VoterLens
New York State Assembly District 20
Data last updated 10/21/2026
Eric “Ari” Brown was elected to the New York State Assembly in a special election on April 7, 2022, representing Assembly District 20. He served for two decades on the Board of Trustees in the Incorporated Village of Cedarhurst, currently holds the position of Cedarhurst Deputy Mayor, served on the village zoning board, became Chairman of the Board of Architectural Review in 2019, and is President of R. Brown Realty Corp, a design/build firm.
Committee Assignments: Committee on Economic Development, Job Creation, Commerce and Industry · Committee on Education · Committee on Housing · Committee on Local Governments · Committee on Small Business
Eric Ari Brown supports health-care reforms he frames as making care more affordable and health-focused, including reducing waste in health systems and removing ultra-processed foods from schools. As a sitting Assembly member for New York Assembly District 20, he has prime-sponsored health-related bills on health-care worker bonuses, home health reimbursement/compensation, early intervention reimbursement, mental-health provider collaboration, and COVID-19 mRNA vaccination restrictions.
Specific Actions & Proposals
Brown stated support for federal health reforms after meeting with HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and CMS Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz, citing removing ultra-processed foods from schools and cutting waste across health care systems.
SourceEric Ari Brown emphasizes lowering costs and taxes, opposing congestion pricing, and promoting local economic growth for New York Assembly District 20. His economic agenda also includes measures framed as reducing utility transparency burdens, lowering construction costs, and improving MTA efficiency/accountability.
Specific Actions & Proposals
Brown states that he opposes congestion pricing, wants to reduce the cost of living, lower taxes, and foster local economic growth.
SourceEric Ari Brown’s immigration record emphasizes stricter enforcement and opposition to state or local support for certain refugee resettlement and unauthorized immigration. As an Assemblymember for New York Assembly District 20, he has sponsored bills to expand local cooperation with federal immigration enforcement and restrict Palestinian refugee relocation in New York, and he has publicly called for closing the border and ending incentives for illegal immigration.
Specific Actions & Proposals
Brown publicly argued that government should close the border, stop incentivizing illegal immigration, and prioritize citizens and veterans before people without legal status.
SourceBrown stood with Assembly Minority leaders and federal Border Czar Tom Homan to call for action on illegal immigration, border security, and reversing sanctuary-state policies.
SourceEric Ari Brown’s record on Climate & Energy emphasizes energy affordability, local control over energy siting, and skepticism toward state mandates, while stating support for renewable clean energy when community concerns are addressed. As a sitting New York Assembly member for District 20, he has co-sponsored measures promoting nuclear energy, preserving fossil-fuel building systems, requiring utility bill transparency, requiring reclamation security for wind and solar projects, and restricting Long Island battery energy storage siting.
Specific Actions & Proposals
Brown stated he supports renewable clean energy but said the Equinor offshore wind project should not move forward until community concerns about environmental impacts, transparency, benefits, and home-rule decision-making are addressed.
SourceBrown urged the Public Service Commission to reject National Grid's proposed base-delivery revenue increase, arguing utility infrastructure and efficiency costs should not be shifted unfairly to residents.
SourceEric Ari Brown, the Republican incumbent for New York State Assembly District 20, emphasizes parental rights, safer schools, support for nonpublic-school security, and changes to school funding formulas. As an Assembly Education Committee member, he has also opposed costly school mandates where he says they divert money from core education needs.
Specific Actions & Proposals
Brown demanded action on legislation allowing rural school districts to request waivers from New York's zero-emission school bus requirements, arguing the mandate creates financial and operational burdens that could divert funds from education.
SourceBrown joined Assembly colleagues calling for increased funding to protect nonpublic schools amid rising antisemitic incidents, saying student safety is non-negotiable.
SourceBrown argued that restoring hold-harmless funding was helpful but insufficient and called for deeper reform of New York's school funding formulas to address disparities and inefficiencies.
SourceBrown joined Assembly Minority Education Committee members demanding reforms after antisemitic and violent incidents at Hillcrest High School, including safer and more apolitical learning environments and potentially stronger state oversight.
SourceEric Ari Brown frames public safety around stronger law enforcement, combating hate crimes and antisemitism, opposing "defund the police," and revisiting bail/public-order policies. As a sitting Assemblymember for New York Assembly District 20, he has prime-sponsored multiple public-safety bills focused on hate-crime enforcement, masked loitering, local law-enforcement authority, protest-related disorderly conduct, and assaults on police or peace officers.
New York State Assembly - Ari Brown Biography
https://nyassembly.gov/mem/?ad=20Fetched: biography, location, background
New York State Assembly - Ari Brown Committee Membership
https://nyassembly.gov/mem/?ad=020&sh=commFetched: committees
New York State Assembly Member Directory
https://assembly.state.ny.us/mem/?ad=020Fetched: votingRecord
Transparency USA
https://www.transparencyusa.org/ny/candidate/eric-ari-brown?cycle=2024-election-cycleFetched: campaignFinance
PBA of New York State
https://www.pbanys.org/pbam/news-detail/pba-of-new-york-state-announces-2024-endorsements/Fetched: endorsements
New York State Public Employees Federation
https://www.pef.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/2024-Assembly-Endorsed-Candidates.pdfFetched: endorsements
Long Island Gasoline Retailers Association
https://img1.wsimg.com/blobby/go/6351e155-c299-409d-9b85-8e7ab1ff3282/oct%20final%20reduced-52a1536.pdfFetched: endorsements
Police Conference of New York, Inc.
https://www.pcny.org/endorsements/new-york-state-assemblyFetched: endorsements
5 Towns Central
https://5townscentral.com/2022/03/15/eric-ari-brown-announces-candidacy-for-20th-assembly-district/Fetched: endorsements
National Federation of Independent Business
https://www.nfib.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/NY-Voting-Record.pdfFetched: endorsements
New York State Assembly sponsored legislation page
https://nyassembly.gov/mem/?ad=020&sh=sponsorFetched: issuePositions
New York State Assembly press release
https://nyassembly.gov/mem/Ari-Brown/story/115916Fetched: issuePositions
New York State Assembly Member Biography
https://assembly.ny.gov/mem/Ari-BrownFetched: issuePositions
New York State Assembly Sponsored Legislation
https://assembly.ny.gov/mem/Ari-Brown/sponsor/Fetched: issuePositions
New York State Assembly Bill A06088
https://nyassembly.gov/leg/?Actions=Y&Memo=Y&Summary=Y&Text=Y&Votes=Y&bn=A06088&term=Fetched: issuePositions
New York State Assembly Bill A09128
https://nyassembly.gov/leg/?Memo=Y&Text=Y&bn=A09128&term=2025Fetched: issuePositions
New York State Assembly Press Release
https://assembly.ny.gov/mem/Ari-Brown/story/112718Fetched: issuePositions
New York State Assembly bill page for A05467
https://assembly.state.ny.us/leg/?Actions=Y&Committee%26nbspVotes=Y&Floor%26nbspVotes=Y&Summary=Y&Text=Y&bn=A05467&default_fld=&term=2025Fetched: issuePositions
New York State Assembly bill page for A04814
https://www.assembly.ny.gov/leg/?bn=A04814&leg_video=Fetched: issuePositions
New York State Assembly statement on migrant meals
https://nyassembly.gov/mem/Ari-Brown/story/108501Fetched: issuePositions
New York State Assembly photos page
https://www.nyassembly.gov/mem/Ari-Brown/photos/Fetched: issuePositions
New York State Assembly - Ari Brown biography
https://www.assembly.state.ny.us/mem/?ad=020&sh=bioFetched: issuePositions
New York State Assembly - zero-emission school bus mandate statement
https://assembly.state.ny.us/mem/Ari-Brown/story/113323Fetched: issuePositions
New York State Assembly - nonpublic school safety funding statement
https://nyassembly.gov/mem/Ari-Brown/story/113313Fetched: issuePositions
New York State Assembly - foundation aid op-ed
https://nyassembly.gov/mem/Ari-Brown/story/111378Fetched: issuePositions
New York State Assembly - Assembly Minority Education Committee statement
https://nyassembly.gov/mem/Ari-Brown/story/108224Fetched: issuePositions
New York State Assembly member biography
https://assembly.state.ny.us/mem/?ad=020&sh=bioFetched: issuePositions
New York State Assembly sponsored legislation page
https://www.assembly.state.ny.us/mem/?ad=020&sh=sponsorFetched: issuePositions
New York State Assembly A04766 bill page
https://assembly.state.ny.us/leg/?Actions=Y&Committee%26nbspVotes=Y&Floor%26nbspVotes=Y&Summary=Y&Text=Y&bn=A04766&default_fld=&term=2025Fetched: issuePositions
New York State Assembly A04773 bill page
https://nyassembly.gov/leg/?Actions=Y&Chamber%26nbspVideo%2FTranscript=Y&Committee%26nbspVotes=Y&Floor%26nbspVotes=Y&LFIN=Y&Memo=Y&Summary=Y&Text=Y&bn=A04773&default_fld=&leg_video=&term=Fetched: issuePositions
New York State Assembly A05467 bill page
https://assembly.state.ny.us/leg/?Actions=Y&Committee%26nbspVotes=Y&Floor%26nbspVotes=Y&Summary=Y&Text=Y&bn=A05467&default_fld=&term=2025Fetched: issuePositions
New York State Assembly A11086 bill page
https://assembly.state.ny.us/leg/?Actions=Y&Committee%26nbspVotes=Y&Floor%26nbspVotes=Y&Summary=Y&Text=Y&bn=A11086&default_fld=&term=2025Fetched: issuePositions
New York State Assembly A11088 bill page
https://www.assembly.state.ny.us/leg/?bn=A11088&leg_video=Fetched: issuePositions