Liz Krueger

Infobox State Senator
name = Liz Krueger
state_senate = New York State
district = 26th
term_start = 2002
residence = Upper East Side, Manhattan, New York
alma_mater = Northwestern University, University of Chicago
spouse = John E. Seley
party = Democratic

Liz Krueger is a member of the Senate of the United States state of New York. She was first elected in February 2002 during a special election. Krueger is the ranking member on the Senate Committee for Housing, Construction and Community Development. She was Chairwoman of NY's Democratic Senate Campaign Committee from 2003 through the 2006 elections, in which she and former Democrat leader David Paterson were charged with helping the Democrats retake control of the State Senate for the first time since a brief 18-month stint in the 1960s. In her capacity as chairwoman, she oversaw five Democratic pick-ups of Republican seats. She herself won a seat held by a 3-decade Republican. The 2004 election won 3 seats for the Democrats and in 2006 they saw another pickup and were successful in defending each of the seats they had won in the previous election. The 2006 election marked the first time in decades that Democrats picked off Republican seats in two consecutive elections. Prior to her entering the Senate, Republicans held a 37-23 seat advantage. That has since been trimmed to 31-30.

Education

She holds a B.A. from Northwestern University in Social Policy and Human Development and a masters degree from the University of Chicago's Harris Graduate School of Public Policy.

Political career

A member of the Democratic Party, Krueger represents New York's 26th Senate district. The 26th District represents Manhattan's East Side and Midtown. The 2000 Census counted 312,000 constituents.

Liz Krueger is currently the Chair of Minority Program Development and the ranking Democratic member of the NY State Senate Standing Committee on Housing, Construction and Community Development. She is also a member of five other committees: Banking, Consumer Protection, Finance, Higher Education, and Rules. Krueger is the Deputy Ranking Member on the Finance Committee, the most powerful of Senate committees.

Senator Krueger is a strong advocate for tenants’ rights, affordable housing, improved access to health care and prescription drug coverage, social services more open government and campaign finance reform, more equitable funding for public education, including higher education, and animal welfare.

She also served as Chair of the Senate Minority Task Force on Legislative and Budgetary Reform from 2004-2006, and has been a leader in the effort to develop a more democratic and deliberative legislative process.

Krueger is one of the leading advocates for reforming the state legislature, and has introduced over 30 reform bills. She is noted for joining with a Republican Assembly member and filing a lawsuit against George Pataki, Joseph Bruno and Sheldon Silver, for inequalities that elected officials must deal with when they are members of minority parties, believing that it is her constituents who suffer when minority members are not afforded the same resources as majority members. Their case was rejected in December 2006, but is on appeal to the Court of Appeals, New York's highest court.

Krueger has written op-eds in favor of same-sex marriage and increased financial aid higher education resources for low and moderate-income students. She consistently receives very high marks from environmental and civil rights organizations. She is one of only five senators (out of 62) to receive a perfect score from the Drum Major Institute, and is among the highest ranked legislators by the Empire State Pride Agenda.

Critical Issues that Krueger has focused on in her first 5 years in office include:

* Legislative Reform and a More Democratic Governmental Process
* A Woman's Right to Choose
* Repeal of the Rockefeller Drug Laws
* An End to the Death Penalty
* Corporate Accountability
* Renewal of Rent Laws & Repeal of Vacancy Decontrol
* Expansion of Access to Rent Increase Exemptions for Seniors/Disabled
* Transparent and Reliable Voting Technology
* Stem Cell Research
* Expansion of Recycling
* Animal Welfare/Humane Farming Practices
* Development on the East Side that is Compatible with Existing Communities
* Expansion of Community Participation in Power Plant Siting Decisions

Liz Krueger Helped Pass the following related legislation:

*Expanded Rent Increase Exemptions for Senior Citizens (SCRIE) and People with Disabilities (DRIE)
* The Women's Health & Wellness Act, Expanding Coverage for Contraceptives and Screening for Osteoporosis and Breast and Cervical Cancer
* Legislation Granting Women Access to Emergency Contraception in Emergency Rooms and in Pharmacies (the latter bill was vetoed by Governor Pataki)
* School Governance Reform
* Procurement Lobbying Reform
* Legislation Banning Predatory Lending
* Legislation to Fight Identity Theft
* An Expanded Animal Population Control Program for Low-Income Pet Owners through Low-Cost Spay/Neuter Vouchers
* Sexual Orientation Non-Discrimination Act (SONDA)
* Legislation to Improve Access for People with Disabilities to Supportive Services to Enable them to Remain within the Community
* Require Voting Machines or Systems to Produce Voter-Verified Paper Records
* Eliminate the Statute of Limitations for Rape Victims

Liz Krueger has Introduced Legislation that would:

* Extend Rent Regulations and Expand Tenant Protections
* Expand SCRIE Eligibility to Seniors and People with Disabilities with Incomes up to $50,000
* Enact the Corporate Accountability for Tax Expenditures Act
* Reform Legislative Rules to Create a More Democratic and Deliberative Governmental Process
* Authorize Stem Cell Research and Prohibit Human Cloning
* Amend the Constitution to Require Equal Pay for Equal Work Performed by Women
* Expand Redeemable Bottle Recycling to Cover More Containers, Increase the Deposit to 10 Cents, and Use Part of the Funds Raised to Fund Local Recycling Initiatives and Other Environmental Projects
* Enact Campaign Finance Reform and Campaign Spending Limits
* Expand Access to Food Stamps and Safety Net Assistance for Needy Families and Individuals
* Establish a Safety Course Requirement for Getting a Gun License
* Require Cigarette Manufacturers to Disclose Chemical Additives in Cigarettes
* Legalize Gay Marriage in New York

Personal life

Krueger lives in the Upper East Side of Manhattan, a borough of New York City. Her husband, Dr. John E. Seley, is a professor of Urban Planning and Geography at The City University of New York Graduate Center and Princeton's Woodrow Wilson School of Public Affairs.

External links

* Liz Krueger's official site @ [http://www.lizkrueger.com]
* Her biography is at [http://www.lizkrueger.com/biographyLK.html]
* [http://www.the504democraticclub.org/questionnaire_2006_statesenate_assembly_krueger.html] Krueger's response to the 2006 State Senate and Assembly screening questionnaire from the 504 Democratic Club of New York City
* [http://www.foodbanknyc.org/ Food Bank For New York City]
* [http://www.the504democraticclub.org/questionnaire_2008_statesenate_assembly_krueger.html Krueger's response to the 2008 Candidate Questionnaire for State Senate from the 504 Democratic Club of New York City]