Policy

Affordability
Fighting Trump & ICE
Fair Taxes
Climate Action
Education
Public Safety
Immigrant Rights
More Issues

An Affordable New York

As your next State Senator, Grace’s top priority will be affordability. Rising costs are pushing families out of New York, making it harder for working people to stay in the communities they built — even as they continue to power this city every day. Addressing this crisis requires real public investment in services like childcare and affordable housing. It also means ensuring major corporations and the ultra-wealthy pay their fair share, after benefiting from an economy that too often leaves working people behind.

Affordable Housing

Grace has been working tirelessly to strengthen tenant protections and secure more affordable housing for working New Yorkers.

    • Passed Good Cause Eviction to protect tenants from unreasonable rent increases and retaliatory evictions, and worked to expand protections to the broadest group of renters.

    • Led the effort to secure nearly $400M in Emergency Rental Assistance Program (ERAP) funding for NYCHA and Section 8 residents to help protect thousands of families from eviction. While many said it was impossible, she organized with tenant leaders and advocates, brought residents to Albany, and forced decision-makers to confront what was at stake.

    • Expanded Housing Access Vouchers — Grace successfully supported a statewide rental voucher program to help people facing homelessness or eviction move into stable housing.

    • Cut property taxes in half for Mitchell-Lama buildings to keep developments stable and rents down.

    • Passed New Affordable Housing Programs to build more affordable housing in New York City, including 485-x and office-to-residential conversions with permanently affordable housing requirements.

    • Maintain and Strengthen Tenant Protections – Grace will ensure that harassment against tenants is deemed unlawful and that bad landlords are held accountable. She will fund legal services for tenants who need support in housing court. She will fight to protect rent stabilization tenants from unaffordable rent increases while also addressing the aging housing supply.

    • Freeze The Rent  — 

      • Grace is fighting to increase the income eligibility for SCRIE and DRIE, so more seniors and people with disabilities can remain in their homes. 

      • Grace introduced legislation to protect SCRIE benefits for seniors whose income temporarily rises above eligibility thresholds - ensuring a short-term increase doesn’t cost them the rent freeze they depend on.

    • Keep Co-ops and Rent-Stabilized Buildings Livable — Grace supports extending and expanding the J-51 tax abatement program before it expires, helping co-op owners and rent-stabilized tenants afford essential building repairs, facade work, and clean energy upgrades.

    • Fund NYCHA — Grace is fighting for major capital investments to repair and modernize New York City's public housing developments.

    • Build Social Housing — Grace supports the establishment of the New York State Social Housing Development Authority to acquire land, rehabilitate property, and build permanently affordable, publicly owned housing. 

    • Create More Affordable Housing — Grace introducedlegislationto make office-to-residential conversions easier by changing the openable windows requirement.

Universal Childcare

Childcare is one of the biggest financial pressures working families face. As a mother with three young children in school, Grace understands the importance of child care. When it is unaffordable or unreliable, parents cannot work consistently, and families are forced into impossible trade-offs.

    • Secured more than $2 billion in statewide child care investments, including $350 million dedicated to New York City, to expand access and stabilize providers.

    • Pushed for the expansion of universal 2-K, 3-K and Pre-K, helping more families access free early childhood education.

    • Helped deliver $350 million for a new supplemental child tax credit to provide direct financial relief to eligible families.

    • Supported expansion of the Empire State Child Tax Credit to up to $1,000 for children under four and $500 for children ages four to sixteen.

    • Statewide Universal Childcare — Grace will continue to fight to make universal childcare available to families all across New York State so every family can access affordable, high-quality care. 

    • Further Expand the Empire State Child Tax Credit —  to put more money back in the pockets of working families.

    • Strengthen New York’s Paid Family Leave — So parents can take time to care for a newborn or loved one without sacrificing financial stability.

Cutting Energy Costs

While families are already facing high energy costs, Trump has escalated a war with Iran that is driving global instability, raising gas prices, and making already high energy costs even worse for working families. Oil prices have surged, which has increased the prices of daily necessities — from transportation to food to housing.

    • Rebates for High Energy Costs — Grace is fighting to secure energy rebate checks in this year’s state budget to refund New Yorkers for excessive utility costs, putting money directly back into people’s pockets and providing immediate relief to working families.

    • Lower Utility Bills — Grace supports the HEAT Act, which would cap utility bills at 6% of income for low-income households, ensuring energy remains affordable for those who need it most. 

    • Invest in the Green Economy — Grace is fighting to reduce long-term energy costs by accelerating the transition to clean energy and reducing dependence on fossil fuels, especially as federal support is cut, including by supporting:

    • The Accelerate Solar for Affordable Power Act (ASAP) to expand distributed solar energy and modernize the grid, lowering costs and increasing reliability.

    As gas prices rise, New York families cannot be left to pay the price for reckless decisions in Washington. New York must act to protect residents from rising energy costs and ensure that working families are not burdened by forces beyond their control.

Healthcare

Healthcare is a right, not a privilege — and Grace is fighting to make that real for every family in Lower Manhattan. With hospitals closing, costs rising, and Washington slashing Medicaid and gutting funding for providers, New York has to step up. Grace is pushing to lower prescription drug prices, increase hospital reimbursement rates to keep our doors open, advance universal healthcare, and fully fund the home care workforce that so many families depend on. She has consistently stood with healthcare workers on the front lines — because a healthcare system is only as strong as the people we invest in to run it.

    • Fought to Keep Local Health Centers Open — As the Trump Administration slashes Medicaid funding and threatens the survival of local health centers, Grace passed a bill to lower health insurance premiums for workers at local health centers serving Medicaid patients — helping providers reduce costs so they can stay open, so our communities don’t lose access to care.

    • Fought to Keep Hospitals Open — In response to the closure of Beth Israel Hospital, Grace helped pass legislation to strengthen public notice and oversight requirements when hospitals seek to close maternity, mental health, or substance use units. Because when a hospital closes, it's our most vulnerable neighbors who are left without somewhere to go. She also fought for billions in funding for safety-net hospitals to help them continue serving the most vulnerable in our communities.

    • Secured Funding for high-quality medical providers in underserved communities through the Medicare Quality Incentive Program — because access to good care shouldn't depend on your zip code.

    • Universal Healthcare for All New Yorkers — Grace is a co-sponsor of the New York Health Act to establish a universal, single-payer healthcare system guaranteeing coverage for every New Yorker.

    • Lower Prescription Drug Costs — Grace wants to lower prescription drug costs by requiring pharmacy benefit managers to reimburse pharmacies fairly, helping stabilize local pharmacies and reduce patients' costs. 

    • A Patient's Right to Know — Grace introduced legislation to require health care providers who are on probation to disclose that fact to current and new patients, so New Yorkers can make informed decisions about their care. 

    • The creation of a state-funded "essential plan" for low and moderate-income New Yorkers who are not eligible for a Federal health care program.

Food Security

No family in Lower Manhattan should have to worry about where their next meal is coming from — but pantry lines across the district keep getting longer, and federal policy is making it worse. Grace is fighting to protect and expand food security for working families, seniors, and anyone being squeezed by rising costs and Washington's cruel cuts.

  • She helped lead the advocacy that pushed the Governor to upgrade EBT cards with chip-based technology, eliminating over 87% of SNAP theft and fraud. And she's part of the coalition behind the Protect, Invest, and Expand Food Security package to make sure New Yorkers who have their benefits stolen can still put food on the table — and that the state steps up at a moment when the federal government is stepping back.

    • Protected New Yorkers from SNAP Theft — After yearslong advocacy by Grace and her colleagues, the Governor announced New York will upgrade EBT cards with chip-based technology to better protect recipients from skimming and mass fraud, eliminating over 87% of theft.

    • Provided Universal School Meals — Grace helped save families roughly $165 per child per month by providing universal free school breakfast and lunch to all school-age children in New York City.

    • Lower Grocery Prices – Grace is a co-sponsor of the Consumer Grocery Pricing Fairness Act to prevent discriminatory pricing and protect independent grocers, helping lower costs for New Yorkers. 

    • Protect, Invest, and Expand Food Security — Grace is part of a coalition advancing the Protect, Invest, and Expand Food Security package to strengthen New York's safety net, ensure families can recover stolen benefits, and expand access to food assistance at a time of growing need. She is also advocating for SNAP for All to ensure income-eligible New Yorkers can access food benefits regardless of immigration status.

Standing Up to Corporations

From the streets to Albany, Grace has never backed down from a fight with powerful interests. Before she ever held office, she organized residents to hold real estate developers accountable and stood with deaf tenants fighting back against an abusive landlord. In Albany, she's taken on corporations that nickel-and-dime working families, institutions that cover up abuse, and industries that put profit over people. When big players count on no one pushing back, Grace shows up.

    • Held Social Media Companies Accountable — Grace passed the Stop Hiding Hate Act, advancing reforms to hold social media platforms accountable for enabling hate and harassment on their platforms – a bill Elon Musk is now trying to challenge in the courts.

    • Strengthened Consumer Protections — Grace helped pass the FAIR Business Practices Act, which enhanced the Attorney General's authority to protect New Yorkers from unfair and deceptive business practices.

    • Raised Fines on Lawbreaking Corporations — Grace helped pass a law to raise fines on corporations that break the law — the first increase in penalties since 1965.

    • Reined in Real Estate Brokers — Grace helped pass a cap on real estate listing agreements to two years, protecting homeowners from being locked into unfair, long-term contracts with brokers.

    • Revoke Tax Breaks for Private Multi-Billion Dollar Institutions — Grace introduced legislation to allow the state to alter or repeal real property tax exemptions for private institutions of higher education. 

    • Ban Junk Fees — Grace supports the New York Junk Fee Prevention Act to require clear and conspicuous pricing and ban hidden fees that corporations use to inflate costs on consumers. 

    • End Corporate Price Gouging — Grace is working to stop corporations from exploiting consumers through unfair pricing practices, including by supporting a bill to prohibit algorithmic price-setting systems that enable coordinated price increases and require transparency and accountability.

    • Hold Crypto Scammers Accountable – Grace introduced legislation to increase criminal penalties for people illegally using cryptocurrency to enable fraud, money laundering, and other criminal behavior.

Standing with Labor

Grace is an organizer at heart. She believes government should be firmly on the side of working people — and that means showing up on picket lines, fighting for strong contracts, and using every legislative tool available to raise labor standards and create good union jobs. Grace has stood shoulder to shoulder with NYSNA nurses, Amazon and Starbucks workers organizing their first unions, HTC members heading into negotiations, 32BJ members on the picket line, and DC37 members rallying to fix Tier 6. When workers organize, Grace shows up.

    • Defended Wage Standards in Housing Policy — Grace stood with labor to include wage standards in the 485-x housing program, ensuring publicly subsidized development creates good union construction jobs.

    • Fought for Cost-of-Living Adjustments for Workers — Grace has fought to include a COLA for human services workers in each year's state budget since taking office, ensuring wages keep pace with inflation.

    • Cracked Down on Anonymous LLCs — Grace supported the LLC Transparency Act to stop bad actors from hiding behind anonymous shell companies and strengthen accountability for employers who exploit workers.

    • Fought to Stop Wage Theft — Grace supported stronger protections against wage theft, helping hold employers accountable and ensuring workers receive the wages they are owed.

    • Protect Workers  — Grace co-sponsors legislation that would strengthen worker safety protections, combat wage theft, and protect whistleblowers who report unsafe conditions and labor violations.

    • Give Public Employees Their Fair Share  — Grace supports reforming the Tier 6 pension plan, including standardizing a mandatory 3% contribution to reduce the burden on newer public employees and improve recruitment and retention across the public workforce.

    • Close the Loopholes Hurting Workers — Grace supports amending the 485-x housing program to stop developers from building multiple adjacent 99-unit buildings on the same tax lot to evade the 100-unit threshold that triggers certified payroll reporting and wage protections.

    • Build Affordable Housing and Protect Good-Paying Jobs — Grace supports legislation to create a pilot program to build affordable housing on state-owned land, with prevailing-wage jobs and apprenticeship opportunities under project labor agreements.

Fighting Trump and ICE

At a time when the federal government is cutting healthcare, slashing social services, and attacking immigrant communities, New York must act as a firewall — defending our residents, making strategic investments, strengthening state-level protections, and protecting essential services so working families are not left to bear the cost of federal failures.

Ice Out of New York

Over the past year, we have witnessed unprecedented attacks on immigrant communities and abuses of our constitutional and civil rights in the name of immigration enforcement. As the child of immigrants and the Assemblymember representing a diverse, immigrant-rich district, Grace will always be a fierce advocate and ally for immigrant communities.

    • ICE Contract Transparency Act— Grace introduced the ICE Contract Transparency Act, which requires companies doing business with New York State to disclose any contracts they have with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). New Yorkers deserve to know if companies are supporting Trump’s mass deportation agenda. Companies that fail to disclose these relationships would face disqualification from state contracts and civil penalties of up to $5,000. No company should benefit from taxpayer dollars while supporting policies that harm our communities.

    • Grace fought for and helped secure landmark legislation in this year’s state budget to fight back against ICE’s abuses and protect New Yorkers. She proudly voted to:

      • End most cooperation between state and local governments and ICE

      • Forbid ICE agents from wearing masks

      • Ban contracts between local jails and ICE

      • Keep ICE out of schools, hospitals, and places of worship

      • Empower New Yorkers  to sue federal agents for violating their civil rights

      • Guarantee every child's right to attend school, regardless of immigration status

  • While she secured major wins in the state budget, Grace is also fighting for a broader package of legislation that would further rein in ICE abuses, ensure state and local resources are used to keep New Yorkers safe, and protect immigrant communities. She is a proud co-sponsor of:

    All who call New York home deserve to be treated with dignity, to have their rights protected, to have equal opportunity, and to live without fear.

Protecting Voting Rights & Redistricting

Every New Yorker deserves a voice in our democracy, and Grace is fighting to make sure no one is shut out. Grace believes that protecting the right to vote means making it easier, more transparent, and fairer. At a time when voting rights are under attack across the country, New York should be leading the way.

  • Increased Polling Place Transparency — Grace sponsored and passed a bill to require the NYC Board of Elections to notify elected officials and party leaders within five days of any polling place change, so communities are never caught off guard on Election Day.

    • Keeping ICE Away from Poll Sites — Grace supports new laws to ban ICE from being within proximity of poll sites.

    • Fair Redistricting — Grace supports a bill to reform the redistricting process for congressional and state legislative districts and allows New York to respond if another state draws its district lines more than once in a decade — ensuring New Yorkers aren't left at a disadvantage by partisan gerrymandering in other states.

Protecting LGBTQIA+ New Yorkers

At a time when LGBTQIA+ rights are under attack from the highest levels of government, Grace has used her platform to stand up for the LGBTQIA+ community — not with symbolic gestures, but with enforceable legislation, real funding, and consistent partnership. From strengthening hate crimes laws to protecting the safety of LGBTQIA+ New Yorkers being targeted in their daily lives, Grace believes New York must lead the fight for dignity, safety, and full equality.

    • Strengthened New York's Hate Crimes Laws — Grace passed the Hate Crimes Modernization Act, a once-in-a-generation strengthening of our hate crimes laws. This law expands the list of offenses that can be prosecuted as hate crimes to protect our most vulnerable communities against hate. 

    • Work to Protect LGBTQIA+ New Yorkers from Targeted Attacks — After the tragic deaths of John Umberger and Julio Ramirez, who were drugged at a Hell's Kitchen bar and had their accounts drained, Grace introduced and passed the Peer-to-Peer Mobile Payment Security Act with then-Senator Hoylman-Sigal to require stronger security protections on apps like Venmo, Zelle, and CashApp — including PIN authentication for high-value transactions.

    • Established an LGBTQ+ Advisory Board — Grace helped pass a bill to create an LGBTQ+ advisory board to advise the Governor on economic, professional, cultural, and educational opportunities to support New York's LGBTQ+ community.

    • Protected Access to PrEP and PEP — Grace helped pass legislation eliminating insurance barriers to HIV medication, making PrEP and PEP zero cost, banning discrimination against PrEP users, and expanding routine HIV testing.

    • Repealed the Walking While Trans Ban — Grace co-sponsored the repeal of a 1976 law that led to arbitrary and discriminatory enforcement targeting transgender New Yorkers.

    • Protect Gender-Affirming Care Providers — Grace is fighting for a bill to allow prescription labels for gender-affirming medications to list the name of a healthcare practice rather than the individual prescriber, protecting providers from states that may seek to impose criminal sanctions. 

    • Affirm Dignity for Incarcerated Transgender New Yorkers — Grace supports the Gender Identity Respect Dignity and Safety Act (GIRDS), which requires incarcerated individuals to be housed consistent with their gender identity and have access to appropriate clothing and materials.

    • End STI Criminalization — Grace supports legislation to repeal criminal liability for people living with sexually transmitted infections who engage in sexual activity.

Upholding Reproductive & Women’s Rights

Grace believes that reproductive freedom is non-negotiable — and that New York must be a firewall against the attacks on women's rights coming from Washington and from powerful men who abuse their positions. She has fought to secure historic funding for abortion access, protect providers from retaliation, stand with survivors of abuse against powerful institutions, and change the law so no one can weaponize power against women and get away with it. As a mother of three daughters, Grace takes this fight personally.

    • Protected Abortion Providers from Harassment and Intimidation — Grace helped pass a law to protect the safety and privacy of doctors who prescribe abortion medication - shielding providers from harassment and intimidation so they can keep serving patients even as the Trump Administration escalates its attacks on reproductive rights. 

    • Securing Funding for Abortion Access — Grace helped pass a $36 million investment in the state budget to support abortion providers and nonprofits, including $25 million for the Abortion Access Program — now codified in law — solidifying New York's status as a safe harbor for all who seek abortion care, and $10 million in capital investments to enhance security for providers.

    • Protecting Sensitive Health Data — Grace helped pass legislation to protect sensitive electronic health data — stored on phones, smartwatches, or gathered through online purchases — from misuse or sale, ensuring New Yorkers can pursue reproductive care without fear of their data being exploited. 

    • Passed Prop 1 — Grace rallied and canvassed with advocates to pass Proposition 1, strengthening protections for reproductive freedom and against discrimination in the state constitution.

    • Protect Survivors in Civil Court — Grace supports prohibiting the admissibility of evidence of a victim's sexual conduct, sexual predisposition, or manner of dress in civil proceedings — extending protections already used in criminal cases to prevent character attacks against survivors.

    • Protect Survivor DNA Privacy — Grace wants to prohibit a survivor's DNA collected from sexual assault evidence kits from being added to the state DNA identification index or other databases.

    • Rein in Crisis Pregnancy Centers — Grace wants to address misleading online advertising that targets people seeking abortion care; require pregnancy centers to disclose when they do not have licensed medical providers on staff; define deceptive practices by pregnancy centers as misconduct; and prohibit pregnancy centers from requiring individuals to disclose sensitive personal or medical information as a condition of receiving services.

Fair Taxes

Grace believes New York can and should ask the wealthiest individuals and corporations to pay their fair share — so we can invest in housing, healthcare, education, and the services that make our communities strong. Winning a fair tax system will require building broad coalitions — across labor, community organizations, and elected officials — to take on entrenched interests and overcome the status quo in Albany. Grace is ready for that fight and committed to using every tool available to ensure our budget reflects the needs of working families and delivers real, material improvements in people's lives.

  • Introduced the Teardown Tax Act — Grace is advancing the Teardown Tax Act to protect New York’s housing supply and preserve our communities. For too long, multi-family buildings have been torn down or converted into luxury single-family mega-mansions, removing thousands of homes from the market during a housing crisis. 

    Her bill imposes a $50,000 surcharge for every residential unit removed in these conversions, ensuring that if developers choose to shrink the housing supply, they contribute back to the public good.

    The policy is designed to discourage the loss of housing, prevent displacement, and reinvest in neighborhoods through historic preservation funding, because you do not solve a housing crisis by destroying housing.

    • The Invest in Our New York package, which raises revenue from the wealthiest New Yorkers and corporations to fund the services our communities rely on. This includes:

      • Higher Income Taxes for the Rich — Grace supported higher income tax rates on ultra-high earners to ensure the richest New Yorkers contribute more to fund public services and infrastructure.

      • Wealth Tax — Grace supported a wealth tax on the richest households to generate revenue for schools, housing, transit, and other public investments.

      • Close Corporate Tax Loopholes — Grace supported legislation to crack down on corporate tax loopholes and ensure large corporations pay their fair share in taxes.

      • Raise Inheritance and Gift Taxes — Grace supported reforms to inheritance and gift taxes to reduce inequality and raise revenue from unearned income by the ultra-wealthy.

    • Progressive Tax Reform — New York's top 10% pay a lower effective tax rate than the bottom 90%. Grace is fighting to flip that equation by restructuring our tax code so that working families aren't shouldering a heavier burden than billionaires.

    • Pied-à-Terre Tax — Grace supports taxing second homes valued at $5 million or more, ensuring that ultra-wealthy out-of-state property owners who drive up housing costs contribute to the communities they invest in.

Additional Issues

Climate Action

Climate change is not an abstract threat in Lower Manhattan. Families here lived through Superstorm Sandy. Our low-lying streets, subway stations, and waterfront neighborhoods face real and growing risk from sea-level rise and storm surge. Read Moread More

Education

The quality of a child's education should never depend on their zip code or their parents' income. Senate District 27 is home to some of the most linguistically diverse communities in New York State, with students who speak dozens of languages and learn in different ways. Read More

Public Safety and Criminal Justice Reform

Everyone deserves to feel safe in their neighborhood and to be treated justly. Grace's approach to public safety prioritizes real community investment, especially in mental health care, so we are not using jail as a default response to crisis. Read More

Supporting Immigrant Communities

New York is strongest when it embraces the people who call it home. Our state has long been a beacon for immigrants seeking opportunity, safety, and a better life — and we must continue to lead by ensuring every New Yorker, regardless of immigration status, can access essential services, participate…. Read More

Jobs and Small Businesses

Small businesses are the backbone of Lower Manhattan’s economy and the heart of our neighborhoods. From Chinatown to the Lower East Side to the Financial District, local businesses create jobs, sustain vibrant commercial corridors, and give our communities their character. Read More

AI and Technology

Artificial intelligence is evolving faster than almost any technology in human history, upending industries and driving major scientific breakthroughs. But without safeguards, AI poses serious risks to privacy, public safety, jobs, and our democracy. Read More

Transportation

Safe, affordable, and reliable transportation is essential to life in Lower Manhattan. When more than 90% of our community takes public transportation or bikes to work, we need to do everything in our power to ensure our subways, streets, and bike lanes are accessible, clean, and safe. Read More

Climate Action

Climate change is not an abstract threat in Lower Manhattan. Families here lived through Superstorm Sandy. Our low-lying streets, subway stations, and waterfront neighborhoods face real and growing risk from sea-level rise and storm surge. Grace is fighting to defend New York's climate leadership, hold polluters accountable, and make sure working families and vulnerable communities benefit from the transition to a clean energy economy.

    • Require Corporate Emissions Transparency — Grace supports the Climate Corporate Data Accountability Act to require major companies to disclose their full greenhouse gas emissions, including scopes 1, 2, and 3, so polluters can be publicly held accountable. 

    • Advance Environmental Justice — Grace supports establishing an Office of Equity for Energy and Climate to support community-driven climate projects in disadvantaged communities.

    • Build Public Renewable Energy — Grace supports strengthening NYPA's role in supplying renewable power and advancing public renewables — keeping energy affordable while accelerating New York's transition off fossil fuels.

    • Set a Clean Fuel Standard — Grace is a cosponsor of legislation directing the DEC to set declining greenhouse gas-intensity requirements for transportation fuels, supporting the shift to electric buses, municipal fleets, and cleaner options statewide. 

    • Expand Affordable Solar — Grace supports the ASAP Act to expand access to affordable solar energy,  so clean power reaches all New Yorkers — not just those who can afford rooftop panels.

    • Reduce Packaging Waste — Grace supports holding producers accountable for packaging waste and invests in modern recycling infrastructure for New York's dense urban communities.

    • Create Green Jobs for Young New Yorkers — Grace supports establishing the New York Youth Climate Corps to provide education, workforce development, and career pathways in sustainability, with a focus on disadvantaged communities.

New York must lead on climate — and Grace is working to make sure Lower Manhattan's families, workers, and communities are protected and included in the green future.

Education

The quality of a child's education should never depend on their zip code or their parents' income. Senate District 27 is home to some of the most linguistically diverse communities in New York State, with students who speak dozens of languages and learn in different ways. As a mother of three children in school, Grace is fighting to fully fund our schools, support our teachers, and make sure every student — regardless of background — has what they need to succeed.

    • Secured Historic School Funding — Grace helped secure a record $35.9 billion in school aid, including $24.9 billion in Foundation Aid, alongside major new investments in childcare and direct tax relief for working families.

    • Delivered Free School Meals — Grace fought for and delivered universal free school breakfast and lunch for all 2.7 million New York students, eliminating the stigma of free meals and saving families an average of $165 per child per month.

    • Secured a Bell-to-Bell Cell Phone Ban — Grace helped secure a statewide ban on cell phones in public schools during the school day, removing a major distraction from the classroom and giving teachers the ability to teach without competing with screens — a policy backed overwhelmingly by parents across the state.

    • Passed the AANHPI Education Equity Act — Grace introduced and passed this landmark legislation, directing the state to assess how Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander history is taught in schools and establishing an advisory committee to develop K–12 curriculum resources — a critical step toward making sure every community's story is represented in the classroom.

    • Fully Fund Public Schools and Reform Foundation Aid — Grace supports reforms to the Foundation Aid formula to increase funding weights for English Language Learners, students with disabilities, and students experiencing homelessness so that state investments reach the students who need them most, especially in a district as diverse as SD27.

    • Intervene Early on Literacy — Grace is fighting to increase school funding to hire reading and literacy counselors so we can identify struggling readers before third grade and provide the support they need — including those learning English as a second language.

    • Create a $1,000 NYS Educator Tax Credit — Grace supports a $1,00 tax credit to recruit and retain the teachers our schools need by putting money back in their pockets.

    • Pass the New Deal for CUNY — Grace is fighting to increase the ratio of faculty and mental health counselors to students, replacing tuition costs with public funding, and reverses decades of disinvestment in the university system that has been a pathway to opportunity for generations of New Yorkers.

Every child in this district deserves a high-quality, fully funded public education, and Grace is fighting to deliver it.

Public Safety & Criminal Justice Reform

Everyone deserves to feel safe in their neighborhood and to be treated justly. Grace's approach to public safety prioritizes real community investment, especially in mental health care, so we are not using jail as a default response to crisis. She has backed concrete reforms to reduce unnecessary incarceration, strengthen oversight of our prisons, and confront hate in all its forms.

    • Strengthened New York’s Hate Crimes Law for the first time in 20 years —  Grace passed the Hate Crimes Modernization Act, the first hate crimes bill in a generation, to protect minority and LGBTQIA+ New Yorkers from hate. This law expanded New York's hate crime statute to cover 31 additional offenses and closed longstanding gaps - legislation she co-authored with then-Senator Hoylman-Sigal and Manhattan DA Bragg.

    • Passed the Clean Slate Act — Grace helped pass the Clean Slate Act in 2023, which automatically seals eligible criminal records, removing barriers to jobs, housing, and stability for New Yorkers who have served their time.

    • Strengthened Oversight of State Prisons — Grace co-sponsored the 2025 omnibus corrections package to strengthen oversight of state prisons and prevent staff abuse, including whistleblower protections and independent monitoring requirements.

    • Pass the Treatment Court Expansion Act — Grace is fighting to expand diversion courts and mental health treatment so people in crisis get care, not incarceration.

    • End Qualified Immunity — Grace supports ending qualified immunity so that violations of New Yorkers' civil rights are not shielded from accountability.

    • Reform Parole — Grace supports Elder Parole and Fair & Timely Parole because parole decisions should be based on current risk and readiness to return home, not solely on a conviction from decades ago.

    • Expand Community Councils — Grace supports expanding Community Councils to strengthen trust and communication between residents and their local precincts.

    • Invest in Community-Based Mental Health Care —Grace is fighting to expand real mental health services both inside facilities and when people come home, because incarceration is not treatment.

Supporting Immigrant Communities

New York is strongest when it embraces the people who call it home. Our state has long been a beacon for immigrants seeking opportunity, safety, and a better life — and we must continue to lead by ensuring every New Yorker, regardless of immigration status, can access essential services, participate in our economy, and live with dignity and security.

As the daughter of immigrants representing one of the most diverse districts in the country, Grace is committed to building a New York where immigrant communities are supported, protected, and empowered.

    • Secured Historic Investment for the Latino and AAPI Communities — Grace has secured over $100 million in funding for non-profit organizations serving Asian American and Pacific Islander and Latino communities — ensuring culturally competent services, language access, and community-based support.

    • Pro-Banking Act —Grace passed the Pro-Banking Act, which requires financial institutions to accept the NYC ID as valid identification. Today, only one-third of city banks accept it, leaving hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers, disproportionately immigrants and residents of color, shut out of safe, affordable banking. This commonsense reform expands access to safe, affordable banking services for immigrant New Yorkers and helps families avoid predatory financial practices.

Jobs & Small Businesses

Small businesses are the backbone of Lower Manhattan’s economy and the heart of our neighborhoods. From Chinatown to the Lower East Side to the Financial District, local businesses create jobs, sustain vibrant commercial corridors, and give our communities their character. But too many small businesses are still recovering from the economic impacts of the pandemic, rising costs, and declining foot traffic.

Grace believes New York must do more to support small businesses, revitalize commercial districts, and ensure local entrepreneurs — especially Minority and Women-Owned Businesses (MWBEs) and immigrant-owned businesses — have access to the resources and opportunities they need to succeed. She is committed to investing in the local economy, supporting good jobs, and ensuring the businesses that define our communities can continue to thrive.

    • Secured Support for Lower Manhattan Businesses - Grace passed a bill to renew a tax credit to encourage businesses to relocate to Lower Manhattan. The Lower Manhattan Relocation Employment Assistance Program (LM-REAP) — which was set to expire — provides tax credits for businesses that relocate downtown. Originally passed to support the community after 9/11, Grace fought for its renewal after the COVID-19 pandemic emptied offices and disrupted the downtown economy. By passing this tax credit, Grace delivered support for the small businesses that rely on foot traffic from Lower Manhattan’s office workers to survive.

AI & Technology

Artificial intelligence is evolving faster than almost any technology in human history, upending industries and driving major scientific breakthroughs. But without safeguards, AI poses serious risks to privacy, public safety, jobs, and our democracy. Grace believes New York must lead in establishing rules to ensure technology serves the public good, protects consumers, and strengthens communities.

As AI transforms our society, powerful tech companies are spending millions of dollars on elections and lobbying campaigns to block regulation and protect their profits. Grace will stand up to Big Tech and fight to ensure New Yorkers — not just corporations — have a say in the future of AI.

As powerful corporations race to develop increasingly advanced AI systems, Grace is fighting to protect New Yorkers from discrimination, unchecked surveillance, price manipulation, and rising energy costs. Grace will always put the safety and affordability of New York first, not the interests of Big Tech companies.

    • Grace co-sponsored and helped pass the RAISE Act, a landmark piece of legislation establishing safety standards and accountability requirements for advanced AI systems.

    • Protecting New Yorkers from Algorithmic Discrimination — Grace co-sponsors legislation to regulate high-risk AI systems and prevent AI from being used to discriminate against people in hiring, housing, lending, and healthcare. 

    • Stop Surveillance Pricing — Grace is fighting to stop corporations from using personal data and algorithms to manipulate prices and protect consumers from discriminatory pricing practices.  

    • Establishing a Moratorium on Data Centers — Data centers demand enormous energy and water resources, strain the power grid, and raise electricity prices for all New Yorkers. Grace is fighting to enact a moratorium on new data center permits while New York studies their impact on utility costs and the environment — because New Yorkers should not bear the cost of unchecked corporate expansion. 

Transportation

Safe, affordable, and reliable transportation is essential to life in Lower Manhattan. When more than 90% of our community takes public transportation or bikes to work, we need to do everything in our power to ensure our subways, streets, and bike lanes are accessible, clean, and safe. Grace is fighting to improve public transit, reduce costs for riders, and make streets safer for pedestrians, cyclists, seniors, and everyone who relies on public transportation to get around the city.

    • Improved Accessibility of Public Transportation — Grace secured funding for elevators for the Delancy-Essex St Subway Station, ensuring that public transportation is accessible for all New Yorkers.

    • Introduced Congestion Pricing Exemptions — Grace is fighting to directly exempt residents of Lower and Midtown Manhattan who earn under $60,000 a year from paying congestion tolls.

    • Free Bus routes — Grace supports expanding free bus service to make commuting more affordable and accessible for seniors and students.

    • E-bike safety — Grace is fighting for legislation to require license plates and registration of certain e-bikes, which will help law enforcement crack down on illegal and dangerous activity by e-bike drivers that threaten pedestrian safety.