Yuh-Line Niou
Niou in 2017
Member of the New York State Assembly
from the 65th district
In office
January 1, 2017 – December 31, 2022
Preceded byAlice Cancel
Succeeded byGrace Lee
Personal details
Born (1983-07-15) July 15, 1983
Taipei, Taiwan
Political partyDemocratic
EducationEvergreen State College (BA)
Baruch College (MPA)
WebsiteState Assembly website
Campaign website

Yuh-Line Niou (Chinese: 牛毓琳; pinyin: Niú Yùlín /juliːn nioʊ/, born July 15, 1983)[1] is an American politician who served as a member of the New York State Assembly for the 65th district.[2] The Lower Manhattan district, which is heavily Democratic and over 40% Asian American,[3] includes Chinatown, the Financial District, Battery Park City, and the Lower East Side. Niou is the first Asian American elected to the State Assembly for the district.[1] She was a candidate for Congress in New York's newly redrawn 10th congressional district in 2022.

Early life and education

Niou was born in Taipei, Taiwan, the eldest of three children, and emigrated to the U.S. with her parents when she was six months old.[4] Her mother worked as a registered nurse and hospital administrator while her father worked as a materials science engineer.[4] They were both from Taoyuan, Taiwan.[4] Her father received a Ph.D. in materials science and engineering from Oregon Graduate Institute of Science & Technology and worked as a senior research scientist at the University of Texas at El Paso and senior engineer at WaferTech in Camas, Washington for over a decade.[5] From 2001 to 2010, her father worked as a senior director at Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corporation (SMIC), a Chinese-state owned company, in Shanghai, China.[5][6] Her mother also worked as an assistant director of environment, safety, and health at the company during this time.[6] She lived in Moscow, Idaho,[7] and El Paso, Texas,[3] before her parents settled in Vancouver, Washington. She attended and graduated from Columbia River High School.

Niou earned her Bachelor of Arts in social policy from Evergreen State College and worked as a legislative assistant to State Representative Eileen Cody and Senator Debbie Regala of the Washington State Legislature.[1] She was diagnosed with autism at 22.[8] She moved to New York City in 2010 to obtain a Master of Public Administration (MPA) from Baruch College,[9][10] and served as chief of staff to Ron Kim, a member of the New York State Assembly.[1] In a 2016 interview, Niou said that she first publicly discussed her autism diagnosis with a group of parents representing Autism Speaks who visited Kim's office.[11] Niou also worked as a lobbyist in Washington state.[6]

New York State Assembly

Elections

After a corruption scandal involving Sheldon Silver forced his resignation, a special election was held to fill the vacancy in April 2016. Alice Cancel, an ally of Silver and a local Democratic District leader, ran as the nominee of the Democratic Party, while Niou, with the encouragement of former State Senator Daniel Squadron, ran as the Working Families Party candidate.[12] Cancel won the special election.

Niou ran for the seat again in the 2016 Democratic primary and won the Democratic nomination in August 2016.[13] She then won the general election in November 2016 with 76% of the vote.[14]

In 2018 Niou was uncontested in the primary and general elections. In 2020, Grace Lee ran against Niou in the Democratic primary, receiving 35.7% of the vote to Niou's 64%. Niou was uncontested in the 2020 general election.[15]

Tenure

Since her election to the New York State Assembly, Niou has prioritized legislation related to consumer protection and tenants rights as well as advocating for increased funding for the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA).[16] She has also worked to prevent a new housing and office building from being developed on community supported green space, the Elizabeth Street Garden.[17][18] Eventually, the garden's nonprofit lost the battle to save the space, which had begun in 2012, prior to Niou's election.[19]

In January 2019, during an assembly hearing regarding the Child Victims Act, Niou recounted her own sexual assault.[20] The act passed in the state Assembly that day with a vote of 130–3.[21] In the same year, she voted to ban the possession of firearms on school campuses with the exception of school's police officers and security guards,[22] prohibit the manufacturing, sale, or ownership of untraceable 3D printed firearms,[23] and establish a firearm buyback program in New York.[24] All bills passed the State Assembly and State Senate and were signed into law by New York's governor Andrew Cuomo.[22][23][24]

In 2022, she voted to expand legal protections for abortion providers in New York,[25] prohibit arrests for lawful abortions,[26] and prohibit extradition of abortion providers to other states.[26] Both bills passed the State Assembly and State Senate and were signed into law by Governor Kathy Hochul in June 2022.[25][26]

As a member of the State Assembly, Niou served as the Chair of the Subcommittee on Catastrophic Natural Disasters that focuses on combating climate change and building a safer New York when disaster strikes,[27] and co-chair of the Asian Pacific American Task Force that focuses on fighting anti-Asian bigotry and hate crimes in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.[28]

2022 congressional candidacy

In December 2021, Niou stated her intention to issue a primary challenge against state Senator Brian P. Kavanagh of New York's 26th State Senate district.[29][30] In May 2022, Niou announced she was instead running for Congress in New York's 10th congressional district.[31] She was endorsed by the Working Families Party,[32] Sunrise Movement NYC,[33] New York Communities for Change, New York City Public Advocate Jumaane Williams, State Sen. Julia Salazar, State Assemblymember Ron Kim, Mayor of Boston Michelle Wu, former gubernatorial candidate Cynthia Nixon, former candidate for Manhattan District Attorney Tahanie Aboushi, and dozens of other elected officials, activists, and organizations.[34]

Niou garnered about 1,300 fewer votes than Dan Goldman in the crowded Democratic primary from in-person ballots according to the Associated Press.[35] While the race was not certified by the New York City Board of Elections until September 14, she conceded the primary on September 6 after most of the remaining absentee ballots had been counted.[36][37] She decided against a third-party challenge to Goldman using the Working Families Party ballot line in the general election, citing her priority of defending democracy in other competitive races and lack of resources needed to mount a serious challenge against the Democratic nominee.[37]

Goldman won the general election with 84% of the vote.[38]

Political positions

Abortions

Niou has a 100% rating from Planned Parenthood for her support of abortion rights.[39] She has voted to expand legal protections for abortion providers in New York[25] and prohibit extradition of abortion providers to other states.[26] She said codifying abortion rights is one of her first priorities if she were to be elected to Congress in an interview with New York Magazine.[40]

Criminal justice

In 2019, Niou voted in favor of a criminal justice reform bill that prohibits the use of cash bail for misdemeanors and non-violent felonies, requires both defendants and prosecutors to share all evidence in their possession in advance of trials, and mandates all misdemeanor and felony cases in the state of New York to be resolved within 90 and 180 days, respectively.[41] It passed both the State Assembly and Senate and was signed into law by New York's governor Andrew Cuomo in April 2019.[41] Under the reform, judges retain the ability to set bail in, for example, cases that involve a violent felony, a defendant who is charged while on probation, or are considered high-risk.[42]

During a series of civil unrest triggered by the murder of George Floyd in 2020, Niou criticized the police for "escalating tensions or resorting to violence" and called for creating a culture of accountability and fairness within law enforcement.[43] She also supports efforts to defund the police in order to redirect the funds toward social services, education, and housing.[44][45][46]

Guns

Niou has a "F" rating from the NRA Political Victory Fund (NRA-PVF).[47][48][49] She has voted to expand red flag laws,[50] require license for possession of a semi-automatic firearm,[51] prohibit the sale of ghost guns,[52] and authorize the State of New York to sue gun manufactures for damage caused by their guns.[53] She is in favor of banning assault rifles and assault weapons.[40]

Healthcare

Niou supports a nationwide single-payer health care system[54] and has been a supporter of the New York Health Act introduced by fellow assemblymember Richard N. Gottfried, which would establish a statewide single-payer health plan if passed.[55]

In 2021, Niou co-introduced and cosponsored legislation to expand the practice of applied behavior analysis in New York State.[56] It was signed into law on Dec. 30, 2021 and took effect June 30, 2023.[56]

Housing

In 2019, Niou supported a controversial lawsuit to stop a Habitat for Humanity affordable housing development for seniors in Elizabeth Street Garden in Little Italy.[57][58] Niou has expressed doubts about proposals to allow for more dense housing, including affordable housing, in NoHo and SoHo.[58]

Niou supports allocating 100 percent of residential units in the proposed 5 World Trade Center in Lower Manhattan as affordable housing.[59]

Judiciary

Niou supports expanding the Supreme Court of the United States and implementing term limits on Justices.[44] In the wake of the Dobbs decision that overturned Roe v. Wade, she again advocated for expanding the court,[60] citing concern over further erosion of constitutional rights to privacy with respect to intimate practices as established by Griswold v. Connecticut.[61]

Environment

Niou supports the Green New Deal.[32] She has been endorsed by Sunrise Movement NYC[33] for her campaign for New York's 10th congressional district in 2022.

Foreign policy

Israel

Niou supports a negotiated solution to the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians.[62] Niou also supports providing Israel with defensive military equipment to ensure the country's ability to protect itself and believes the people of Israel deserve to "live in safety and security."[62] However, she approves including restrictions on United States foreign aid to Israel that would prevent the use of tax dollars for harm or violations against human rights.[62] It has also been alleged that Niou supports the BDS Movement, which calls for boycotts, divestment and sanctions against Israel; Niou has consistently stated that she's never personally boycotted Israel and believes the Middle Eastern country has the right to exist,[63] but she opposes anti-BDS laws on First Amendment grounds.[44]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Macabasco, Lisa Wong (September 15, 2016). "Meet Yuh-Line Niou: The New Face of Downtown Manhattan's Political Scene". Vogue. Retrieved December 14, 2016.
  2. ↑ Yee, Vivian (September 14, 2016). "Yuh-Line Niou Defeats Sheldon Silver Ally in Primary for His Old Assembly Seat". The New York Times. Retrieved December 14, 2016.
  3. 1 2 Hollander, Sophia (September 15, 2016). "Yuh-Line Niou Girds for the Next Step". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved December 16, 2016.
  4. 1 2 3 Fuchs, Chris (May 29, 2017). "Taiwanese-American shakes up New York City's political machine". Taipei Times. Retrieved May 29, 2017.
  5. 1 2 Chorng-Shyr, Niou. "Chorng-Shyr Niou". Retrieved August 14, 2022.
  6. 1 2 3 Bredderman, William; Vavra, Shannon (August 10, 2022). "Inside a House Candidate's Panama Papers Connection". The Daily Beast. Retrieved August 14, 2022.
  7. ↑ Robbins, Liz (September 14, 2016). "Niou's Victory Spotlights the Diverse Communities Living in Lower Manhattan". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved December 16, 2016.
  8. ↑ Stanton, Andrew (May 21, 2022). "Yuh-Line Niou running to become first openly autistic member of Congress". Newsweek. Retrieved August 23, 2022.
  9. ↑ Mondshein, Rory (June 6, 2016). "We Put the "Able" in "Disabled": Local Politician, Yuh-Line Niou, on Autism Spectrum Disorder". Retrieved February 19, 2021.
  10. ↑ "Lower Manhattan's New Voice in the State Assembly". The New Yorker. December 13, 2016. Retrieved December 14, 2016.
  11. ↑ Mondshein, Rory (June 6, 2016). "We Put the "Able" in "Disabled": Local Politician, Yuh-Line Niou, on Autism Spectrum Disorder". The Political Student. Retrieved October 24, 2022.
  12. ↑ "Meet Yuh-Line Niou, a Former Winnie's DJ Who's Downtown's New Assemblywoman". DNAinfo New York. Archived from the original on November 10, 2016. Retrieved January 18, 2018.
  13. ↑ "Yuh-Line Niou Defeats Sheldon Silver Ally in Primary for His Old Assembly Seat". The New York Times. September 14, 2016. Retrieved December 14, 2016.
  14. ↑ "Sheldon Silver's successor loses primary race to Yuh-Line Niou". New York Daily News. Retrieved December 16, 2016.
  15. ↑ "Yuh-Line Niou". Ballotpedia. Retrieved January 13, 2023.
  16. ↑ "New York State Assembly | Yuh-Line Niou". nyassembly.gov. Retrieved January 18, 2018.
  17. ↑ "Legislator Who Argues Housing Is a Human Right Also Suing to Stop Affordable Housing in Her District". Reason.com. October 11, 2019. Retrieved May 1, 2021.
  18. ↑ "Yuh-Line Niou – Assembly District 65 |Assembly Member Directory | New York State Assembly". Nyassembly.gov. May 5, 2019. Retrieved May 18, 2022.
  19. ↑ Velsey, Kim (December 14, 2021). "Affordable Housing to go up at 388 Hudson". Curbed.com. Retrieved May 18, 2022.
  20. ↑ Gioino, Catherina and Slattery, Denis (May 24, 2019). "State officials tell lawmakers they must 'remain neutral' on proposals strengthening New York's sexual harassment laws". New York Daily News. Retrieved May 24, 2019.
  21. ↑ Wang, Vivian (January 28, 2019). "They Were Sexually Abused Long Ago as Children. Now They Can Sue in N.Y.". The New York Times. Retrieved August 14, 2020.
  22. 1 2 "S 101 - Prohibits Firearms on School Campuses - New York Key Vote". Vote Smart. January 29, 2019. Retrieved August 10, 2022.
  23. 1 2 "S 1414 - Prohibits 3D Printed Firearms - New York Key Vote". Vote Smart. May 20, 2019. Retrieved August 10, 2022.
  24. 1 2 "S 2449 - Establishes a Firearm Buyback Program - New York Key Vote". Vote Smart. January 29, 2019. Retrieved August 10, 2022.
  25. 1 2 3 "S 9079 - Expands Legal Protections for Abortion Providers - New York Key Vote". Vote Smart. June 2, 2022. Retrieved August 10, 2022.
  26. 1 2 3 4 "S 9077 - Establishes Legal Protections for Abortion Providers from Out of State Laws - New York Key Vote". Vote Smart. May 31, 2022. Retrieved August 10, 2022.
  27. ↑ Fougere, Debora; Wills, Cheryl (October 3, 2021). "Legislating to protect New Yorkers from bigger and more vicious storms". Spectrum News NY1. Retrieved July 10, 2022.
  28. ↑ Lewis, Rebecca C. (July 18, 2021). "'She's one of the brave ones.' Yuh-Line Niou's outspoken leadership style". City & State. Retrieved July 10, 2022.
  29. ↑ Lewis, Rebecca C. (December 10, 2021). "Sources: Assembly Member Yuh-Line Niou is challenging state Sen. Brian Kavanagh". City & State NY. Retrieved December 21, 2021.
  30. ↑ Gartland, Michael. "N.Y. Assemblywoman Yuh-Line Niou to challenge fellow Democrat with state Senate run". New York Daily News. Retrieved December 21, 2021.
  31. ↑ @yuhline (May 21, 2022). "Oh hi. I'm running for Congress. NY-10 let's do this" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  32. 1 2 Fandos, Nicholas (June 23, 2022). "In N.Y. House Race Scramble, Key Endorsement Goes to Yuh-Line Niou". The New York Times. Retrieved July 10, 2022.
  33. 1 2 Kim, Elizabeth (June 13, 2022). "'Heads are spinning': Why endorsements may pack a bigger punch in NY's crowded 10th Congressional District race". Gothamist. Retrieved July 10, 2022.
  34. ↑ Coltin, Jeff; Pretsky, Holly (August 8, 2022). "The endorsements for New York's 10th Congressional District". City & State NY. New York, NY. Retrieved August 8, 2022.
  35. ↑ Durkin, Erin; Anuta, Joe; Chadha, Janaki (August 24, 2022). "Dan Goldman wins free-for-all New York House seat". Politico. New York, NY. Retrieved August 28, 2022.
  36. ↑ Wang, Amy B.; Paybarah, Azi (August 25, 2022). "N.Y. House race may not be settled as Niou weighs run against Goldman". The Washington Post. New York, NY. Retrieved August 28, 2022.
  37. 1 2 Kim, Elizabeth (September 6, 2022). "Yuh-Line Niou will not run for Congress in general election against Dan Goldman". Gothamist. New York, NY. Retrieved September 6, 2022.
  38. ↑ "New York 10th Congressional District Election Results". The New York Times. November 8, 2022. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved December 27, 2022.
  39. ↑ "Planned Parenthood Empire State 2022 Positions". Vote Smart. Retrieved August 10, 2022.
  40. 1 2 Prater, Nia (August 9, 2022). "Yuh-Line Niou on Her Especially Personal Run for Congress". New York Magazine. Retrieved August 10, 2022.
  41. 1 2 "S 1505 - Amends Criminal Justice Regulations - New York Key Vote". Vote Smart. April 12, 2019. Retrieved September 3, 2022.
  42. ↑ Grawert, Ames; Kim, Noah (March 22, 2022). "The Facts on Bail Reform and Crime Rates in New York State". Brennan Center for Justice. Retrieved September 3, 2022.
  43. ↑ Niou, Yuh-Line (June 8, 2020). "Assemblymember Yuh-Line Niou on Protests and Police Accountability Reforms". New York State Assembly. Retrieved September 1, 2022.
  44. 1 2 3 The Editorial Board (August 13, 2022). "The New York Times's Interview With Yuh-Line Niou". The New York Times. New York, NY. The New York Times. Retrieved August 25, 2022.
  45. ↑ Niou, Yuh-Line. "Yuh-Line's Progressive Platform". Niou for New York 2020. Archived from the original on June 22, 2020. Retrieved August 28, 2022.
  46. ↑ Niou, Yuh-Line [@yuhline] (June 5, 2020). "I also support defunding police" (Tweet). Retrieved August 31, 2022 – via Twitter.
  47. ↑ "NRA-PVF | Grades | New York". nrapvf.org. NRA-PVF. Archived from the original on October 29, 2016.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  48. ↑ "NRA-PVF | Grades | New York". nrapvf.org. NRA-PVF. Archived from the original on November 3, 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  49. ↑ "National Rifle Association (NRA)2020 Positions". Vote Smart. Retrieved August 10, 2022.
  50. ↑ "S 9113 - Expands Red Flag Law Relating to Potentially Violent Individuals - New York Key Vote". Vote Smart. June 2, 2022. Retrieved August 10, 2022.
  51. ↑ "S 9458 - Requires License for Possession of Semi-Automatic Firearm - New York Key Vote". Vote Smart. June 2, 2022. Retrieved August 10, 2022.
  52. ↑ "S 14A - Prohibits the Sale of Ghost Guns - New York Key Vote". Vote Smart. June 8, 2021. Retrieved August 10, 2022.
  53. ↑ "S 7196 - Authorizes the State to Sue Gun Manufactures for Damages Caused by Guns - New York Key Vote". Vote Smart. June 8, 2021. Retrieved August 10, 2022.
  54. ↑ Youn, Soo (July 12, 2022). "She's running for Congress, despite the anti-Asian attacks against her". The Washington Post. Retrieved August 6, 2022.
  55. ↑ Lewis, Rebecca C. (December 15, 2021). "Is it finally, finally the year for the New York Health Act?". City & State NY. Retrieved August 6, 2022.
  56. 1 2 "NY State Assembly Bill A3523A". NY State Senate. May 11, 2021. Retrieved October 24, 2022.
  57. ↑ Keogh, Elizabeth (March 6, 2019). "NYC sued to protect Little Italy's Elizabeth Street Garden". NY Daily News. Retrieved July 10, 2022.
  58. 1 2 Rubinstein, Dana (August 5, 2022). "In a House Race With Big Names, 2 Women With Local Ties Rise". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved August 5, 2022.
  59. ↑ Kim, Elizabeth (July 11, 2022). "Affordable housing in one of NYC's most expensive neighborhoods becomes litmus test in competitive congressional race". Gothamist. Retrieved August 6, 2022.
  60. ↑ Niou, Yuh-Line [@yuhline] (June 23, 2022). "We must expand the court now" (Tweet). Archived from the original on August 25, 2022. Retrieved August 25, 2022 – via Twitter.
  61. ↑ Niou, Yuh-Line [@yuhline] (June 24, 2022). "Make no mistake: this decision will kill people, and our Supreme Court simply does not care" (Tweet). Archived from the original on August 25, 2022. Retrieved August 25, 2022 – via Twitter.
  62. 1 2 3 Kassel, Matthew (July 11, 2022). "'I do support BDS': Yuh-Line Niou lays out her Middle East policy approach". Jewish Insider. Retrieved July 11, 2022.
  63. ↑ Anuta, Joe (August 17, 2022). "NY-10 debate is a lion's den for Daniel Goldman". Politico. Retrieved August 18, 2022.
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