Press Releases

New York State Renews Ticket Reselling Regulations

Albany, NY – The New York State Legislature passed bill A10500 / S9461 on June 3, 2022, renewing and extending New York’s live event ticketing laws, while adding new protections for consumers and fans. As the entertainment industry continues to recover...

O’Donnell Statement on Kathy Hochul Becoming New York’s Next Governor

NEW YORK — Today, following Governor Hochul’s swearing in, Assembly Member O’Donnell released the following statement: “Today is a proud moment for New York as we welcome our first ever woman governor. Whether serving in Congress, Erie, or Hamburg,...

O’Donnell Statement on Governor Cuomo’s Resignation

NEW YORK -- Today, in response to Governor Cuomo’s resignation, Assembly Member O’Donnell released the following statement: “Today marks the start of a new chapter for New York State. Kathy Hochul will make history as our first female Governor....

O’Donnell Statement on Attorney General James’ Report on Governor Cuomo

NEW YORK — Today, in response to Attorney General James’ report corroborating accounts of harassment by Governor Cuomo, Assembly Member O’Donnell released the following statement: “The Attorney General’s report today confirmed that Andrew Cuomo’s...

O’Donnell Statement on GRA Becoming Law, the 10th Anniversary of Marriage Equality

NEW YORK — “Today represents a milestone in our fight to secure LGBTQ rights. When I first joined the Assembly, LGBTQ people could not marry the person they loved; were not yet protected from workplace discrimination; and still faced the risk of conversion...

NY Legislature Passes Gender Recognition Act Sponsored by O’Donnell & Hoylman

NEW YORK—This week, the New York State Assembly and Senate both passed the Gender Recognition Act (S.4402-B/A.5465-D) sponsored by Assembly Member Daniel O’Donnell (D-Manhattan) and Senator Brad Hoylman (D/WF-Manhattan) to making it easier for transgender,...

New York State Assembly Passes O’Donnell Bill to End Grand Jury Secrecy

NEW YORK—Today, the New York State Assembly passed legislation (A5845/ S3314) sponsored by Assembly Member Daniel O’Donnell and State Senator Jamaal Bailey that allows for the release of grand jury records, creating transparency and accountability...

O’Donnell Bill Restoring the Vote to People on Parole Becomes Law

NEW YORK— Last night, Governor Cuomo signed legislation (S830/ A4448) sponsored by Senator Leroy Comrie and Assembly Member Daniel O’Donnell that will automatically restore voting rights to formerly incarcerated individuals convicted of a felony....

New York State Assembly Passes O’Donnell Bill to Ban the Use of Hydrofracking By-Products for De-Icing

NEW YORK—Today, the New York State Assembly passed legislation (S830/ A4448) sponsored by Assembly Member Daniel O’Donnell and Senator Leroy Comrie that will automatically restore voting rights to formerly incarcerated individuals convicted of a felony....

NYS Assembly Passes Danny O’Donnell’s Bill to Ban the Use of Hydrofracking By-Products for De-Icing

NEW YORK — Today, the New York State Assembly passed legislation (A903) sponsored by Assembly Member Danny O’Donnell that prohibits the use of drilling fluids, brine and flowback water from wells, pools or fields for de-icing highways or suppressing...

O’Donnell Statement on the Passage of Marijuana Legalization in New York State

New York – “Today marks an important step in the process of healing and recovery for communities long overcriminalized by racially disparate marijuana laws. In New York City, people of color accounted for almost 94 percent marijuana-related arrests...

New York State Assembly Unanimously Passes O’Donnell Bill Requiring Insurance Coverage for Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis and Post-Exposure Prophylaxis

NEW YORK — Today, legislation introduced by Assembly Member Daniel O’Donnell requiring insurance companies to cover pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) and post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) again passed in the New York State Assembly with overwhelming bipartisan...

O’Donnell Champions Investment in the Arts in the 2021-22 Budget

New York — Today, Assemblymember Daniel O’Donnell (D-Manhattan) highlighted funding commitments to the arts in the New York State Assembly’s One House budget proposal, which represents the Assembly's vision for the coming fiscal year. The Assembly...

O’Donnell Statement on President Trump’s Second Impeachment

New York – “Donald Trump was a danger to our country before his presidency, during his presidency, and will remain so after his presidency. Last week, we saw the starkest demonstration of Donald Trump’s malfeasance yet as he incited a violent mob...

State Senators James Sanders Jr., Brian Benjamin and Assembly Member Daniel O’Donnell Introduce Comprehensive Search Warrant Reform Legislation in New York State, With Campaign Zero

NEW YORK -- State Senators James Sanders Jr. and Brian Benjamin, along with Assembly Member Daniel O’Donnell, today introduced a pioneering and comprehensive bill in the New York State Legislature that would restrict the use of dangerous No-Knock warrants...

NY Legislature Prohibits Gay and Trans Panic Defenses

Today, the Assembly and Senate passed legislation ending the so-called “gay panic” and “trans panic” defenses in court, shepherded to passage by its sponsors, New York State Assembly Member Daniel J. O’Donnell and State Senator Brad Hoylman....

O’Donnell Statement on Passage of His Bill Repealing 50-a

NEW YORK-“Today is a monumental day for justice. For too long, 50-a has shielded law enforcement officials from accountability when they commit wrongdoing. For too long, we have allowed 50-a to erode the trust between police officers and communities,...

Simotas Bill to Prevent Rape Kit Backlog Passes; Legislator O'Donnell Proud to Co-Sponsor

Today, the legislature passed A10067/S6430, Assemblymember Simotas' bill to speed up testing of rape kits in order to prevent future backlogs. The bill mandates that when law enforcement agencies receive a rape kit, it must be sent to a forensic laboratory...

O'Donnell Floor Statement Responding to the Orlando Massacre

Assemblymember O'Donnell Speaks on the Assembly Floor in reaction to Orlando massacre Watch the video here Today, Assembly Member O'Donnell took to the floor of the Assembly urging everyone to #StopTheHate as he acknowledged the massacre in Orlando,...

New York State Assembly Passed ODonnell Bill Creating Independent Oversight of NYS Prisons

Assembly bill A9939, sponsored by Assemblymember O'Donnell, passed the Assembly today. This bill would create an Office of the Correctional Ombudsman, an independent entity that would investigate complaints, grievances, and unusual incidents within the...