+ − Contact Information
Email Address: hevesia@assembly.state.ny.us
Phone: (518) 455-4926
Office Address:
LOB 742
Albany, NY 12248
+ − Biography
Andrew Hevesi was first elected to serve the residents of the 28th district in the New York State Assembly on May 10, 2005. A lifelong resident of the area, Assemblyman Hevesi has been privileged to serve the constituents of Forest Hills, Rego Park, Ridgewood, Richmond Hill, Middle Village, Glendale, and Kew Gardens.
In order to foster direct and easily accessible contact between himself and the residents of his district, the Assemblyman maintains a legislative email program that is used to update thousands of his constituents on legislation that passes through Albany, as well as events in the community. This program allows individuals to give feedback on pending legislation before votes are cast. The Assemblyman and his staff also pride themselves in taking a hands on approach to handling individual constituent cases, and have successfully dealt with thousands of individual concerns over the eight years since the Assemblyman took office.
With regard to public policy, the Assemblyman is the most senior member of the Assembly Energy Committee from New York City and has taken on that subject area as a focus during his tenure in office. The Assemblyman recognizes that New York City, State, and our nation are at a turning point regarding how we generate, deliver, and consume energy. There is an emerging consensus that our existing energy policies are not sustainable, and must be replaced by numerous new technologies and environmentally neutral energy sources.
To that end, Andrew has successfully written multiple laws to enhance renewable energy generation in New York State and has also taken a leadership role on environmental justice issues, both locally for his constituents and for other areas in New York. Two of the most notable achievements on these fronts include legislation he authored that now requires the New York State Energy Research and Development Agency (NYSERDA) to establish a first of its kind Generation Attribute Tracking System that monitors all energy production in the state, where the generation occurs, and the emissions that are produced in order to consistently ascertain exactly what types of energy sources, renewable or not, are being used statewide. On the environmental front, he recently negotiated a $3 million budget allocation in FY2013-2014 to create a pilot program that will upgrade antiquated freight locomotive engines that run through his district, as well as other parts of Queens, Brooklyn, Nassau, and Suffolk Counties. This achievement will significantly reduce noxious toxins released into the atmosphere, providing relief to families that live along the railways.
Assemblyman Hevesi was appointed Chairman of the Assembly Oversight, Analysis, and Investigations committee in the summer of 2011. With the hundreds of state departments, agencies, authorities, commissions, and task forces that comprise New York State government, Andrew believes it is essential that the Legislature ensure that the taxes collected from the residents of New York State are spent wisely, with every effort being made to cut down on waste and abuse. Assemblyman Hevesi views committee investigations as an essential instrument for improving public policy and agency operations, in addition to eliminating criminal and inappropriate activities in government including waste and inefficiency. In 2012, Assemblyman Hevesi began an initiative to identify, analyze, and repeal as many of the 30,000 reporting requirements that are currently in every section of law in New York State that are unnecessary or obsolete. This complex and extensive initiative was personally designed by the Assemblyman to heighten efficiency in government, streamline legal statutes, and provide cost savings to municipalities, localities, the state, and all taxpayers.
The Assemblyman has also taken on a leadership role in developing the technology industry in Queens and producing statewide policy regarding Information Technology (IT) application throughout New York. He believes that the borough has a growing entrepreneurial community capable of becoming future leaders in technological innovation and to that end has led the effort to establish a tech innovation hot spot in Queens to spur economic growth and enable local startups to thrive in the borough. On the state level, Andrew has already co-chaired an IT hearing and roundtable with the sole purpose of producing a comprehensive Information Technology package of legislation for the 2014 legislative session.
Andrew has taken on the issue of human trafficking in New York State by introducing several pieces of legislation to combat this despicable form of modern slavery and abuse. Most recently, Assemblyman Hevesi wrote a bill that extends the State�s Human Trafficking Task Force, adds seven new subject area experts to the membership of the task force, shortens the time frame for the task force to produce recommendations, and requires analysis of specific areas, including trafficking of children, Federal, State and Local law enforcement cooperation and, most importantly, social services that are needed to extricate victims from their abusers. This legislation received absolute bipartisan support, and passed the Assembly unanimously in April of 2013.
Andrew obtained his Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from Queens College. He served as Chief of Staff to former New York State Assemblyman, and now State Senator Jeff Klein. Andrew was the Director of Community Affairs for New York City Public Advocate Betsy Gotbaum. He also worked in the Domestic Violence Bureau of the Queens County District Attorney’s Office. Currently, Andrew lives in Forest Hills with his wife Rachel and their daughter. Standing Committee Assignments 2013: Oversight Analysis and Investigations (Chair); Energy; Health; Insurance; Labor.
+ − Committees (6)
NY - Banks (Assembly)
Title:
Member
NY - Codes (Assembly)
Title:
Member
NY - Health (Assembly)
Title:
Member
NY - Labor (Assembly)
Title:
Member
NY - Social Services (Assembly)
Title:
Chair
NY - Examining Socio-Economic Responses to People with Substance Use Disorders (Assembly)
Title:
Member
