Assemblymember Grace Lee

Ballotpedia: Grace Lee

Grace has a bachelor's degree from Columbia University and a master's in business administration from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. Grace co-founded Children First, a parent-led coalition demanding the safe cleanup of a mercury brownfield in the seaport. She lives in Lower Manhattan with her husband and 3 children.

Grace Lee is a member of assembly for State Assembly District 65. She was first elected in 2020 and is serving her 2nd term. She previously ran for state assembly in 2018 but did not win.

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Supports expanding contracting opportunities for minority and women-owned businesses.

Supports a "progressive millionaires’ tax," a pied-à-terre tax on second homes in NYC worth $5 million or more, and a 1% income tax on corporations headquartered in NYC with over $1 billion in revenue.

- Supports expanding contracting opportunities for minority and women-owned businesses.
- Supports a "progressive millionaires’ tax," a pied-à-terre tax on second homes in NYC worth $5 million or more, and a 1% income tax on corporations headquartered in NYC with over $1 billion in revenue.

Economy

Supports taking action on climate change.

Supports taking action on climate change, saying "changing climate is not a distant or abstract threat . . . [we] must take bold steps on climate adaptation and transitioning to an emissions-free economy."

- Supports taking action on climate change, saying "changing climate is not a distant or abstract threat . . . [we] must take bold steps on climate adaptation and transitioning to an emissions-free economy."

Energy & the Environment

Supports abortion and believes reproductive health decisions should be between a patient and their doctor.

Supports abortion access and believes reproductive health decisions should be between a patient and their doctor.

Supports incorporating trained mental health professionals into emergency response and expanding the B-HEARD program to improve outcomes and reduce police workload.

- Supports abortion access and believes reproductive health decisions should be between a patient and their doctor.
- Supports incorporating trained mental health professionals into emergency response and expanding the B-HEARD program to improve outcomes and reduce police workload.

Healthcare

As of September 19, 2024, Grace Lee’s website did not contain information on this issue.

Voting & Elections

Believes in preventing violence through community-based foot patrols and supports holding law enforcement accountable and strengthening safeguards against implicit bias.

Believes in community-based policing, holding law enforcement accountable, and strengthening safeguards against implicit bias.

- Believes in community-based policing, holding law enforcement accountable, and strengthening safeguards against implicit bias.

Public Safety

Supports providing universal child care for all families, regardless of immigration status.

Supports tracking child literacy early and increasing funding to hire more reading and literacy counselors to intervene before third grade.

- Supports providing universal child care for all families, regardless of immigration status.
- Supports tracking child literacy early and increasing funding to hire more reading and literacy counselors to intervene before third grade.

Education

Supports creating long-term supportive housing programs to reduce homelessness and improve quality of life.

Supports public transportation, saying, "For every $1 invested in transit, New York receives $5 of economic activity."

Opposes renewing the 421-a tax abatement, calling it a "giveaway to luxury developers," and advocates for housing programs that ensure "truly affordable housing" for working families.

- Supports creating long-term supportive housing programs to reduce homelessness and improve quality of life.
- Supports public transportation, saying, "For every $1 invested in transit, New York receives $5 of economic activity."
- Opposes renewing the 421-a tax abatement, calling it a "giveaway to luxury developers," and advocates for housing programs that ensure "truly affordable housing" for working families.

Housing & Urban Development

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Grace Lee

Supports policies that benefit small businesses and create jobs.

Plans to collaborate with state and federal legislators to secure economic relief for Lower Manhattan and Chinatown through grants and loan support.

Supports including LGBTQIA+ persons as a minority- and women-owned business enterprise (MWBE) designation for state contracting goals.

Supports expanding the Minority and Women-Owned Business Enterprises (MWBE) contracting program to include LGBTQIA+ business owners.

Supports ensuring Lower Manhattan receives its fair share of infrastructure spending.

Supports environmental clean-up efforts in the Seaport.

Co-founded Children First, a coalition advocating for the safe cleanup of a toxic mercury site in the South Street Seaport, to protect local children and residents from exposure.

Believes climate change is an immediate threat, citing Superstorm Sandy as evidence, and supports bold climate adaptation and transitioning to an emissions-free economy.

Believes preventing severe climate change impacts necessitates urgent fossil fuel reduction. Supports New York's net-zero goal with significant wind and solar investments to create thousands of jobs.

Believes investing in New York’s climate resiliency will save lives and property, and supports prioritizing projects like sea walls and subway flood protections.

- Supports taking action on climate change, saying "changing climate is not a distant or abstract threat . . . [we] must take bold steps on climate adaptation and transitioning to an emissions-free economy."
- Believes investing in New York’s climate resiliency will save lives and property, and supports prioritizing projects like sea walls and subway flood protections.

Believes the state should expand access to and affordability of mental health services, particularly for LGBTQIA+ youth.

Supports expanded access to mental health resources statewide.

Supports delaying condo construction at South Street Seaport due to concerns about mercury and other toxins.

Supports access to comprehensive healthcare services, including reproductive health, and endorses organizations like Planned Parenthood.

Opposes the construction of a new school in the vicinity of the proposed site of the Howard Hughes Corporation's new office building.

Supports closing the "awful and inhumane jail at Rikers, which is dangerous to both inmates and staff."

Believes addressing public safety and anti-Asian hate is crucial for community stability.

Believes addressing post-arrest processes is crucial for reducing crime, and opposes the idea that incarceration alone can achieve public safety.

Supports investing in restorative justice to help affected individuals and communities rebuild, reintegrate, and prevent reoffending.

Plans to "demand swift action and accountability" from law enforcement and prosecutors in hate crime cases.

Believes that by returning home rule to New York City, the city can ensure safety for pedestrians, bicyclists, and drivers by reducing speed limits and enforcing traffic laws locally.

- Believes in preventing violence through community-based foot patrols and supports holding law enforcement accountable and strengthening safeguards against implicit bias.

Believes quality education requires accommodating learning disabilities and children who speak English as a second language.

Believes New York must increase funding for public schools to ensure every student receives a high-quality education, regardless of ZIP code or parental income.

Supports funding for smaller class sizes and increasing teacher pay to close the pandemic’s learning gap and provide equal educational opportunities.

Endorsed by New York State United Teachers (NYSUT), United Federation of Teachers (UFT), 1199 SEIU, and the New York State Nurses Association (NYSNA).

Endorsed by 1199 SEIU and the New York State Nurses Association (NYSNA).

Plans to advocate for more funding to install elevators at high-traffic subway stops.

Endorsed by Community Voices Heard, a nonprofit organization that advocates for low-income people of color in New York City.

Supports increasing affordable housing by securing additional funding for the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) capital improvement projects.

As of September 23, 2024, Grace Lee’s website did not contain information on this issue.

- Your assembly member is involved in the legislative process at the state level as part of the New York State Assembly, which consists of 150 members and serves as the lower house of the New York State Legislature.  
- Assembly members are responsible for representing your interests and assisting you with navigating state services while bringing resources back to your district.  
- Assembly members draft laws, approve budgets, oversee the state executive branch, and engage in debates and votes on proposed legislation.  
- In addition to drafting and voting on bills, your assembly member can serve on committees, where many bills may be delayed before reaching a vote.  
- Assembly members are elected for a two-year term with no term limits.  
- Their annual salary is $142,000.  