Richard Gottfried
Encyclopedia
Richard N. Gottfried is a U.S. Democratic Party politician
from Manhattan
representing the 75th District in the New York State Assembly
for over forty years, making him the longest-serving member of that body.
(where he was a colleague of U.S. Representative Jerrold Nadler
, and future political consultant Dick Morris
), Cornell University
(BA, 1968), and Columbia Law School
(JD, 1973).
Gottfried is a fellow at the New York Academy of Medicine
, as well as a member of the American Public Health Association
and American Civil Liberties Union
.
, which includes Murray Hill
, Chelsea
, Clinton
, portions of Midtown Manhattan
and the Upper West Side
. Gottfried is a progressive Democrat consistently endorsed by the Democratic
and Working Families
parties.
Elected to the Assembly
in 1970—while a matriculating student at Columbia Law School
-- Gottfried currently serves as Chairman of the Assembly Committee on Health and is also a member of the Committees on Higher Education and Rules. He is also a member of the Assembly Steering Committee and the head of the Manhattan Assembly Delegation.
Some of his signature pieces of legislation-bills enacted into law that he has primary or secondary responsibility for include the creation of the Prenatal Care Assistance Program as well as the Child Health Plus and Family Health Plus programs. He is also the author of the Physician Profiling Law, which allows patients to access information about their primary care physician; the Family Health Care Decisions Act, which prioritizes who would make health care decisions for a person who does not have a health care proxy and is incapacitated; and the Health Care Proxy
Law-which allows individuals to designate a secondary party to make critical health care decisions for them if they become incapacitated-as well as the HIV Testing and Confidentiality Law.
Gottfried was the sponsor of the 1998 Hudson River Park
Law, which established that park, as well as the legislation that created and the recent legislation to expand the Jacob Javits Convention Center. He was also instrumental in the enaction of the Omnibus Crime Act of 1978 and drafting of the 1976 Juvenile Justice Reform Act.
As chair of the Health Committee, and as a staunch supporter of reproductive freedom, he is a key player in keeping New York pro-choice, and sponsors Gov. Spitzer's
recent Reproductive Health and Privacy Protection Act.
Gottfried introduced the first marriage bill in the Assembly in 2003. When Governor Eliot Spitzer submitted it as a Governor’s program bill in 2007, Assembly Member Daniel O’Donnell, one of the Assembly’s openly gay members, became the lead sponsor. Marriage Equality finally became law in New York State in June 2011.
Other important bills he sponsors are: GENDA, the Gender Non-Discrimination Act which would make discrimination based on gender identity illegal; and a bill to make the medical use of marijuana legal
As the leading advocate for patient autonomy, he has a major responsibility for New York's renowned managed care reforms, and continues to sponsor legislation for stronger protections for consumers and health care providers, work toward public support for universal access to quality, affordable health care, and establish end-of-life and pain management protocols. Mr. Gottfried's NY Health bill, to establish universal, publicly funded health coverage, was the first of its kind to pass a legislative body (NYS Assembly, 1992).
During his time as a member of the New York State Assembly
Richard Gottfried has served in various leadership capacities, including as Deputy Majority Leader, Assistant Majority Leader, Chairman of the Assembly Committee on Codes, and Children and Families, as well as Chairman of the Assembly Task Force on the Homeless, Campaign Finance Reform and Crime Victims. In his most recent re-election bid he received 82% of the vote.
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
from Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
representing the 75th District in the New York State Assembly
New York State Assembly
The New York State Assembly is the lower house of the New York State Legislature. The Assembly is composed of 150 members representing an equal number of districts, with each district having an average population of 128,652...
for over forty years, making him the longest-serving member of that body.
Early life and career
Gottfried was born in New York City, NY on May 16, 1947. He is a graduate of Stuyvesant High SchoolStuyvesant High School
Stuyvesant High School , commonly referred to as Stuy , is a New York City public high school that specializes in mathematics and science. The school opened in 1904 on Manhattan's East Side and moved to a new building in Battery Park City in 1992. Stuyvesant is noted for its strong academic...
(where he was a colleague of U.S. Representative Jerrold Nadler
Jerrold Nadler
Jerrold Lewis "Jerry" Nadler is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 1992. He is a member of the Democratic Party.The district includes the west side of Manhattan from the Upper West Side down to Battery Park, including the site where the World Trade Center stood...
, and future political consultant Dick Morris
Dick Morris
Dick Morris is an American political author and commentator who previously worked as a pollster, political campaign consultant, and general political consultant....
), Cornell University
Cornell University
Cornell University is an Ivy League university located in Ithaca, New York, United States. It is a private land-grant university, receiving annual funding from the State of New York for certain educational missions...
(BA, 1968), and Columbia Law School
Columbia Law School
Columbia Law School, founded in 1858, is one of the oldest and most prestigious law schools in the United States. A member of the Ivy League, Columbia Law School is one of the professional graduate schools of Columbia University in New York City. It offers the J.D., LL.M., and J.S.D. degrees in...
(JD, 1973).
Gottfried is a fellow at the New York Academy of Medicine
New York Academy of Medicine
The New York Academy of Medicine was founded in 1847 by a group of leading New York City metropolitan area physicians as a voice for the medical profession in medical practice and public health reform...
, as well as a member of the American Public Health Association
American Public Health Association
The American Public Health Association is Washington, D.C.-based professional organization for public health professionals in the United States. Founded in 1872 by Dr. Stephen Smith, APHA has more than 30,000 members worldwide...
and American Civil Liberties Union
American Civil Liberties Union
The American Civil Liberties Union is a U.S. non-profit organization whose stated mission is "to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties guaranteed to every person in this country by the Constitution and laws of the United States." It works through litigation, legislation, and...
.
New York Assembly
Richard Gottfried represents District 75 in the New York State AssemblyNew York State Assembly
The New York State Assembly is the lower house of the New York State Legislature. The Assembly is composed of 150 members representing an equal number of districts, with each district having an average population of 128,652...
, which includes Murray Hill
Murray Hill, Manhattan
Murray Hill is a Midtown Manhattan neighborhood in New York City, USA. Around 1987 many real estate promoters of the neighborhood and newer residents described the boundaries as within East 34th Street, East 42nd Street, Madison Avenue, and the East River; in 1999, Frank P...
, Chelsea
Chelsea, Manhattan
Chelsea is a neighborhood on the West Side of the borough of Manhattan in New York City. The district's boundaries are roughly 14th Street to the south, 30th Street to the north, the western boundary of the Ladies' Mile Historic District – which lies between the Avenue of the Americas and...
, Clinton
Hell's Kitchen, Manhattan
Hell's Kitchen, also known as Clinton and Midtown West, is a neighborhood of Manhattan in New York City between 34th Street and 59th Street, from 8th Avenue to the Hudson River....
, portions of Midtown Manhattan
Midtown Manhattan
Midtown Manhattan, or simply Midtown, is an area of Manhattan, New York City home to world-famous commercial zones such as Rockefeller Center, Broadway, and Times Square...
and the Upper West Side
Upper West Side
The Upper West Side is a neighborhood in the borough of Manhattan, New York City, that lies between Central Park and the Hudson River and between West 59th Street and West 125th Street...
. Gottfried is a progressive Democrat consistently endorsed by the Democratic
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
and Working Families
Working Families Party
The Working Families Party is a minor political party in the United States founded in New York in 1998. There are "sister" parties to the New York WFP in Connecticut, Massachusetts, South Carolina, Delaware, Pennsylvania, Vermont and Oregon, but there is as yet no national WFP...
parties.
Elected to the Assembly
New York State Assembly
The New York State Assembly is the lower house of the New York State Legislature. The Assembly is composed of 150 members representing an equal number of districts, with each district having an average population of 128,652...
in 1970—while a matriculating student at Columbia Law School
Columbia Law School
Columbia Law School, founded in 1858, is one of the oldest and most prestigious law schools in the United States. A member of the Ivy League, Columbia Law School is one of the professional graduate schools of Columbia University in New York City. It offers the J.D., LL.M., and J.S.D. degrees in...
-- Gottfried currently serves as Chairman of the Assembly Committee on Health and is also a member of the Committees on Higher Education and Rules. He is also a member of the Assembly Steering Committee and the head of the Manhattan Assembly Delegation.
Some of his signature pieces of legislation-bills enacted into law that he has primary or secondary responsibility for include the creation of the Prenatal Care Assistance Program as well as the Child Health Plus and Family Health Plus programs. He is also the author of the Physician Profiling Law, which allows patients to access information about their primary care physician; the Family Health Care Decisions Act, which prioritizes who would make health care decisions for a person who does not have a health care proxy and is incapacitated; and the Health Care Proxy
Health care proxy
A Health Care Proxy is an instrument that allows a patient to appoint an agent to make health care decisions in the event that the primary individual is incapable of executing such decisions. Once the document is drafted, the primary individual continues to be allowed to make health care decisions...
Law-which allows individuals to designate a secondary party to make critical health care decisions for them if they become incapacitated-as well as the HIV Testing and Confidentiality Law.
Gottfried was the sponsor of the 1998 Hudson River Park
Hudson River Park
Hudson River Park is a waterside park on the Hudson River that extends from 59th Street south to Battery Park in the New York City borough of Manhattan. Bicycle and pedestrian paths, including the Manhattan Waterfront Greenway, span the park north to south, opening up the waterfront for...
Law, which established that park, as well as the legislation that created and the recent legislation to expand the Jacob Javits Convention Center. He was also instrumental in the enaction of the Omnibus Crime Act of 1978 and drafting of the 1976 Juvenile Justice Reform Act.
As chair of the Health Committee, and as a staunch supporter of reproductive freedom, he is a key player in keeping New York pro-choice, and sponsors Gov. Spitzer's
Eliot Spitzer
Eliot Laurence Spitzer is an American lawyer, former Democratic Party politician, and political commentator. He was the co-host of In the Arena, a talk-show and punditry forum broadcast on CNN until CNN cancelled his show in July of 2011...
recent Reproductive Health and Privacy Protection Act.
Gottfried introduced the first marriage bill in the Assembly in 2003. When Governor Eliot Spitzer submitted it as a Governor’s program bill in 2007, Assembly Member Daniel O’Donnell, one of the Assembly’s openly gay members, became the lead sponsor. Marriage Equality finally became law in New York State in June 2011.
Other important bills he sponsors are: GENDA, the Gender Non-Discrimination Act which would make discrimination based on gender identity illegal; and a bill to make the medical use of marijuana legal
As the leading advocate for patient autonomy, he has a major responsibility for New York's renowned managed care reforms, and continues to sponsor legislation for stronger protections for consumers and health care providers, work toward public support for universal access to quality, affordable health care, and establish end-of-life and pain management protocols. Mr. Gottfried's NY Health bill, to establish universal, publicly funded health coverage, was the first of its kind to pass a legislative body (NYS Assembly, 1992).
During his time as a member of the New York State Assembly
New York State Assembly
The New York State Assembly is the lower house of the New York State Legislature. The Assembly is composed of 150 members representing an equal number of districts, with each district having an average population of 128,652...
Richard Gottfried has served in various leadership capacities, including as Deputy Majority Leader, Assistant Majority Leader, Chairman of the Assembly Committee on Codes, and Children and Families, as well as Chairman of the Assembly Task Force on the Homeless, Campaign Finance Reform and Crime Victims. In his most recent re-election bid he received 82% of the vote.