Re-Elect Senator Anna M. Kaplan State Senator from Nassau County, Long Island New York -

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Meet Anna

Anna Kaplan is a former child refugee who has devoted her life to public service as her way of giving back to the country that has given her so much. Now serving her second term as a New York State Senator, Anna is fighting hard for Long Island and delivering results for our community. With your support this November, we can keep Anna Kaplan fighting for us in the Senate.

Anna Kaplan was born Anna Monahemi in Tabriz, Iran, and when revolution swept the country, her parents made the difficult decision to send her to America for safety. She arrived in Brooklyn as part of an international effort to save Iran’s Jewish children and was sent to live with a foster family in Chicago, where she learned to speak English and completed high school. Eventually, the family was reunited in Queens, where Anna went on to graduate from Yeshiva University’s Stern College For Women and then Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law.

Anna and her husband Darren moved to Nassau County to start their family and raise their daughters, and Anna felt a strong desire to give back to the country that had opened its arms to her as a child in need. After years as a local volunteer in the schools and community, she was elected to the library board, appointed to the North Hempstead zoning board of appeals, and then elected to two terms as a North Hempstead Town Councilmember. She made history in 2018 when she was elected to the State Senate as the first former refugee to be elected to the New York State Legislature and the first Persian American. Since taking office, Anna has brought back record funding and resources for our community, including our schools and our first responders, capped property tax increases, and lowered state income taxes. Anna stands up for Long Island families and will always fight for us!

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Issues

KEEPING TAXES IN CHECK

Year after year, Nassau residents have faced crushing increases in their property taxes. Senator Kaplan helped pass a permanent property tax cap that has already saved Long Island taxpayers millions of dollars. She also helped cut state income taxes, lowering taxes for New York's middle class families to their lowest level in 70 years when completely phased in.

CREATING JOBS & GROWING THE ECONOMY

As chair of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Economic Development, and Small Business, Senator Kaplan has passed new laws that support and strengthen our small businesses so they can continue to create good paying jobs right here in our community. She has also supported responsible economic development projects on Long Island that will create thousands of jobs and help reduce the local tax burden for residents.

fully funding public safety

Senator Kaplan has fought hard to fully fund public safety. Keeping our community safe is a top priority for Senator Kaplan, and she has delivered more funding for law enforcement and community based violence intervention programs. She has also supported comprehensive programs to address the root cause of crime and violence through targeted interventions, including mental health and substance abuse treatment and prevention, and services to help homeless New Yorkers to get back on their feet.

KEEPING OUR FAMILIES SAFE

Senator Kaplan is a champion of common-sense gun safety legislation, passing several laws that closed dangerous loopholes in our existing gun laws, and writing landmark legislation to keep ghost guns and untraceable AR-15s out of our community. Senator Kaplan helped pass the Red Flag Law that keeps guns out of the hands of those who might be a danger to themselves or others. To address the threat posed by MS-13, Senator Kaplan secured $1 million for gang violence prevention programs on Long Island.

DELIVERING FOR OUR SCHOOLS

Senator Kaplan has been a tireless advocate for Long Island schools, bringing back record-breaking funding from Albany; an increase of $47 million over her predecessor. As we navigate educating our children in the new normal, Senator Kaplan is fighting for our schools by making sure teachers and administrators have the resources they need to provide our kids with the best education while still keeping everyone safe.

STANDING UP FOR OUR KIDS

For years, Albany politicians stood in the way of holding child abusers accountable, but Senator Kaplan fought hard and helped pass the Child Victims Act, which allows survivors of childhood sexual abuse more time to seek justice from their abusers and those who knowingly allowed their abusers to continue to prey on children.

FIGHTING FOR WOMEN

Senator Kaplan has pushed back against attempts by the federal government to restrict New York women's reproductive rights, helping pass the Reproductive Health Act and laws that make contraceptive care accessible to all women. Senator Kaplan has also expanded programs and services to support breastfeeding, expanded access to mammograms, and criminalized so-called "revenge porn."

STANDING UP TO HATE

Senator Kaplan has been a leading voice against the rising tide of hate, anti-Semitism, and Islamophobia that has swept the country, writing several new bills that combat the crisis through education, awareness, and a stronger hate crimes statute. Senator Kaplan helped pass the state's new anti-domestic terrorism law that finally classifies acts of mass-violence motivated by hatred as domestic terrorism.

PROTECTING OUR ENVIRONMENT

Senator Kaplan has tirelessly fought to protect our environment, helping pass the strongest environmental protections in the history of New York State, banning offshore drilling on Long Island, and bringing back millions of dollars to our district for drinking water treatment upgrades that will address emerging contaminants like 1,4-dioxane.

combating opioid addiction

Senator Kaplan has brought back over a million dollars to fund programs and services that help Long Islanders who are struggling with addiction. She has also helped pass laws that make treatment programs more accessible to those in need, and has worked closely with local law enforcement to hold prescription drug take-back events and Narcan® (naloxone) trainings.