James F. Brennan
James F. Brennan (born April 17, 1952) is an American politician. He is a former Democratic member of the New York State Assembly, representing the 44th Assembly District (Brooklyn).
In office
January 1, 1985 – December 31, 2016
Preceded by Joseph Ferris
Succeeded by Robert Carroll
Jim Brennan was elected to the Assembly in 1984, from the 51st Assembly District, which included the neighborhoods of Park Slope and Sunset Park. In 1992, due to redistricting, Brennan’s district radically changed. He subsequently ran and defeated fellow incumbent Joni Yoswein in the new 44th Assembly District, which includes the neighborhoods of Flatbush, Kensington, Park Slope and Windsor Terrace.
Committee Chair
He chaired four committees during his career: six years as Chair of the Assembly Standing Committee on Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities, one year as Chair of the Assembly Committee on Oversight, Analysis, and Investigation, and Chair of the Assembly Committee on Cities. He most recently was the Chair of the Committee on Corporations, Authorities and Commissions.
Awards & Citations
Brennan has won three national awards as a State legislator. The first, in 1996, was given by the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill for Brennan’s leadership in the fight for parity in mental and physical health benefits. The second was given by the National Conference of State Legislators in 2007, for an investigative report directed by Brennan as Chair of the Committee on Investigation. The report concerned how the Pataki administration undermined services for the severely disabled as a result of the closure of a Medicaid office serving those clients in the fall of 2004.
Achievements
In 1998 and 1999, Brennan helped win funding for 5,000 new units of housing for the mentally ill in New York State. As Chair of the Cities Committee, Brennan authored two new laws in 2007, to improve public health and safety in construction and development in New York City—one cracking down on the filing of fraudulent building plans to the New York City Department of Buildings, and the other compelling the acquisition of insurance for excavations that might damage adjacent properties.
Brennan also helped create the Restore New York program, a statewide effort to help distressed areas in cities by having the State pay to clear abandoned or vacant residential or commercial property with $300 million in funding.
Brennan also authored the Expansion of the Real Property Partial Tax Exemption to low and moderate-income senior citizens in co-ops and condos.
He is an attorney, a graduate of Yale University and Brooklyn Law School.
Source: Wikipedia
New York State Assembly Website Entry
(circa 2001)
Jim Brennan represents the 44th Assembly District in Brooklyn, which contains sections of Park Slope, Flatbush, Kensington, Midwood and Windsor Terrace. Mr. Brennan serves as Chair of the Assembly Committee on Corporations, Authorities and Commissions and as a member of the committees on Codes; Education; and Real Property Taxation.
From 1995 through 2000, Mr. Brennan chaired the Committee on Mental Health, Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities. He received awards from several major disability groups for his role in protecting them from serious budget cuts during his tenure as chair of the committee. Among his many accomplishments, he was responsible for funding 5000 units of housing and allowing half-fare on the MTA system for those with mental illness.
As chair of the Committee on Oversight, Analysis and Investigation, he authored an award-winning report, Delaying Necessities, Denying Needs, which exposed the shortcomings and delays of the New York State Department of Health’s program to provide durable medical equipment to disabled individuals.
As Cities Committee Chair, Mr. Brennan has authored bills to improve the accountability and effectiveness of the New York City Department of Buildings. He has stood up for adequate revenue sharing funds for cities across the state through a program called Aid and Incentives for Municipalities (AIM). In 2006, he created a $300 million Urban Revitalization fund, known as Restoring New York Communities.
During his years in the Legislature, Mr. Brennan has championed consumer protection, energy conservation, social and economic justice. He is well known for his expertise on budget matters, school aid and utility regulatory matters. Among the many laws he has sponsored, he authored legislation to require the state to annually produce the Tax Expenditure Report. This law, passed in 1991, requires that the Governor submit to the Legislature an itemized list of every special tax break that exists within the State Tax Code along with the budget. This gives the Legislature and the public the opportunity to scrutinize each tax break and determine if it benefits the public as well as the private parties involved. In 1996, Mr. Brennan sponsored a change in the property tax law that advanced tax relief to moderate income senior citizens who owned cooperatives. Previously, this real property tax abatement was only available to income-eligible owners of houses or condominiums.
Mr. Brennan maintains an active presence in his district, participating in many civic, school, and community improvement efforts that benefit his constituents. He was first elected in 1984 after working for his predecessor, Joseph Ferris.
Media Enquiries
Linda Gross
LCG Communications