Brian Barnwell is an American lawyer and politician, who served as a

Democratic Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

member of the

New York State Assembly The New York State Assembly is the lower house of the New York State Legislature, with the New York State Senate being the upper house. There are 150 seats in the Assembly. Assembly members serve two-year terms without term limits. The Assem ...

. Since January 2017 until December 2022, he has represented Assembly District 30 in Queens; the district includes

Maspeth Maspeth is a residential and commercial community in the borough of Queens in New York City. It was founded in the early 17th century by Dutch and English settlers. Neighborhoods sharing borders with Maspeth are Woodside to the north; Sunnyside t ...

Woodside Woodside may refer to: Places and buildings Australia *Woodside, South Australia, a town *Woodside, Victoria, a town Canada *Woodside National Historic Site, the boyhood home of William Lyon Mackenzie King *Woodside, Nova Scotia, a neighborho ...

, Middle Village, and portions of Astoria, Sunnyside, Elmhurst,

Rego Park Rego Park is a neighborhood in the borough of Queens in New York City. Rego Park is bordered to the north by Elmhurst and Corona, to the east and south by Forest Hills, and to the west by Middle Village. Rego Park's boundaries include Queens ...

and

Long Island City Long Island City (LIC) is a residential and commercial neighborhood on the extreme western tip of Queens, a borough in New York City. It is bordered by Astoria to the north; the East River to the west; New Calvary Cemetery in Sunnyside to the ...

Early life, education, and family

Born in New York City on April 24, 1986, Brian Barnwell has been a longtime

resident. He comes from a middle-class family of law enforcement officers, nurses and teachers. Barnwell graduated cum laude from

Arizona State University Arizona State University (Arizona State or ASU) is a public research university in the Phoenix metropolitan area. Founded in 1885 by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, ASU is one of the largest public universities by enrollment in the ...

with a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science. He went on to earn his J.D. degree from Albany Law School. During his time in law school, Barnwell worked for the Albany County District Attorney's Office and for the Albany Law School Civil Rights and Disabilities Law Clinic.

Career

After graduating from law school, Barnwell went into private practice and practiced general law. Barnwell then worked as an aide in Queens City Council Member

Costa Constantinides Costa Constantinides (born January 7, 1975) is an American politician and attorney who served as a member of the New York City Council from the 22nd district. The district includes Astoria, East Elmhurst, part of Long Island City, Rikers Island ...

’s office. Barnwell first announced in July 2015 that he would seek the District 30 seat in the Assembly; at the time, he was a political newcomer. Incumbent Democratic Assemblymember Margaret Markey had been elected to the seat nine times. In the September 2016 Democratic primary, Barnwell defeated Markey 1,710 votes to 1,082. One report on the election result stated that " hismight be one of the biggest political upsets Queens has ever seen." After defeating Republican candidate Tony Nunziato by a large margin in the November 2016 general election, Barnwell took office in January 2017. In the summer of 2018, Barnwell was named to City & State's "Albany 40 Under 40" He joins other "figures crafting groundbreaking legislation, shaping public opinion and driving the news cycle."

New York State Assembly

Since his time in office, Barnwell has introduced legislation that provides tax relief for seniors and the middle class. Barnwell also drafted legislation to attempt to reform the affordable housing formula, and proposed bills that would allow for tougher sentencing on violent felons. Barnwell has also pushed a bill that would outlaw the sale of puppies by "puppy mills." Barnwell has been the primary sponsor on many other pieces of legislation. He has worked to create bills that hold the government accountable and promote citizen well-being. Barnwell is the chair of the Subcommittee on Emerging Workforce within the New York State Assembly. Barnwell also serves as a member of the Committee on Aging, the Committee on Banks, the Committee on Children and Families, the Committee on Labor, the Committee on Libraries and Education Technology, the Committee on Real Property Taxation, the Asian Pacific American Task Force, and the Puerto Rican/Hispanic Task Force.

Electoral history

References

External links

New York State Assemblyman Brian Barnwell
official site
Brian Barnwell's TwitterBrian Barnwell's InstagramBrian Barnwell's Facebook
{{DEFAULTSORT:Barnwell, Brian 1986 births Living people 21st-century American politicians People from Woodside, Queens Politicians from Queens, New York Democratic Party members of the New York State Assembly Arizona State University alumni Albany Law School alumni American prosecutors