aniel J. O’Donnell represents the 69th District in the New York State Assembly, including Manhattan Valley, Morningside Heights, and the Upper West Side of Manhattan. When elected in 2002, Assembly Member O’Donnell was proud to join Assembly Member Deborah Glick, the first open LGBT member of the New York State Legislature.

 

Assembly Member O’Donnell and his partner of 26 years, John Banta, were plaintiffs in the 2006 case in which the Court of Appeals declined to find a constitutional right to rnarriage equality. He became the prime sponsor of A.8590, Governor Eliot Spitzer’s program bill to grant gay and lesbian couples the right to marry. On June 18,2007, the Marriage Equality Act was passed by the Assembly. It currently awaits action by the Senate before it becomes law.

 

Assembly Member O’Donnell is the prime sponsor of the Dignity for All Students Act, a bill that requires public schools to combat bias-based bullying and harassment, and legislation requiring insurance companies to provide domestic partner insurance policies on the same basis as spousal insurance coverage. He is also a co-sponsor of the Gender Expression Non-Discrimination Act.

 

Born in Queens and raised in Commack, Long Island, with his four brothers and sisters, he worked his way through college and law school, graduating with a B.A. in Public Affairs from George Washington University and a law degree from CUNY Law School.

 

Assembly Member O’Donnell is a longtime community activist and leader. He served as a public defender in the Brooklyn office of the Legal Aid Society before opening his own law firm focusing on tenant representation and civil rights litigation. He continues to be a progressive voice who advocates for fair and sensible legislation in the Assembly. Assembly Member O’Donnell currently serves as the Chair of the Subcommittee on Criminal Procedures. His Standing Committee Assignments include: Codes; Judiciary; Environmental Conservation: Arts and Tourism; Local Governments: and Oversight, Analysis & Investigation.