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From the courtroom to the Capitol, Senator Todd Kaminsky has dedicated his life to public service.
Prior to his time in public office, Todd was a federal prosecutor at the U.S. Attorney’s Office for Eastern District of New York. There, he took down corrupt elected officials who used taxpayer dollars to fund lavish lifestyles, including former State Senate Majority Leader Pedro Espada, Jr., Assemblyman Jimmy Meng and Congressman Michael Grimm.
In April 2016, the people of the South Shore elected Todd to the State Senate to fight for Long Islanders. As a Senator, Todd is a crusader for clean government, tax relief and quality education, as well as a vigorous advocate for the environment, veterans, and first responders. Newsday called him “an important and respected voice for Long Island and his district.”
As Chair of the Senate Environmental Conservation Committee, Todd is at the forefront of efforts to protect our air, water and natural resources. He authored the New York Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act — the nation’s most aggressive climate change program –– putting the State on a path toward carbon neutrality and a green energy economy. He led the fight to regulate carcinogenic contaminants in Long Island’s water supply and passed legislation banning products containing these toxic substances. Todd secured a multi-billion dollar investment in clean water infrastructure received a perfect score from the New York League of Conservation Voters for his collaborative efforts “with colleagues on both sides of the aisle to work on behalf of Long Islanders.” Todd also successfully passed legislation to ban toxic toys and mercury flooring in schools.
Todd has led the fight to improve Long Island's commuter rail system. He helped procure billions in the state budget for improved LIRR service, and passed legislation mandating a forensic audit of the MTA. He has held the MTA and LIRR to task at numerous hearings regarding the poor state of infrastructure and service at Penn Station. Todd has consistently opposed proposed fare hikes and demanded more accountability and better conditions for riders. Newsday called him “the leader of LIRR reform in Albany.”
Todd is a leader on ethics reform, sponsoring legislation to strip pensions from corrupt officials, ban outside income for politicians, create publicly financed elections, strengthen anti-bribery laws, bolster penalties for public corruption and protect taxpayer dollars by increasing oversight of local government contracting.
A Long Island native, Todd has been a strong advocate for lower taxes, good jobs and a strong economy. He helped pass the largest middle-class income tax cuts in 70 years, voted more than 250 times against raising taxes and help enact a permanent property tax cap. Todd also secured tax breaks for Sandy victims and has rallied to reform Industrial Development Agencies to protect tax dollars. Each year Todd has been in the Legislature, he has drastically increased aid to local schools, securing nearly $300 million for South Shore schools in this past year’s state budget –– an increase of nearly $20 million from the year prior.