Biography

An Attorney admitted to practice in New York State, Grace Meng is proud to have been elected to the New York State Assembly on the same historic day as President Barack Obama. She is the youngest Asian-American ever elected to the New York State Legislature, and currently the only Asian-American serving in the entire legislature. Grace is a distinguished member of the NYS Legislative Women's Caucus. As the first-ever Asian-American appointed to hold a Cabinet position in the NYS Black, Puerto Rican, Hispanic & Asian Caucus, she initiated New York State's first-ever Asian Pacific American Legislative Advocacy Day. She was also proud to have been appointed to Governor Andrew Cuomo's Transition team and currently serves on his Minority and Women Owned Business Enterprise Team.

A dedicated bridge builder and fighter for equality, Grace’s top priorities are making sure that all children are healthy and are able to receive a quality education, improving the quality of life for senior citizens, and helping small business owners achieve their American dream. Many of her bills have already been signed into law by the Governor – becoming landmark legislation.

These laws include extending unemployment coverage, fighting human trafficking and providing new incentives for property owners to provide affordable housing. She also authored the historic law that eliminates the offensive word "oriental" which still existed in some government documents.

She authored the Reverse Mortgage Act, which protects senior citizens against higher property taxes. She has also authored legislation to strengthen the Banking Development District Program to increase financial services for underserved areas.

As a mom of two young children, she is dedicated to protecting babies and families. Her bills include requiring insurance coverage for babies who need special baby formula and making information about dangerous product recalls more easily accessible for families. Born and raised in Queens, Grace graduated from Stuyvesant High School, has a B.A. from the University of Michigan and a J.D. from Yeshiva University’s Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law. She currently resides in Flushing, Queens with her husband, Wayne, two sons – Tyler and Brandon, and dog – Bounce.