TRANSPORTATION

Huge swathes of New York City and the metro area lack fast, reliable mass transit, effectively forcing car ownership in places where it should not be necessary. This is not just an inconvenience—it is a cost-of-living failure. Fragmented regional planning and underinvestment mean that housing demand is artificially concentrated in a few neighborhoods of NYC, driving up rents, while more broadly, job access and opportunity remain gated by geography.

Global peers like Tokyo and Singapore show what is possible when an entire metro region is planned as a single, integrated transportation system: lower housing pressure, broader labor markets, and far lower household transportation costs. New York has the density, ridership, and need—but not yet the execution.

• Make buses fast, frequent, and affordable

  • Fund and expand Bus Rapid Transit, including protected lanes, transit signal priority, and camera enforcement.

  • Support fast and free bus service on high-ridership corridors.

  • Treat buses as core infrastructure, not a fallback—especially for lower-income riders and outer-borough communities.
    

• Integrate the region’s rail systems with through-running

  • Execute long-delayed plans to integrate Metro-North, LIRR, PATH, and the subway with through-running, coordinated schedules, and unified fares.

  • Shift from siloed commuter railroads to a true regional rail network that makes longer-distance living viable without car dependence.

  • Use regional integration as a housing pressure valve, expanding where people can realistically live and work.

• Fund frequent service beyond rush hour

  • Increase night, weekend, and off-peak service on commuter rail lines and buses.

  • Align transit schedules with how New Yorkers actually work—especially healthcare workers, service workers, and others outside the 9-to-5 economy.

  • Treat reliability and frequency as equity issues, not luxuries.
    

• Plan for future intercity and highway corridors responsibly

  • Explore high-speed highway corridors that leverage emerging safety and speed technologies where they deliver benefits at far lower cost than traditional high-speed rail.

  • Ensure any such investments complement mass transit, climate, and safety goals.
    

• Encourage alternative modes with smart regulation

  • Create a licensing structure for alternative transportation modes (e-bikes, scooters, shared mobility) for vehicles that move at motor-vehicle speeds

  • License delivery app drivers and hold corporations accountable for incentivizing unsafe driving practices with fines and insurance requirements.
    

• Improve Congestion Pricing

  • Explore additional pricing windows to create incentives for drivers to further spread commuting density during rush hours

  • Explore exemptions or discounts for vulnerable residents in the CP zone

ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY

• Integrate economic centers with regional transportation (See transportation)

  • Mandated regional planning

  • Through-running trains

  • Increased commuter service

  • High-speed highway corridors
    

• Incentives for high-tech and AI-first businesses that generate direct and secondary employment

  • Biotech/life sciences

  • Manufacturing/robotics

  • Healthcare/diagnostics

PUBLIC SAFETY & WELFARE

New York City’s crime rate has remained at relatively low levels even as the size of the police force has fluctuated. This reflects a basic reality that decades of evidence have made clear: police and incarceration have diminishing returns as tools of public safety. There is only so much that police arriving after a crime has occurred can do, and there is a hard limit to how much public safety can be improved by incarcerating low-level offenders. Both strategies carry enormous social and fiscal costs, often without delivering lasting reductions in harm.

Truly improving public safety means investing in the strategies that are actually proven to reduce dangerous situations before they escalate—approaches that address instability, untreated illness, and systemic failure rather than managing the consequences after the fact.

• Legal support for people reporting crimes (see Public Safety)

  • It is incredibly difficult to report a crime. A large part of this is because reporters have no legal support unless the DA decides to get involved, which is dependent on a successful report. NYC recently started a program to supply any person facing housing court with an attorney; it is a civic imperative to provide this for people reporting crimes.
    

• Universal mental health and addiction services as public safety infrastructure

  • Untreated mental illness and addiction are major drivers of homelessness, public disorder, and repeat interactions with police. Much of what people experience as “disorder” on the street—erratic behavior, public distress, and visible crisis—is rooted in the absence of accessible treatment, not criminal intent.

  • States that expand access to treatment see reductions in emergency room use, incarceration, and repeat offending. The alternative—cycling people through jails, shelters, and emergency departments—is vastly more expensive and less humane.
    

• Housing security (see Affordable Housing)

  • Housing instability is one of the strongest predictors of crime victimization and contact with the justice system. Housing policy is therefore inseparable from public safety. Preventing eviction and homelessness does more to reduce crime than expanding jails or increasing patrols.

  • Fair housing — not discrimination for a felony
    

• Funding for more shelters and better shelter design

  • Shelters are often treated as a last resort and funded accordingly, producing environments that feel unsafe for residents and surrounding communities alike. SRO-style units with secure storage, lockers, and appropriate staffing reduce conflict, improve outcomes, encourage shelter seeking, and cost less than policing street homelessness or building and operating jails.

  • Warming locations to draw folks off the street
    

• Consent and Emotional Regulation education (see Curriculum Reform)

  • Ben supports K–12 consent education and emotional regulation instruction as part of a broader public safety strategy. Research shows that early, age-appropriate education reduces sexual violence, bullying, and later violent behavior far more effectively than downstream interventions, reducing incidents by 25-50%. Preventing harm is both more humane and more cost-effective than responding after lives have already been disrupted.
    

• Expand the court system and make it more flexible to permanently end the shortage of judges (see Home Rule)

  • New York’s chronic shortage of judges, especially in New York City, brings the wheels of justice to a slow grind. Long waits for trial create a cascade of serious problems, from violation of constitution, to life-altering holding of unconvicted detainees, to a justice system that fails to bring people to justice.
    

TECHNOLOGY, DATA PRIVACY, & AI

Artificial intelligence has already begun making decisions that shape people’s lives — who gets hired, who gets housing, who receives healthcare, credit, or public benefits, and who is flagged for investigation by law enforcement. When these systems are opaque, untested, or unaccountable, they can replicate bias, magnify harm at scale, and strip people of meaningful recourse. AI systems trained on flawed data or deployed without safeguards have already exacerbated harm to immigrants, low-income residents, seniors, and marginalized communities. Our government has seriously lagged behind technological innovation and must set clear, enforceable rules that ensure AI strengthens human judgment, protects civil liberties, and serves the public interest.

Strong Data Protection

• Limit data collection and retention by government agencies and contractors to what is strictly necessary for a defined public purpose

• Require baseline cybersecurity and privacy safeguards for any entity handling state or municipal data

• Impose statutory penalties for negligent data misuse, unauthorized sharing, or preventable breaches

• Classify sensitive personal data held by the state as protected civic infrastructure

• Require equity impact assessments for data systems that disproportionately affect vulnerable communities

• Create a legal “right to be forgotten” similar to the EU
  

Regulate AI in High-Risk Decisions

• Require human review of AI assisted decision-making in high-stakes areas like lay-offs, housing, loan approval, court sentencing, etc.

• Require transparency disclosures when AI is used in hiring, housing, credit, healthcare, or public benefits decisions

• Mandate bias testing and performance audits for AI systems used in consequential determinations

• Require clear documentation of decision logic and system limitations

• Guarantee a right to explanation and appeal for individuals affected by automated decisions
  

Risk-Based AI Regulation

• Establish a tiered regulatory framework that applies stricter oversight to higher-risk AI uses and exempt low-risk uses from unnecessary regulatory burden to spur innovation

• Regularly update risk classifications to reflect evolving technology and evidence
  

AI Governance Inside Government

• Require pre-deployment risk assessments for AI tools procured by state or local agencies

• Mandate audit trails for automated or algorithm-assisted government decisions

• Require public reporting when AI meaningfully affects eligibility for rights, benefits, or enforcement actions

• Prohibit agencies from delegating final decision-making authority to vendors or black-box systems

• Establish uniform statewide standards for government AI procurement and oversight

Consumer Protection in Digital Markets

• Expand enforcement authority against online fraud and deceptive digital practices

• Ban manipulative interface designs like hidden fees and opt-ins that attempt to circumvent informed consent

• Increase penalties for digital exploitation targeting seniors, children, or vulnerable consumers

• Clarify that consumer protection laws apply fully to digital and AI-driven services

• Ban dynamic pricing in stores
  

Competition, Repairability, and User Choice

• Strengthen and enforce right-to-repair laws for digital devices and connected products

• Require interoperability standards (e.g., uniform charging ports)

• Promote repair access to lower costs and reduce electronic waste

HEALTHCARE & MENTAL HEALTH

In New York, rising costs, hospital closures, and unchecked consolidation have left too many communities without access to necessary care. Healthcare is an essential service and must ensure it serves patients, not just balance sheets; and reduces emergencies, not manages them more expensively.

• Universal healthcare with mental health

  • Hospitals are required to serve all emergency patients regardless of ability to pay; as a result, hospitals cry poverty. Losses for these services, often due to the uninsured using the emergency room for preventable illnesses, would be eliminated with universal coverage.

  • Universal healthcare with addiction and mental health services improves public safety, prevents hospital visits from unhoused New Yorkers, and reduces high-cost policing and incarcerations
    

• Prevent hospital closures

  • Requirements to prove systemic unprofitability to hospital chains looking to close locations, a losing location is not enough

  • Require Tier 1 trauma services within x travel time based on regional geography

  • Subsidize hospitals that could cause a network operator to collapse
    

ENERGY AND ENVIRONMENT

• Funding the Green Transition: Implement a first-of-its-kind "Data Center Tax," ensuring that the high-energy demands of the AI and tech boom directly fund the expansion of renewable energy across New York.
  
  

• Smart Grid Innovation: Invest in intelligent grid improvements to reduce overall energy waste and create a more resilient, 21st-century power network capable of handling increased demand.
  
  

• Stopping Fossil Fuel Expansion: Enact a strict ban on new oil and gas pipelines through urban neighborhoods and environmentally protected lands, prioritizing public health over fossil fuel interests.
  
  

• Regional Energy Resiliency: Update and champion the NY HEAT Act with specific provisions for upstate resiliency, bridging regional divides to finally pass this critical legislation and lower utility costs for all New Yorkers.
  
  

• Renewable Incentives: Expand tax incentives for renewable energy adoption, making it easier and more affordable for homeowners and businesses to transition away from carbon-intensive power.

FUNDING GOVERNMENT

• Restoring Corporate Responsibility: Realign New York’s corporate tax rate—which has been cut in half since the 90s—to match regional standards like New Jersey’s, ensuring corporations contribute fairly to the state’s infrastructure.
  
  

• Fair Share Income Tax: Preserve the critical tax brackets for income over $1M set to sunset in 2027 and implement an additional 2% "Fair Share" surcharge on high earners to fund essential public services.
  
  

• Speculation & Vacancy Taxes: Enact a statewide Vacancy Tax on long-term empty storefronts and a Pied-à-Terre Tax on luxury secondary residences to discourage real estate speculation and put housing back on the market for New Yorkers.
  
  

• Taxpayer Sovereignty: Support Home Rule for local taxation so that New York City can fund its own progressive programs without being blocked by special interests in Albany.
  
  

• Closing the Wealth Gap: Use progressive tax revenue to directly fund the "3 Pillars" of the campaign—making government more effective, more empowering, and more visionary for the working class.

SANCTUARY NY

For the past 10 years, New York has taken action to be a sanctuary for immigrants from the Trump administration. Today, New York must do even more; it must be a sanctuary for democracy against growing fascism in the Federal government.

• Tax withholding to compensate for funds illegally stolen by Donald Trump to force compliance
  
  

• Special election protection for voters from federal agents during voting (see here)

  • Idea was introduced by Sen Harckman based on my suggestion
    

• Prevent NY law enforcement from working with ICE and empower them to arrest agents of the federal government if observed violation of the rights of NY residents
  
  

• Bar ICE activities from State premises and using State buildings as staging locations
  

GOOD GOVERNMENT & TRANSPARENCY

• Ban Policy in the Budget and limit the budget to appropriations. Banning non-fiscal riders will restore transparency and ensure major policy changes receive a standalone debate rather than being forced through behind closed doors.

• Strengthen NYC Home Rule and grant NYC constitutionally protected authority over local taxation, land use, and elections. The City should not need Albany’s permission for routine self-governance.

• Streamline the Courts to simplify the NYS court structure, increase the number of judges, and reduce delays.

• Expand Voting Rights by enabling "no-excuse" mail-in voting and same-day voter registration.

• Institute Ranked-Choice voting for general elections to give voters more choice and reduce party gatekeeping in districts where the primary effectively decides the outcome.

• Allow multi-member Assembly districts to improve representation, reduce gerrymandering, and better reflect our diverse electorate.

• Create a truly Independent ethics body in the State Constitution to prevent the Executive from constantly challenging ethics enforcement.

• Make legislative results more transparent, allowing voters to easily search all the bills passed, vetoed, or killed in committee each year.

HOME RULE

Every election candidates for City Council and Mayor run with ideas on how to improve our city. All too often the response is “will Albany go along with that?” But upstate politicians are funded by the same wealthy interests as New York politicians, they just don’t have to deal with the consequences of bad policy. New York City lacks the power to even try solving some of its most pressing issues, it’s time Albany got out of New York City’s business starting with:

• Home rule for taxes

  • If New Yorkers vote for programs that will improve their lives, and the taxes to support them, we should be able to follow through without begging Albany.
    

• Home rule for housing

  • Rent stabilization programs, eviction laws, vacancy rules and more — New York City is a unique housing market with a unique housing crisis that isn’t felt by the rest of the State. It should be empowered to develop and try solutions without Albany’s say-so.
    

• Home rule over Court Administration

  • There is a severe judge shortage in New York, and NYC in particular. This creates huge problems like an inability to provide constitutionally mandated access to a speedy trial, long detainments for unconvicted persons that create life-long or life-threatening situations, a justice system incapable of serving legal and justice needs of New Yorkers. New York deserves the right to serve its residents by expanding the corps of civil servants dedicated to justice.

DEMOCRATIC EMPOWERMENT

Our democracy is only as resilient as the people in it. Trust in our system and our politicians has eroded to the point that millions are voting for any change they can get because they no longer believe that their voices are heard. No matter what policies are enacted in City Hall, Albany, or Washington, we are at a point where elected leaders need to be more than representatives in government; they need to be ambassadors of government and democratic decision-making to the people of their districts. As Assemblymember, I plan to fight for legislative changes to empower voters, and launch new forms of district programming — the most successful of which I will work to institutionalize in district offices across the State.

• Empowerment Hotline

  • In teaching civic workshops across NYC, I have personally taught and heard from almost 8 thousand New Yorkers who lament how they never learned how government works, the incentives that politicians face, or how institutional players affect policy. Without knowing the system, it’s impossible to know how to make a change. My office will provide a hotline to serve as a one-stop shop about how our system works and how to make an impact.
    

• Empowerment workshops

  • The way we build power for change is to get people involved, and to get people involved, you have to offer them something. A minority of people show up to community boards, town halls, and long-winded government functions that they feel are designed to give politicians a win. My office will run empowerment workshops, built on the incredibly popular Real Politics 101 curriculum I developed, to create programming around the district and in schools that offers more than just a way to shout into the void — but rather a concrete service with lessons on how to build power in our democracy.

• In-house data science

  • Effective policy is only as good as the data. My office will employ an in-house data scientist to cut through politics and produce reports for the public on key issues facing the State and District, where misinformation or confusion poses a threat to good policy.
    

• Matching funds with a cap for State Races
  

• Ranked choice voting for State elections
  

• Expanded Vote By Mail and Mobile Voting with paper ballot validation
  

• Same-day voter registration

COMBATING RAPE & SEXUAL VIOLENCE

Sexual violence is one of the most widespread and under-addressed crimes in our society. An estimated 39% of women and 17% of men experience sexual violence in their lifetime, with rates even higher in marginalized communities. Yet, when these crimes are reported, over 60% do not receive a meaningful investigation. Despite its prevalence and severity, sexual violence is often treated as inevitable—normalized to the point that a life-altering crime affecting nearly half the population is written off as a fact of life.

Public debate routinely focuses on highly visible crimes like retail theft, while offering few concrete proposals for preventing sexual violence itself. Calls for more policing do not address the reality that nearly 80% of sexual violence occurs before age 25, often long before workplace or college interventions ever reach people. In fact, research has shown that many college and workplace trainings are statistically ineffective or even counterproductive, sometimes reinforcing already-learned behaviors rather than changing them. The result is a reactive system that accepts harm instead of preventing it.

Ben rejects this resignation. Sexual violence is not inevitable. It is preventable—and the evidence is clear about what works.

• K-12 Age-appropriate consent education

  • For the last decade, Australia piloted K-12 consent education in various States, finally releasing a mandatory, nationwide curriculum in 2020. These programs, as well as various studies in the US, have shown consent education can reduce sexual violence & gender based bullying by 25%-50%
    

• Legal support for people reporting crimes (see Public Safety)

  • It is difficult to report a crime, and sexual violence has the highest rate of “prosecutorial attrition” — reports that go nowhere — of any category. A large part of this is because reporters have no legal support unless the DA decides to get involved, which is dependent on a successful report. NYC recently started a program to supply any person facing housing court with an attorney; it is a civic imperative to provide this for people reporting crimes.

ANIMAL WELFARE

• Accessible Veterinary Care: Expand public funding for low-cost spay, neuter, and wellness clinics across the state, ensuring that every New Yorker can afford to keep their pets healthy and safe.
  
  

• Humane Entertainment Standards: Champion legislation to end the use of wild animals in circuses statewide, aligning New York with modern standards of animal protection and public safety.
  
  

• Prioritizing Schools Over Subsidies: End the "hidden" subsidies for horse racing provided by slot machine revenue, redirecting those hundreds of millions of dollars to fund New York’s public schools and early childhood education.
  
  

• Strengthening Animal Rights: Advocate for stricter enforcement against animal cruelty and neglect, treating the safety of our companion animals as a matter of community well-being.
  
  

• Smart Resource Reallocation: Leverage the transition from outdated subsidies to create a permanent, dedicated funding stream for local animal shelters and rescue organizations.