Vickie Paladino: Legislative Record
Current Legislative Session (2026-2029)
In the current legislative session, Paladino has introduced 10 bills as primary sponsor, all of which remain in committee as of mid-2026 1. She has also co-sponsored 76 bills originally introduced by other council members 2.
Her primary-sponsored legislation in this session includes a bill prohibiting vending on certain streets in Queens (Intro 0370-2026), a bill delaying the greenhouse gas emission reduction requirements of Local Law 97 by seven years (Intro 0371-2026), a bill eliminating the fees for firearm licenses and permits (Intro 0372-2026), a bill establishing an Office of Quality of Life (Intro 0373-2026), a bill temporarily exempting certain covered buildings from building emissions limits while studying the impact on those buildings and on the electrical distribution grid (Intro 0374-2026), and a bill removing benchmarks for bus lanes and bicycle lanes from the streets master plan (Intro 0375-2026) 3.
Additional primary-sponsored bills include legislation requiring reporting on criteria for school mask mandates (Intro 0376-2026), a bill prohibiting the operation of electric scooters and bicycles with electric assist in parks (Intro 0377-2026), a bill requiring reporting on crossing guard deployment (Intro 0457-2026), a bill to repeal provisions of the administrative code relating to immigration enforcement restrictions (Intro 0515-2026), and a bill banning the use of live fish as prizes at carnivals and similar events (Intro 0963-2026) 4.
Among her co-sponsored legislation, one bill establishing security perimeters adjacent to places of religious worship (Intro 0001-2026, introduced by Julie Menin) has been enacted into law. A bill reimbursing nonpublic schools for the cost of video surveillance cameras (Intro 0327-2026, introduced by Mercedes Narcisse) has also been enacted 5.
Previous Legislative Sessions
During the 2022-2023 and 2024-2025 sessions, Paladino's legislative activity focused on several recurring themes.
On COVID-19 policy, she sponsored a bill requiring the Department of Education to release monthly reports on criteria for any school mask mandates. She also introduced a resolution urging the DOE to establish clear scientific and mental health criteria before imposing mask requirements, and a separate resolution aimed at prohibiting employers from altering terms and conditions of employment during statewide emergencies .
On public safety and first responders, she sponsored a resolution to expand a civil service exam credit to families of Department of Sanitation workers who died as a result of the September 11 attacks .
On quality-of-life issues, she introduced resolutions to increase the elderly personal needs allowance for seniors in home care, to allow funding plans for homeowners to fix shared sewers and driveways, and to prohibit the attachment of external speakers to vehicles . She also sponsored resolutions aimed at banning masks or facial coverings during protests or rallies, introduced in response to pro-Palestinian campus demonstrations .
On infrastructure and transportation, she proposed legislation requiring the Department of Parks and Recreation to publish tree maintenance prioritization ratings and sponsored a bill requiring the creation of a groundwater flood risk area map, along with a related measure directing the city's long-term planning office to conduct an infrastructure risk study in flood-risk areas 10.
Committee Assignments
Paladino's committee assignments have been a recurring point of contention. In March 2023, she was removed from the Committee on Mental Health, Disabilities, and Addiction by then-Council Speaker Adrienne Adams in response to her 2022 comments about Drag Queen Story Hour . Eight council members voted against her removal, including the full Republican conference and Councilmembers Robert Holden and Kalman Yeger .
In January 2026, incoming Council Speaker Julie Menin removed Paladino from five of the seven committees she had been serving on, citing her pattern of anti-Muslim social media posts . Paladino was appointed Minority Whip of the City Council in February 2025, a leadership role within the Republican minority delegation .
Legislative Approach
As a member of the council's conservative minority, none of Paladino's primary-sponsored bills have advanced out of committee through her tenure. Her legislative record reflects a strategy common among minority-party council members: Introducing bills that articulate policy priorities and draw public attention to issues even when passage is unlikely in a body where Democrats hold an overwhelming majority . Her co-sponsorship activity has been broader, encompassing bills on public safety, small business support, veterans' services, and education that have attracted bipartisan backing 16.