Zellnor Myrie: Legislative Record
Zellnor Myrie has served in the New York State Senate since January 2019, representing the 20th district in Central Brooklyn. Over the course of his tenure, he has sponsored over 250 bills across multiple legislative sessions, with his most consequential signed legislation spanning voting rights, criminal justice, gun safety, and tenant protections . He has chaired two of the Senate's most significant committees: The Elections Committee and, beginning in 2025, the Codes Committee 2.
Voting Rights and Election Reform
Myrie's first bill to pass the legislature expanded early voting statewide, bringing New York in line with dozens of other states that already offered voters the option to cast ballots before Election Day . He also led the effort to close the LLC loophole, a campaign finance gap that had allowed wealthy individuals and corporations to route unlimited donations through multiple limited liability companies 4.
His most prominent voting rights achievement is the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Act of New York (S1046E), which passed the Senate in May 2022 and was signed into law by Governor Hochul on Juneteenth of that year . The law establishes rights of action for members of protected classes whose voting access has been denied or diluted, provides language assistance to minority groups, and creates a preclearance program requiring certain jurisdictions with histories of racial discrimination to seek state approval before changing election rules . Myrie also sponsored a companion bill (S8202) establishing the New York Voting and Elections Database to maintain a statewide repository of voting data . In 2024, he introduced legislation (S9687) to strengthen the enforcement and definitional provisions of the original voting rights act .
In 2021, Myrie held voter-focused hearings across the state and issued a landmark report containing over 50 recommendations for reforming election administration and protecting voting rights in New York 9.
Gun Safety Legislation
Myrie authored the nation's first state-level gun industry liability law (S7196), which was signed by Governor Cuomo in July 2021 . The legislation classifies negligent or irresponsible gun sales and marketing as a public nuisance under New York law, creating a pathway for civil lawsuits against manufacturers and dealers whose practices contribute to gun violence . The law was designed to navigate around the federal Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act, which broadly shields gun companies from civil liability . A federal court dismissed a challenge to the law in May 2022, and the U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear an appeal in June 2026, allowing the statute to stand .
Since the law's passage, at least eight other states have adopted similar legislation modeled on Myrie's framework, including California, Illinois, Colorado, New Jersey, Delaware, Washington, and Hawaii . The Biden administration cited the New York law as a national model in its gun violence prevention strategy .
Myrie also authored the Community Violence Intervention Act in 2021, which formally declared gun violence a public health crisis in New York and committed state funding to hospital-based violence intervention programs and community-based violence interruption initiatives .
Criminal Justice Reform
The Clean Slate Act (S7551A), which Myrie championed over several legislative sessions beginning in 2021, passed both chambers in June 2023 and was signed into law by Governor Hochul in November 2023 . The law automatically seals the criminal records of individuals convicted of misdemeanors after three years and felonies after eight years, provided the individual has not been subsequently convicted . Records of convictions for murder, sex offenses, and domestic terrorism remain accessible, and law enforcement, prosecutors, and courts retain full access to sealed records . The law took effect in November 2024 and is estimated to impact approximately 2.3 million New Yorkers with conviction histories .
Myrie supported New York's 2019 bail reform law, which eliminated cash bail for most misdemeanors and nonviolent felonies . He has defended the law against calls for rollback while also introducing targeted legislation such as Senate Bill S613 in January 2025, which would grant district attorneys direct access to relevant law enforcement databases to speed pretrial evidence production .
He has also advanced legislation to end mandatory minimum sentencing, eliminate qualified immunity for police officers, and expand compensation for crime victims .
Housing and Tenant Protections
Myrie was a prominent supporter of the Housing Stability and Tenant Protection Act of 2019, one of the strongest pro-tenant rent law packages in a generation . He sponsored legislation to ban most evictions during New York's COVID-19 state of emergency in 2020 . He has also introduced bills targeting deed theft and creating new pathways to homeownership 26.
Other Notable Legislation and Votes
In his first session, Myrie contributed to passage of the Reproductive Health Act, which codified abortion rights in New York, as well as the Child Victims Act and major climate change legislation 27. He supported legislation advocating for food regulators to target corporations that market unhealthy foods to consumers . In 2021, he was one of only two members of the State Senate to vote against a bill designating baseball as the official state sport of New York .
In 2024, Myrie was instrumental in securing a state budget compromise that kept SUNY Downstate University Hospital open, establishing a community advisory board to guide the hospital's future while prohibiting cuts to healthcare programs or services .
Committee Assignments
As of the 2025-2026 legislative session, Myrie's committee assignments include: Codes Committee (chair), Consumer Protection Committee, Crime Victims, Crime and Correction Committee, Elections Committee, Health Committee, Housing, Construction, and Community Development Committee, and Judiciary Committee .