Commissions, Labor, Election Law, and Cities .
Housing Legislation
Kavanagh's most prominent legislative achievement is the Housing Stability and Tenant Protection Act of 2019, which he led through the Senate as Housing Committee chair . The law strengthened rent regulation by eliminating vacancy bonuses and preferential rent provisions, making rent stabilization permanent, expanding municipal opt-in authority for rent regulation, and creating new protections for residents of mobile and manufactured home parks .
During the COVID-19 pandemic, he authored the statewide eviction and foreclosure moratorium, first enacted in March 2020 and extended through legislation three times for a total of 22 months . He led the Senate effort to create the COVID-19 Emergency Rental Assistance Program and the Homeowner Assistance Fund, with approximately $3.5 billion allocated across both programs according to his official page .
In 2022, Kavanagh passed legislation to facilitate the conversion of underused hotels into permanent affordable housing . He advanced the Housing Access Voucher Program through both the Senate and Assembly, a proposal modeled on the federal Section 8 system . In 2024, Good Cause Eviction legislation was enacted after Kavanagh had pushed for the measure since 2019 .
He sponsored legislation (S2980-C) to strengthen enforcement of rent stabilization laws, signed by Governor Hochul in December 2023 . In 2025, he introduced the REST Act (S4659) to modernize the process for municipalities outside New York City to adopt rent stabilization . He also proposed reforms to the J-51 tax abatement program for building renovation, introduced in 2026 .
Other housing measures include: Legislation enacted in 2022 to protect housing stability for residents of Joint Live-Work Quarters for Artists in SoHo and NoHo ; legislation to extend rent freeze programs for lower-income seniors and people with disabilities to residents of former Mitchell-Lama buildings ; a bill to extend the Battery Park City Authority master lease by 50 years and require a majority of the authority's board to be primary residents ; and legislation enacted in 2021 to overhaul enforcement against racial and ethnic housing discrimination, resulting from a Senate investigation prompted by Newsday reporting .
Gun Violence Prevention Legislation
Kavanagh played a central role in crafting the NY SAFE Act (S2230), enacted in 2013, which instituted universal background checks on gun sales, restricted assault weapons and high-capacity magazines, and enhanced school security requirements .
He authored the red flag law, enacted in 2019, creating Extreme Risk Protection Orders that empower families, law enforcement, and schools to temporarily bar individuals from possessing firearms when they present evidence of being a danger to themselves or others . In 2022, following the Supreme Court decision in Bruen, he led the Senate floor debate to enact replacement legislation (S51001) imposing new requirements for concealed carry permits and designating sensitive locations where firearms are prohibited .
Additional gun-related measures enacted with Kavanagh's sponsorship include: Legislation establishing the State Police as the point of contact for background checks on gun and ammunition sales ; new regulations for gun dealer inventory tracking and sales compliance ; the first statewide ban on body armor sales with law enforcement exceptions ; legislation raising the minimum age to 21 for purchasing semi-automatic rifles and requiring a permit ; the voluntary firearm waiver bill (S2086A) ; and micro-stamping requirements for new handguns .
Environmental and Climate Legislation
Kavanagh co-sponsored the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act, enacted in 2019, which mandated statewide greenhouse gas emission reductions and directed investment toward renewable energy and environmental justice 10.
He was the lead Senate sponsor of the All-Electric Building Act (S6843A in its original form), first introduced in 2021 with Assemblymember Emily Gallagher and enacted in 2023 10. The law prohibits new building permits for fossil fuel-powered construction, with implementation timelines phased by building size and narrow exceptions 10.
He co-sponsored the Build Public Renewables Act, which authorized the New York Power Authority to develop and own renewable energy projects 10. He supported the Environmental Bond Act, approved by voters in 2022, providing $4.2 billion for flood reduction, open space conservation, climate mitigation, and water quality 10. He authored legislation enacted in 2022 establishing extended producer responsibility for old carpeting . He sponsored a 2023 law to eliminate lead hazards in homes where children have been exposed .
He passed legislation while in the Assembly to create new parkland and a mile-long esplanade closing the gap in the East River Greenway from East 60th to East 38th Street, completed in 2023 . He also passed legislation in 2019 to increase Battery Park City's capital-raising capacity for resiliency measures .
Election Reform Legislation
Kavanagh's bill to close the LLC loophole in campaign finance law (S1101/A776) was enacted in January 2019 as part of a comprehensive election reform package . The law treats LLCs as corporations for the purpose of campaign contribution limits, ending a practice that allowed virtually unlimited and often anonymous political donations . He had advanced this legislation multiple times in the Assembly before it could pass the Senate .
The 2019 election reform package also included early voting and voter registration improvements, all measures Kavanagh had authored or championed in the Assembly that the Republican-controlled Senate had previously blocked .