As the Lieutenant Governor of New York State, I stand here on behalf of Governor Kathy Hochul to say' we will be with you to be sure that this tragedy never happens again and we will make sure that all of the families -- the 15 here, the two who are not here, and all of the families who were impacted by this fire -- know that the state will stand up and support,'.

Brian Benjamin

Brian A. Benjamin (born December 9, 1976) is an American politician and businessman who has served as the Lieutenant Governor of New York since September 9, 2021. Benjamin was first elected to the New York State Senate in a May 2017 special election. He represented New York's 30th State Senate district from 2017 to 2021. During his Senate tenure, Benjamin served as the senior assistant majority leader of the Senate and as chair of the Senate Committee on Budget and Revenue. A political progressive, he focused on criminal law reform efforts such as bringing greater accountability to the NYPD, significantly limiting police no-knock warrants, ending cash bail, ending solitary confinement, not incarcerating parolees for parole violations, restoring the voting rights of parolees, allowing felons who completed their sentences to serve on juries, and passing an anti-chokehold act. Benjamin also sponsored the Rainy Day Fund law, a law that allowed New York City to set aside funds in a revenue stabilization fund. On August 26, 2021, New York Governor Kathy Hochul appointed Benjamin to the post of Lieutenant Governor. He was sworn in on September 9, 2021.

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