HEALTHCARE

HOUSING

AFFORDABILITY

EDUCATION

TRANSPORTATION

CHILDCARE

ANDREAS' PLATFORM

Our healthcare system is broken. It’s an expensive maze where families are crushed by surprise bills, skyrocketing premiums, and prescription drug costs. We are paying more for less, while insurance companies and drug manufacturers post record profits. My plan is to fight back by making the system work for patients, not for corporate bottom lines. This fight comes down to three core principles:

• First, my plan starts with demanding real price transparency. You should never have to get a medical procedure without knowing what it costs.

• Second, I will directly attack the two biggest drivers of your healthcare bills. We must pass comprehensive Pharmacy Benefit Manager (PBM) reform to stop the secret-dealing middlemen who get kickbacks for pushing more expensive drugs. I will also be a champion for the New York State Affordable Drug Manufacturing Act, which would allow our state to produce generic drugs, like insulin, and sell them at a fraction of the cost.

• Third, I will fight to give our Attorney General more funding and expanded authority to investigate and prosecute medical fraud, waste, and abuse. I will also support new legislative powers to investigate anti-competitive behavior, like when private equity groups buy up small practices and immediately raise prices.

Housing is the single biggest cost for most families in our community, and right now, the dream of a stable, affordable home is slipping away. We feel it every day: rents are skyrocketing, our city’s vacancy rate is at a historic low of 1.4%, and longtime residents, young families, and seniors are being forced out of the community they helped build. We must build our way out of this crisis.

I will support legislation that makes it easier to convert empty office or manufacturing space into residential housing, streamline the approval process for 100% affordable projects, and create new homeownership opportunities for first-time buyers. I will fight to prioritize the construction of three bedroom apartments for families. We must also explore new models that use city or state owned public land to create housing that serves our community.

The cost of living in our city is unsustainable for working families. Every trip to the grocery store, every utility bill, every receipt, is a painful reminder that our economy is not working for us. It’s time for real accountability.

I will fight to hold utility giants like ConEd accountable for constant rate hikes and unreliable service. We need to have stronger state oversight. We can’t allow our utility companies to pass on more and more profits to shareholders while at the same time increasing rates for New Yorkers. I will push toward green, publicly-owned energy solutions to lower long-term costs. And I will support legislation to crack down on the corporate consolidation in our food supply chain that drives up prices at the register.

Every child in our district deserves a world-class education that prepares them for the future. This means fully funding our public schools, reducing class sizes, and supporting our teachers. It also means preparing them for careers.

I plan on introducing legislation to create a statewide office to facilitate internships for all high schoolers. I will be a champion for expanding vocational and technical training programs in our high schools, ensuring every student has a pathway to a good-paying job. At the same time, we must also invest in making CUNY and SUNY affordable and accessible for every New Yorker.

Our public transit system is the lifeline of our community, connecting us to our jobs, schools, and families. For too long, we’ve been paying more for less. Unreliable N/W trains, overcrowded 7 trains, ghost buses that never arrive, and weekend-long service shutdowns are just some of the daily challenges commuters face.

I will fight to increase bus and train frequency, improve accessibility at our stations, and solve signal issues that constantly cause delays in Queens. Ultimately, I envision a Queens with six minute service for NYC subway and buses to better connect areas of the district to the subway.

Parents across our district are struggling to find and afford care, forcing them to make impossible choices between their careers and their families.

I will fight to expand access to 3-K and Pre-K, invest in our childcare providers, and push for universal childcare to ensure every family has access to affordable childcare. When we invest in our children from day one, we are investing in the future of our entire community.

We encourage your input as we finalize our full platform in the next few weeks. Share your thoughts on our top legislative priorities here

CONSUMER PROTECTIONS

New York’s weak consumer protection laws allow large companies to overcharge you on everyday items. To combat this, I would push to pass the following bills in Albany:

In District 34, many transactions like signing a lease are negotiated in languages like Spanish, Bengali, or Urdu. Still, residents are forced to sign a contract in English that they might not fully understand. There are very few protections for non-native English speakers in current state and city law. To solve this issue, I would introduce a bill requiring that all consumer contracts be given to individuals in any of the ten designated citywide languages for government services.

The Consumer and Small Business Protection Act (CSPA) would update New York’s core consumer protection law for the first time in 45 years. New York currently lags behind 42 other states with modern consumer protection laws, forcing consumers to prove that a company intended to deceive the public at large and limiting penalties to just $50 per violation. The CSPA would bring New York up to federal standards by prohibiting unfair and abusive conduct, raising fines from $50 to $1,000, and allowing class actions when the same harmful practice affects many people.

UNIONS & LABOR

Strong labor unions are the reason the middle class exists in Queens.

Both my grandfathers were lifelong union members, which guaranteed them safety on the job, a good retirement, and the power to stand up to corporate greed. I plan on championing legislation in Albany that satisfies these ideals, like fixing the Tier 6 pension plan to restore fair pension benefits to our public employees.

IMMIGRATION

Diversity is what gives Queens its identity. We need to stand up to the Trump Administration and treat our immigrant communities with the dignity and respect they deserve.

I would champion the MELT Act (S8462) to finally hold ICE agents accountable, by requiring agents to identify themselves with their name and badge number and banning them from wearing face masks or plainclothes to conceal their identity while operating in New York.

I would also support the New York for All Act, which would prohibit state and local agencies from enforcing federal immigration law, sharing sensitive information, or allowing ICE and CBP into non-public areas without a judicial warrant. By keeping New York out of federal immigration crackdowns, the act strengthens public safety by reinforcing trust in law enforcement, protects families from separation, and ensures all residents can participate in their communities without intimidation.