Yuh-Line Niou

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Yuh-Line Niou
Assemblymember Yuh-Line Niou in Albany (cropped).jpg
Member of the New York State Assembly
from the 65th district
Assumed office
January 1, 2017
Preceded byAlice Cancel
Personal details
Born (1983-07-15) July 15, 1983 (age 38)[1]
Taipei, Taiwan
Political partyDemocratic
ResidenceNew York, New York, U.S.
EducationEvergreen State College (BA)
Baruch College (MA)
WebsiteOfficial website

Yuh-Line Niou (Chinese: 牛毓琳; pinyin: Niú Yùlín) is a Taiwanese-American politician serving as a member of the New York State Assembly for the 65th district.[2] This Lower Manhattan district, which is heavily Democratic and over 40% Asian,[3] includes Chinatown, the Financial District, Battery Park City, and the Lower East Side. Niou is the first Asian-American elected to the State Assembly for this district.[1]

Early life and education[]

Niou was born in Taipei, Taiwan, the eldest of three children. Her mother and father worked as a registered nurse and materials science engineer, respectively, and were both from Taoyuan.[4] She lived in Moscow, Idaho,[5] and El Paso, Texas,[3] before her parents settled in Beaverton, Oregon. She attended Evergreen State College, and worked as an aide to members of the Washington State Legislature.[1] Diagnosed with autism when she was 22 years old, she moved to New York in 2010 to obtain a master's degree from Baruch College,[6][7] and served as chief of staff to State Assemblyman Ron Kim.[1]

New York State Assembly[]

After a corruption scandal involving Sheldon Silver forced his resignation, a special election was held to fill the vacancy in April 2016. Alice Cancel, an ally of Silver and a local Democratic District leader, ran as the nominee of the Democratic Party, while Niou, with the encouragement of former State Senator Daniel Squadron, ran as the Working Families Party candidate.[8] Cancel won the election.

Niou ran for the seat in the 2016 elections, and won the Democratic nomination in September 2016.[9] She then won the general election in November 2016 with 76% of the vote.[10]

Since her election to the New York State Assembly, Niou has prioritized legislation related to consumer protection and tenants rights as well as advocating for increased funding for the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA).[11] She has also fought to prevent a new housing and office building from being developed on community supported green space, the Elizabeth Street Garden.[12][13] Eventually, the garden's nonprofit lost the battle to save the space, which had begun in 2012, prior to Nioh's election.[14]

In January 2019, during an assembly hearing regarding the Child Victims Act, Niou recounted her own sexual assault.[15] The act passed in the state Assembly that day with a vote of 130–3.[16]

In December 2021, Niou stated her intention to issue a primary challenge against state Senator Brian P. Kavanagh of the New York's 26th State Senate district.[17][18]

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ a b c d Macabasco, Lisa Wong. "Meet Yuh-Line Niou: The New Face of Downtown Manhattan's Political Scene". Vogue. Retrieved December 14, 2016.
  2. ^ "Yuh-Line Niou Defeats Sheldon Silver Ally in Primary for His Old Assembly Seat". September 14, 2016. Retrieved December 14, 2016 – via The New York Times.
  3. ^ a b Hollander, Sophia (September 15, 2016). "Yuh-Line Niou Girds for the Next Step". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved December 16, 2016.
  4. ^ Fuchs, Chris (May 29, 2017). "Taiwanese-American shakes up New York City's political machine". Taipei Times. Retrieved May 29, 2017.
  5. ^ Robbins, Liz (September 14, 2016). "Niou's Victory Spotlights the Diverse Communities Living in Lower Manhattan". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved December 16, 2016.
  6. ^ Mondshein, Rory (June 6, 2016). "We Put the "Able" in "Disabled": Local Politician, Yuh-Line Niou, on Autism Spectrum Disorder". Retrieved February 19, 2021.
  7. ^ "Lower Manhattan's New Voice in the State Assembly". The New Yorker. December 13, 2016. Retrieved December 14, 2016.
  8. ^ "Meet Yuh-Line Niou, a Former Winnie's DJ Who's Downtown's New Assemblywoman". DNAinfo New York. Archived from the original on November 10, 2016. Retrieved January 18, 2018.
  9. ^ "Yuh-Line Niou Defeats Sheldon Silver Ally in Primary for His Old Assembly Seat". The New York Times. September 14, 2016. Retrieved December 14, 2016.
  10. ^ "Sheldon Silver's successor loses primary race to Yuh-Line Niou". New York Daily News. Retrieved December 16, 2016.
  11. ^ "New York State Assembly | Yuh-Line Niou". nyassembly.gov. Retrieved January 18, 2018.
  12. ^ "Legislator Who Argues Housing Is a Human Right Also Suing to Stop Affordable Housing in Her District". Reason.com. October 11, 2019. Retrieved May 1, 2021.
  13. ^ https://nyassembly.gov/mem/Yuh-Line-Niou/story/89493
  14. ^ https://www.curbed.com/2021/12/affordable-housing-388-hudson-elizabeth-street-garden.html
  15. ^ Gioino, Catherina and Slattery, Denis (May 24, 2019). "State officials tell lawmakers they must ‘remain neutral’ on proposals strengthening New York’s sexual harassment laws". New York Daily News. Retrieved May 24, 2019.
  16. ^ Wang, Vivian (January 28, 2019). "They Were Sexually Abused Long Ago as Children. Now They Can Sue in N.Y.". The New York Times. Retrieved August 14, 2020.
  17. ^ Lewis, Rebecca C. "Sources: Assembly Member Yuh-Line Niou is challenging state Sen. Brian Kavanagh". City & State NY. Retrieved December 21, 2021.
  18. ^ Gartland, Michael. "N.Y. Assemblywoman Yuh-Line Niou to challenge fellow Democrat with state Senate run". New York Daily News. Retrieved December 21, 2021.

External links[]

Political offices
Preceded by Member of the New York State Assembly
from the 65th district
2017–present 		Incumbent
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