VoterLens
New York State Assembly District 98
Mount Saint Mary College—B.A.; John Jay College of Criminal Justice—M.P.A.
Data last updated 10/21/2026
Karl Brabenec was elected to the New York State Assembly for District 98 on November 4, 2014, representing parts of Orange and Rockland counties. Before serving in the Assembly, he was Deerpark Town Supervisor from 2010 to 2014, served on the Deerpark Town Board from 2008 to 2010, was a member of the Deerpark Zoning Board of Appeals, and worked as an assistant to former Orange County Executive Edward A. Diana. He has been active in community, government, and politics since age 14 and is an honorary Major with the United States Air Force Auxiliary Civil Air Patrol.
Committee Assignments: Committee on Election Law · Committee on Labor · Committee on Rules · Commission on Government Administration
Karl Brabenec’s healthcare record emphasizes expanding provider flexibility, reducing insurance barriers, improving access and continuity of care, and supporting patients/caregivers with specific medical needs. In the 2025–2026 New York Assembly session, he co-sponsored measures on nurse practitioner authority, prior authorization/utilization review standards, Medicaid managed care access transparency, interstate health insurance options, and seizure action plans in schools.
Karl Brabenec’s Economy & Jobs position emphasizes lowering taxes and regulations for families and businesses, opposing costly state economic-development programs he says fail to create jobs, and resisting wage or budget policies he argues would hurt small businesses, farms, and job growth. He also supports workforce and education measures intended to improve job readiness and earning potential.
Specific Actions & Proposals
Brabenec opposed Gov. Cuomo’s proposed $15 minimum wage increase, saying it would raise labor costs, force layoffs, stifle job creation, and harm small businesses and farms in his district.
SourceBrabenec called for suspending taxpayer-funded payments to START-UP NY until the program could demonstrate that it was viable in creating jobs.
SourceBrabenec spoke at the Orange County Chamber of Commerce about reducing property and business taxes and making New York more attractive to new businesses.
SourceBrabenec said he sponsored measures to help young people acquire on-the-job training and attend community college through scholarships to increase earning potential and competitiveness in the job market.
SourceKarl Brabenec, Republican Assemblymember for New York State Assembly District 98, takes a restrictive immigration-enforcement position: he opposes state policies he says aid undocumented immigrants, including driver’s licenses and sanctuary-style limits on cooperation with federal immigration authorities. He has sponsored or co-sponsored bills to repeal New York’s driver’s-license access law and require ICE notification for certain noncitizen arrests or defendants.
Specific Actions & Proposals
Brabenec publicly opposed granting driver’s licenses to undocumented immigrants, calling it a public-safety concern and arguing it favored undocumented immigrants over law-abiding citizens.
SourceBrabenec opposed immigration bills he characterized as making New York a sanctuary state and hindering law enforcement’s ability to question immigration status or cooperate with deportation efforts.
SourceKarl Brabenec is a Republican incumbent Assemblymember for New York Assembly District 98. On Climate & Energy, available records show a mixed-to-skeptical posture toward major climate mandates: he opposed New York’s 2019 Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act according to an environmental scorecard, supported at least one renewable-energy retention measure, and has more recently emphasized energy affordability concerns.
Specific Actions & Proposals
Brabenec’s official Assembly publications page identifies a July 16, 2026 publication titled "New York Is Facing an Energy Affordability Crisis," reflecting a stated focus on energy affordability for constituents.
SourceKarl Brabenec emphasizes improving learning environments, educational opportunities, and student safety, including shifting certain nonpublic-school service costs away from public-school district budgets and giving local school districts more control over school-zone speed limits. He has also publicly criticized Common Core and high-stakes standardized testing and voted for legislation he described as reforming New York’s education system.
Karl Brabenec, the Republican incumbent Assembly member for New York Assembly District 98, emphasizes a law-and-order public safety approach: repealing or tightening New York bail reforms, expanding judicial discretion and pretrial detention eligibility, strengthening penalties for repeat violent offenders, supporting law enforcement, and tougher anti-trafficking enforcement.
Specific Actions & Proposals
Brabenec supported Assembly Minority Task Force recommendations to strengthen laws against traffickers, enhance law enforcement cooperation, address bail reform, improve prosecutions, and increase victim services.
SourceNew York State Assembly biography
https://www.assembly.state.ny.us/mem/?ad=098&sh=bioFetched: biography, education, location
New York State Assembly committee membership
https://www.assembly.state.ny.us/mem/?ad=098&sh=commFetched: committee assignments
Karl Brabenec campaign website about page
https://brabenec.org/about/Fetched: biography, education, location
Vote Smart
https://j.futurefacts.votesmart.io/election/2026/L/NY/2026-state-legislative-election?p=3&party=5&stageId=PFetched: endorsements
The Rockland County Times
https://rocklandtimes.com/2014/10/30/brabenec-endorsed-by-nra-for-assembly-run/Fetched: endorsements
Environmental Advocates NY
https://eaaction.org/wp-content/uploads/2019-Environmental-Scorecard.pdfFetched: endorsements
New York State Assembly Member Directory
https://www.assembly.state.ny.us/mem/?ad=098&sh=welcomeFetched: issuePositions
New York State Senate Open Legislation - A1942
https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2025/A1942Fetched: issuePositions
New York State Senate Open Legislation - A3789
https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2025/A3789Fetched: issuePositions
New York State Senate Open Legislation - A9254
https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2025/A9254Fetched: issuePositions
New York State Senate Open Legislation - A9312
https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2025/A9312Fetched: issuePositions
New York State Senate Open Legislation - A8726
https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2025/A8726/amendment/originalFetched: issuePositions
New York State Senate Legislation
https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2025/A7504Fetched: issuePositions
New York State Assembly Member Directory - Karl Brabenec
https://assembly.ny.gov/mem/Karl-Brabenec/story/68831Fetched: issuePositions
New York State Assembly Member Directory - Karl Brabenec
https://assembly.ny.gov/mem/Karl-Brabenec/story/69636Fetched: issuePositions
New York State Assembly Member Directory - Karl Brabenec
https://assembly.ny.gov/mem/Karl-Brabenec/story/72508Fetched: issuePositions
New York State Assembly
https://www.nyassembly.gov/mem/Karl-Brabenec/story/108043Fetched: issuePositions
New York State Assembly Bill Search
https://assembly.ny.gov/leg/?Actions=Y&Memo=Y&Summary=Y&Text=Y&Votes=Y&bn=A02370&term=Fetched: issuePositions
New York State Assembly
https://www.assembly.state.ny.us/mem/Karl-Brabenec/story/86664Fetched: issuePositions
New York State Assembly
https://assembly.state.ny.us/mem/Karl-Brabenec/story/72968Fetched: issuePositions
New York State Assembly member page
https://www.assembly.state.ny.us/mem/?ad=098&sh=welcomeFetched: issuePositions
Environmental Advocates NY 2019 Environmental Scorecard
https://eaaction.org/wp-content/uploads/2019-Environmental-Scorecard.pdfFetched: issuePositions
LegiScan roll call for NY A04294
https://legiscan.com/NY/rollcall/A04294/id/885263Fetched: issuePositions
New York State Assembly publication page
https://www.nyassembly.gov/mem/Karl-Brabenec/story/118961Fetched: issuePositions
New York State Assembly sponsored legislation page
https://www.assembly.state.ny.us/mem/?ad=098&sh=sponsorFetched: issuePositions
New York State Assembly column on 2025-26 school year
https://www.nyassembly.gov/mem/Karl-Brabenec/story/115189Fetched: issuePositions
New York State Senate bill page for A2279
https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2025/A2279Fetched: issuePositions
New York State Senate bill page for A2385
https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2025/A2385Fetched: issuePositions
New York State Assembly bill page for A6104
https://nyassembly.gov/leg/?Actions=Y&Memo=Y&Summary=Y&Text=Y&bn=A06104&term=2025Fetched: issuePositions
New York State Assembly - A04754 bill page
https://assembly.state.ny.us/leg/?Actions=Y&Memo=Y&Summary=Y&Text=Y&Votes=Y&bn=A04754&term=Fetched: issuePositions
New York State Assembly - A04853 bill page
https://assembly.state.ny.us/leg/?Actions=Y&Committee%26nbspVotes=Y&Floor%26nbspVotes=Y&Summary=Y&Text=Y&bn=A04853&default_fld=&term=2025Fetched: issuePositions
New York State Assembly - A02113 bill page
https://www.assembly.state.ny.us/leg/?Memo=Y&Summary=Y&Text=Y&bn=A02113&default_fld=%0D%0A&term=Fetched: issuePositions
New York State Assembly - Brabenec human trafficking task force release
https://www.assembly.state.ny.us/mem/Karl-Brabenec/story/113481Fetched: issuePositions
New York State Assembly - A08855 bill page
https://www.assembly.state.ny.us/leg/?Memo=Y&Summary=Y&bn=A08855&term=2019Fetched: issuePositions
New York State Assembly - Brabenec District 98 member page
https://www.assembly.state.ny.us/mem/?ad=098&sh=welcomeFetched: issuePositions