Thomas Duane
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Thomas K. Duane
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Member of the New York Senate
from the 29th district |
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| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office January 1999 |
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| Preceded by | Catherine M. Abate |
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| Born | January 30, 1955 |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | Louis Webre |
| Residence | New York City |
| Website | tomduane.com |
Thomas K. Duane is an American politician from New York, currently serving in the New York State Senate.
Duane represents the 29th Senate district, which stretches along Manhattan's West Side from 85th Street to Canal Street, and includes the following neighborhoods: Upper West Side, Hell's Kitchen, Chelsea, Greenwich Village, and part of the East Side, including the East Village, Stuyvesant Town, Peter Cooper Village and Waterside Plaza. First elected to the senate in 1998, he took office the following January and has won re-election every two years.
Currently, Duane is the Chairman of the Senate Health Committee.
His signature legislative accomplishments in the New York State legislature to date has been the passage of the Sexual Orientation Non-Discrimination Act (SONDA) (2002) and Timothy's Law, which requires mental health parity for patients by insurance companies (2006) which were subsequently signed into law by Governor George Pataki.
He was also instrumental in the ultimate passage of the Hate Crimes Protection Act, which stipulates longer penalties for those convicted of alleged hate crimes, and mandates that New York State keep an active database of these crimes and "Manny's Law" which requires hospitals to disclose to indigent patients the availability of state-sponsored funds for health care costs.
Prior to his election to the New York State Senate in 1998, Duane served on New York City Council, to which he was first elected in 1991. He and Antonio Pagán, first elected in the same year, were the first two openly gay city councillors in New York. For part of that time, Christine Quinn worked as his chief-of-staff.[1]
In 1994, Duane ran for the U.S. House of Representatives against incumbent Jerrold Nadler, who had been appointed as the Democratic nominee for Congress in 1992, following the death during the campaign of eight-term Congressman Ted Weiss. Duane lost the primary election by a margin of two-to-one.[2]
Duane also served four terms as Male Democratic District Leader in the 64th Assembly District beginning in 1982. He has also served as a member of his local community board in the past.
Duane holds a degree in American and Urban Studies from Lehigh University.
Only the second openly LGBT member of the New York Legislature, he is today one of five, alongside Assemblymembers Micah Kellner, Daniel O'Donnell, Matthew Titone, and Deborah Glick.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ Pener, Degen (1992-09-06). "A Gay City Councilman Wants to Tell His Story". The New York Times. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9E0CE7D81239F935A3575AC0A964958260&n=Top%2fReference%2fTimes%20Topics%2fPeople%2fD%2fDuane%2c%20Thomas%20K%2e. Retrieved on 2007-02-24.
- ^ Steinhauer, Jennifer (1994-09-14). "In House Races, Incumbents Defeat Challengers Handily". The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/1994/09/14/nyregion/the-1994-campaign-congress-in-house-races-incumbents-defeat-challengers-handily-233285.html?n=Top/Reference/Times%20Topics/Subjects/P/Primaries. Retrieved on 2009-05-17.
[edit] External links
- Campaign website
- New York State Senate: Thomas K. Duane
- POV-Georgie Girl. Transgender Discrimination and the Law Interview taped for PBS documentary.
- On Eve of Vote, Gay Rights Bill Is Besieged From Within
- Project Vote Smart: Interest Group Ratings
- Duane's response to the 2008 Candidate Questionnaire for State Senate from the 504 Democratic Club of New York City
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| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Carol Greitzer |
New York City Council, 3rd District 1992–1998 |
Succeeded by Christine Quinn |
| Preceded by Kemp Hannon |
Chairman of the Senate Committee on Health 2009 – present |
Incumbent |
| New York State Senate | ||
| Preceded by Catherine Abate |
New York State Senate, 27th District 1999–2002 |
Succeeded by Carl Kruger |
| Preceded by David Paterson |
New York State Senate, 29th District 2003 – present |
Incumbent |
