Jessica Scarcella-Spanton

Public safety and criminal justice

Voted in 2024 against ending the lifetime ban on jury service for people with felony convictions and against raising New York City's red-light camera limit to 600 intersections, and in 2026 against a bill changing the rules on how close cannabis dispensaries may be to schools and houses of worship.

Family costs, taxes and the state budget

Advocates universal child care; her campaign says she secured $350 million for a supplemental child tax credit. Voted against the 2024-25 budget bill for education, labor, housing and family assistance, and against bills letting Albany County tax short-term rentals and the town of Copake add a real estate transfer tax. Says what most people want for their families is "to feel safe where you live and able to afford where you live."

Police and first-responder benefits

Sponsored four bills that became law: raising the NYPD mandatory retirement age from 63 to 65, on how the salary base for New York City police pensions is determined, on World Trade Center benefits, and permitting accidental death benefits to be awarded to Anthony Varvaro's beneficiaries. Her campaign says she secured 20-year pensions for first responders.

Veterans

Chairs the Senate Veterans, Homeland Security and Military Affairs Committee. Sponsored a law making state tuition awards available to certain veterans, including Vietnam, Persian Gulf and Afghanistan veterans, and a bill giving public employees extra paid leave for military duty. Her campaign says she passed legislation prioritizing housing for veterans and lowering their taxes.

Maternal health care

Sponsors a bill requiring health insurance contracts to cover postpartum pelvic floor therapy for new mothers, which passed the Senate in June 2026. Her campaign says she secured over $1 million to launch the CUNY School of Midwifery.